Veteran Aaron Oberholser vows to stage a comeback at Pebble Beach Pro-Am next month
PGA Tour veteran Aaron Oberholser will now be making another attempt to rejuvenate his stagnant career after a lapse of two years at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am next month. He will be hoping to emulate his only PGA Tour victory at the tournament some six years ago.
Oberholser, who started off his professional career in 1998 and pulled in his first PGA Tour victory in 2006, has been struggling with consecutive injuries and form woes for considerable years.
After his stellar victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2006, Oberholser finished the year 23rd on the money list.
He pulled in another strong season the following year, finishing for an impressive 47th and while he contemplated a prolific career ahead on the tour, this was just the beginning of his long struggle against his injuries.
Oberholser, since then, has undergone four wide open surgeries on his left wrist and another on his right hip.
"No doubt, this is my last shot to see if I can keep my career going," he said. "If I have to have one more surgery anywhere on my body, I'm done".
The sturdy American was 31 years old when he pulled in the AT&T title. He returned to mainstream golf in the year 2009 on a medical exemption after playing just ten events in the year 2008.
He ended up playing just three events in 2009 and returned to his never-ending rehab for his injuries on left hand and right hip.
He did not play a single event in 2010 and 2011, and will now be returning to the course after a lapse of 27 months.
"I'm worried, absolutely," he said. "I have worries it's going to hold up and I have worries about where my game is going to be”.
The 36-year-old American, who lives in Arizona with his wife and two young sons, is also wondering whether to proceed with his golfing career or to move on and find some other source of living.
Oberholser voiced his fears of another failure and said, "I still have to make sure I have the desire to do this for a living. My life has done a complete 180 since I last played - I have two kids and I've been out of the competitive arena for 2 1/2 years".
Much like the case of resilient Erik Compton, who pulled in stunning finishes in his comeback season last year, Oberholser would be hoping to emulate his tour mate with similar performances this year.
Following his AT&T victory in 2006, he surged to top-25 on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and will need gross earnings of $350,000 in 14 events to retain his playing status on the tour.
Pebble Beach Pro-Am will also be featuring Tiger Woods in the field, who will be starting off his PGA Tour season with the event.
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