Missed Opportunities Are O'Hern's Undoing

A twinge of possibility tapped Nick O'Hern's imagination. After he sank a birdie putt on Congressional Country Club's par-3 10th hole, his eyes crept toward the leader board through his thick sunglasses. He stood at 8 under par, three shots behind leader Anthony Kim, who played the back nine one group ahead of him. O'Hern imagined stalking Kim, ripping the lead from him and winning the tournament.

At the time, the scenario appeared feasible. Since Friday, O'Hern had treated the back nine as his toy, sweeping into the clubhouse with six birdies and a spotless bogey count. When he lifted his left hand to acknowledge the gallery's applause, O'Hern was confident in his ability to confront Kim.

By yesterday evening, O'Hern's self-confidence had been misplaced. He was unable to overtake Kim, shooting a final-round 69 at the AT&T National to finish at 9-under 271, three strokes behind the champion. O'Hern closed the back nine with two birdies -- his fewest since Thursday -- and was left to wonder what might have been as he finished tied for third.

"I just tried to play as well as I could on the front nine to see what position I was in," O'Hern said. "I saw [Kim] doing well, so I figured I could make some birdies coming in, but I couldn't do it."

Early on, it looked as if he could. On the par-4 No. 14, his tee shot sat 184 yards from the pin. He smacked the ball with a hybrid wood, and it trickled about three feet from the hole. His birdie got him within two shots of Kim, and a few voices within the gallery screamed, "Two more!"

That was it, though. O'Hern entered the par-5 16th at 9 under, three strokes behind Kim. O'Hern's third iron shot sailed over the green, forcing him to settle for par. At the par-4 17th, he hung an 18-foot birdie putt an inch right of the hole, and afterward pressed his putter against the back of his neck in frustration.

"I knew I needed to make two birdies on the last three holes, and I knew [No. 17] was probably my best chance," O'Hern said. "I still could have had a chance after that, but I had too many misses."

Despite the misses, O'Hern has several reasons to be satisfied. The Aussie shot 69 or better the last three rounds and never committed a bogey on the back nine after Thursday. He also missed the cut at this event last year, shooting a 75-77 to bury his hopes early.

Throughout his career, O'Hern has shown potential. He has beaten Tiger Woods twice in match play (in 2005 and 2007), and this past March he finished tied for sixth place at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship.

"There are so many great golfers out there, and he's definitely one of them," said Jeff Overton, O'Hern's playing partner. "He hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens, but he just wore out today."

While O'Hern said he was pleased with his mental toughness all week, but catching Kim just wasn't meant to be.

"As long as you give it your all," he said, "you have to be satisfied."