After too many weekends off, Hamilton eager to play more

In the last year of his five-year exemption after his only major victory, Todd Hamilton has been struggling. But a resilient second round has him contending again, and feeling like his game is coming around.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- On paper, the numbers don’t look good.

Only two top-10s in 129 starts since his life-altering victory in the 2004 Open Championship. He’s missed nine more cuts than he’s made during that time, too.

On Friday during the second round of the 73rd Masters Tournament, though, the only number that mattered was the 70 Todd Hamilton put on his scorecard that kept him among the leaders at a solid 6 under par.

So what if Hamilton had made an early exit in the first five tournaments he’d played this year, and seven in nine overall? He’s three strokes off the lead held by Chad Campbell and looking forward to a weekend that could once again change his life.

“Thanks for showing up just for me,” Hamilton grinned and told reporters as he made what had become an all-too-rare appearance in an interview room.

Hamilton is playing in the final season of a five-year exemption he received for beating Ernie Els at the Open Championship at Royal Troon. He ranks 187th on the money list with just over $36,000 -- well shy of the slot in the top 125 needed to keep his card.

Truth be told, this visit to Augusta National very well could be his last. Reality, as we all know, sometimes bites, but Hamilton came to this toney southern enclave determined to prove that he belonged.

“I don't think I had any expectations,” Hamilton said. “I was just happy to have a chance knowing this could be my last one, and I wanted to play like it wasn't going to be my last one. I wanted to have a chance to come back.”

Hamilton could get that chance, too, depending on how he plays this weekend. The 43-year-old came to Augusta National recharged, after taking four days off back home in north Texas when the winds started to blow.

“I think the time off that I had last week at home was really beneficial to me,” Hamilton said. “I had been beating my head up against the wall, seems like all year. (I) felt like I was playing pretty well and just getting nothing out of it.”

As indifferently as he’s been playing in recent years, though, Hamilton has never lost hope. He knows a drive that lands 5 yards to the left or a putt that drops in rather than lips out during a round could make the difference between a 75 and a round of even par.

“So on paper, it doesn't look very good, but it wasn't to the point where I was going to quit playing the game,” Hamilton said.

He’s always been a fairly streaky player, anyway. Hamilton was like that when he played 12 years and won 11 times on the Japan Tour, and nothing has changed since he became a full-time PGA TOUR member.

This week, he’s been resilient, too. When things started to slip away from Hamilton early on Saturday, he responded with three consecutive birdies of 5, 4 and 15 feet starting at the eighth hole that got him back to 5 under.

He bogeyed No. 11, but that was just a momentary lapse. Hamilton made a 20-footer for eagle at the 15th hole after reaching the par 5 with a 5-iron from 215 yards. A bogey at the next was followed by a 10-footer for birdie at the 18th to cap off the round.

“I've been driving the ball well for a while, knock on wood,” Hamilton said. “My putting has not been all that great. My irons haven't been that great. My short game has not been that great. But it seems my driving has stayed quite well the last two days, and it seems like each one of those other three components has gotten a little bit better. …

“So instead of shooting 74 like I may have today, with those other three components not very good, I shot 70, because those three areas were better.”

Hamilton said the pin positions changed dramatically between the first two rounds. On Thursday, players could use the slopes to funnel balls closer to the hole. In the second round, though, the undulations seemed to work against them.

And then there were those gusty breezes to complicate the issue.

“You throw in some wind with a tough set-up golf course, that's when you see some trying times,” Hamilton said.

That’s something he knows all about, too.