February 11, 2005

"It was pathetic," Oberholser said of his round after carding a birdie on the 18th hole at Poppy Hills Golf Course, and acknowledging the applause with a half-hearted wave. "Bad ball striking. Bad putting. Bad all around. My golf swing feels terrible. I really have nothing positive to say other than the fact I really hung in there, considering I’m striking the ball as bad as I’ve ever struck it."

It didn’t seem the proper time to remind him of one year earlier, when, after three solid rounds earned him a spot in the AT&T’s final pairing with Vijay Singh, Oberholser crumbled at Pebble Beach with a 76 to drop from a first- place tie to fourth.

It would have been huge: a "local boy does good" story. Oberholser, who attended San Mateo High and played collegiately for San Jose State, was a PGA Tour rookie last season.

"He’ll learn from it," Singh said.

Oberholser did learn from it — after nearly two months of kicking himself. "I might as well have been behind the ropes because I didn’t put up much of a fight," he said of last year’s collapse. "I really disappointed myself."

In his return to Monterey Bay’s paradise, the spotlight on Oberholser faded. There weren’t thousands of fans pulling for the former San Jose State All-American, like the 2004 final round. There were about five fans who followed Oberholser for the duration of the round — his personal coach John Kennaday and some of Kennaday’s other students, who are members of the Santa Clara University men’s team. And they had little to cheer about.

There was a bright side. Oberholser, in his second season on the PGA Tour after a successful career on the Canadian Tour, learned that even on his worst day he can still get it around and score a 69, 70, or 71.

But he knows around par doesn’t make many cuts on the PGA. Oberholser sits in a tie for 71st place. (The top 60 players will advance to Sunday.) And that’s why he didn’t go light on analysis of his outing.

Oberholser is nine strokes behind leader "Punxsutawney" Phil Mickelson, who on Sunday, four days removed from Groundhog Day, won the FBR Open in Scottsdale, Ariz. Mickelson opened with Spyglass Hill on Thursday and shot a course-record 10-under 62.

"If I have to be realistic at it, I don’t have much of a chance the way I’m swinging it," Oberholser said. "But if I can find something, you never know. If Mickelson and those guys keep playing the way they’re playing I’ve got no chance to catch them."

Continuance and consistency is something Oberholser is seeking. That’s why he practically sprinted to the driving range to work out his swing after Thursday’s round.

While Oberholser has yet to win a PGA Tour event, he won the Shinhan Korea Championship, along with a $1 million winner’s check, in November, topping a field that included European Ryder Cup members Miguel Angel Jimenez and Padraig Harrington.

He took second at the Wachovia Championship last May.

Oberholser knows he can compete with the best players in the world, he just has to prove it at this level. (As a junior at San Jose State, Oberholser won six tournaments, including the Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Club, where he topped a field that included the nation’s top-ranked amateur, a guy named Tiger Woods.)

Oberholser thinks a lot of his game, just not lately. He once joked that he hated his name, because not all the letters fit on the leaderboard.

Forget the AT&T, Oberholser will win a major within the next five years, predicts former Spartans golfer D.J. Powers.

"His talent is limitless," said Powers, who played with Oberholser from 1994-97 at SJSU. "He hit some shots I still think about to this day. I remember we played a weird tournament in Fresno, where our whole team got to play in the same group. It was a lot of fun. Arron shot a 64 and he parred all the par-5s. He hit all his iron shots to about three feet."

It’s more than talent, Powers said. The thing that helps Oberholser is his mindset. "Arron is one of the most intense golfers I’ve ever been around."

When Oberholser is off, he mutters to himself. When Oberholser is on, he mutters to others. "He could rub people the wrong way on the course," Powers said.

Kennaday is familiar with Oberholser’s attitude. "He believes in himself," Kennaday said. "Does it come off as cocky? Yes. He’s in a business where you have to think you’re the best to compete. Confidence is huge. I don’t have a problem with (his attitude) and I’m glad I don’t have to encourage it."

Kennaday also believes Oberholser will win a major.

"He’s more of a street fighter. He grew up playing muni courses and went to a state school. He’s had to fight for the things he has received. The road wasn’t paved for him. He has had to work very hard for it."

No the AT&T isn’t over, it’s just getting started. So is Oberholser.

Chances are he won’t go down without a fight. He knows what that will get him. He has learned that much thus far.

Contact Jim Seimas at jseimas@santacruzsentinel.com.