The New Sean O’Hair
Sean sure has a heckuvalot to smile about these days.
Sean O’Hair has been in the news alot these days, especially with the fantastic year he has had on tour. Notwithstanding the gaff on 17 in the Player’s Championship that ultimately gave the trophy over to Phil Mickelson, Sean has come a long, and I mean long way from the troubling childhood he once endured.
By now, most people know Sean’s story, chronicled in painful detail in a 60 minutes segment. Sean’s father Marc O’Hair saw his little boy as an investment, a business venture. He trained his boy to be a golf machine with the hope that Sean would eventually pay big dividends. In many ways, Marc took the Tiger model and took it up a notch. You see, Marc was a smart businessman, and like any smart businessman he sought to maximize labor, minimize overhead, and hope that he could turn his boy into a money-making boon. Except Sean wasn’t buying it. Enough was enough and in 2003, Sean got the courage (with help from his then girlfriend and now wife Jaclyn) to go it alone. It must’ve been terrifying for Sean, a kid that was essentially jailed by his father without a clue about how to live in the real world. But he got it together and now has everything he could ever ask for. There’s just one thing, Marc made him sign a contract stating that Marc was entitled to 10% of all future earnings.
Sadly, this same terrible story seems to be playing out in many families all over the country and indeed the world. And it’s not just in golf, but its in every sport. Parents living their lives through their kids. I look at someone like Michelle Wie or Tadd Fujikawa and I am just saddened by the pressure that everyone has placed on these teenagers. I mean, when I was 16, I was out skateboarding and playing video games. Going pro and making tons of money was the last thing on my mind.
In any case, congrats go to Sean O’Hair for having a terrific season and if anyone deserves to win a major, it certainly couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.
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