"I got out of the car, I started kind of just -- I was freaking out, I kind of was like, I'm OK, I'm OK, I'll be all right for the U.S. Open," O'Hair said, patting his chest and arms and pantomiming the physical inventory he had taken as he exited the car.
"And after I said that my neck started hurting, my chest started hurting, and then I went to the hospital -- the X-rays were fine. The next day I flew to TaylorMade in Carlsbad and did a deal with them, and then I couldn't move."
He had a buildup of fluids in his chest as a result of the seatbelt pulling across him. Ultimately, O'Hair had so much soft-tissue bruising from the impact, he had to withdraw from the U.S. Open before the week even began. Simply put, he was too sore to play. In all, including the week of the accident, he didn't play in four consecutive events.
"It took a while to get over it," said O'Hair, who is No. 38 in the world rankings and the second-youngest American with multiple career wins to Anthony Kim, 23.
It makes for a funny, self-deprecating story since everything turned out fine and no others were involved in the mishap, and O'Hair said the injury had nothing to do with his slow play through the summer months.
"No, I was hitting it like crap before that," he joked.
Finally, at a crucial stage in the season for those with Ryder Cup aspirations, he has been digging his way out of his funk after hiring a new swing coach last week, Orlando-based Canadian instructor Sean Foley, who also works with veteran Stephen Ames. Last week at the Canadian Open, as fate would have it, O'Hair finished in a tie for third, his best finish since the Palmer event at Bay Hill, when he played in the final group on Sunday with eventual winner Tiger Woods.
So the good news is, his paydays have picked up, which is nice for a variety of reasons, including the fact that his wife Jackie ordered him to find another mode of transportation. The Mustang wasn't totaled, although his wallet probably was.
"She said, 'You're getting rid of the car,'" Sean said.
With two big-money weeks left to cement a spot on his first Ryder team, O'Hair is 14th in the points standings and is poised to make a monumental jump into the top eight, which would assure him an automatic berth, if he plays well over the next nine days.
Incidentally, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger drives a souped-up Toyota Supra capable of speeds so frightening we mortals would need a pry bar to get our fingers off the steering wheel. Akron long ago picked up the nickname Rubber City and you can bet that Azinger is watching closely to see if O'Hair can find some traction.
Unlike seven weeks ago, now is the time to burn runner, son.
Who knows, perhaps they are fuel-injected kindred spirits, which might help if O'Hair misses the top eight and lands on the list of wild-card candidates.
"Yeah, and he's probably a lot better driver than I am," O'Hair said.
