Ailing back poses a problem for O'Hair

Sean O'Hair showed up for the first round of the AT&T National and appeared to be swinging free and easy despite a back injury that forced him to withdraw from the pro-am competition.

If anything was causing pain for the West Chester touring pro Thursday, it was makable birdie putts that simply refused to go in the hole, some of them winking into the cup as they passed by on the edge of the lip.

But after adding the strokes and coming up with a 1-over-par 71 at Aronimink Golf Club, a course he has played as a club member, O'Hair admitted that his back was "a little sore."

"I was surprised this morning how good it felt," he said. "It was a little sore but I was a little surprised I was able to play today. I'm not going to do any practice, just try and rest it a little bit, try to get ready for tomorrow."

O'Hair had played 12 holes of his pro-am round on Wednesday when he left the course. He said he had hurt his back June 24 while lifting weights. His trainer has told him he may have a bulging disk, but O'Hair hopes that it's not too bad.

"I've been playing a lot of golf this year," he said. "I felt like I hurt it when I was working out. I had some tight hamstrings the last few days, and I think that hasn't really helped. It's been pulling on my back a little bit."

The 6-foot-2, 165-pound O'Hair, who will turn 28 on July 11, said that he didn't give much thought to withdrawing because of the quality of Aronimink, that he wanted to "try and tough it out a little bit." However, this is the first of four consecutive tournaments in which he will compete, and he wondered about that plan.

"I don't like to play four in a row," he said. "Especially given the fact that my back's hurting, I'm kind of second-guessing that decision a little bit."

O'Hair said Aronimink was in the best shape he has seen it all year, and his ball-striking Thursday was equally impressive. He hit 10 of 14 fairways and missed just two greens. But the hole seemed to close its gates every time his ball came calling.

The longest putt he made all day was 7 feet, 4 inches, the length of his only birdie on No. 6, according to the PGA Tour's Shotlink. He missed five other birdie tries of 17 feet or less.

His two bogeys came on three-putts, both from 60 feet, at the 11th (his second hole of the day) and at the first, but he finished his round well, sinking a four-footer for a save at the par-5 ninth.

"I putted really nicely," he said. "I was all over the hole all day, and I shot 1 over. I don't think the score represented how well I played. I didn't play great, but I played solid."

O'Hair admitted that he was a little careful starting out because of his back, but discovered after a short time that the injury was not affecting the distance he could hit the ball. He summed up the day by saying, "I was a little surprised at how well it went."

The crowd was squarely in O'Hair's corner, particularly a large group from his home course, Concord Country Club. They exchanged fist bumps and gave thumbs-up gestures to each other after his birdie. Their groans got louder with each missed putt.

Asked about his frustration level at not being at full strength for a tournament in his home area, O'Hair replied, "It's disappointing, but it's not the end of the world.

"It would be nice to play really well in front of everybody," he said, "but at the end of the week, it's just another golf tournament. I'd love to play well on this golf course, but I can't control my back. So I'm just going to do my best and - who knows? - it might actually take the pressure off and I'll probably play even better. So I'm just going to take it each day.

"This golf course, I think, is probably one of the best golf courses we've played all year. Being in front of the home crowd, and sleeping in your own bed, it's fun. So hopefully we'll have a good week."