Sean O'Hair Leads a Busy Tour Championship Leaderboard

Earlier this week, Sean O'Hair, who had been struggling with his putting, got a useful tip from a guy that knows a little bit about the short game. His name is Tiger Woods. And after the tip, he is trailing his short game "student" after O'Hair went out ablaze, firing a 4-under 66 to lead the Tour Championship by a shot.

Tiger, along with Stewart Cink and Padraig Harrington, are one back at 3-under, with U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover alone at 2-under. O'Hair, the three-time winner on the PGA Tour including the 2009 Quail Hollow Championship, carded six birdies in round one, more than anyone on the course. He's currently in a position to where, if everything stood the same, he'd be the FedEx Cup champion.

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Leading after the first round, with Tiger tied at second, O'Hair would end the week with a projected 3,700 points, 117 more than Woods if nothing changed. Obviously with three days left, this is highly unlikely, but it's the playoff format that makes this final tournament all the more interesting.

What's even more interesting? The $11.35 million O'Hair would claim with a win and the FedEx Cup would be nearly as much as he's made his entire career on the PGA Tour ($11.68 million), a point to be made at how much this tournament does mean financially.

The story of the day besides the leaders might be with Phil Mickelson, who has struggled since finishing in a tie for second at the U.S. Open. Lefty, who hasn't finished in the top-27 since Bethpage Black, was cruising right along at 2-under, near the leaders before a bogey at the par-4 7th hole. No worries, just a bogey. Phil reeled off six straight pars until he reached the par-4 14th. Mickelson made a snowman, 4-over on the hole, and finished 3-over for the day, two shots off of last place.

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 24: Padraig Harrington of Ireland lines up a putt on the 12th hole during the first round of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, the final event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup, at East Lake Golf Club on September 24, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Padraig Harrington

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 24: Sean O'Hair watches his approach shot on the 12th hole during the first round of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, the final event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup, at East Lake Golf Club on September 24, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sean O'Hair

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 24: Sean O'Hair chats with his caddie Paul Tesori on the 15th hole during the first round of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, the final event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup, at East Lake Golf Club on September 24, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sean O'Hair;Paul Tesori

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 24: Padraig Harrington of Ireland hits his tee shot on the 13th hole during the first round of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, the final event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup, at East Lake Golf Club on September 24, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Padraig Harrington

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 24: Sean O'Hair plays a fairway bunker shot on the 15th hole during the first round of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, the final event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup, at East Lake Golf Club on September 24, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sean O'Hair

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 24: Sean O'Hair watches his approach shot on the 17th hole during the first round of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, the final event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup, at East Lake Golf Club on September 24, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sean O'Hair

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 24: Stewart Cink waves to the gallery on the 18th green after a three-under par 67 during the first round of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, the final event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup, at East Lake Golf Club on September 24, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stewart Cink

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 24: Sean O'Hair watches his tee shot on the 16th hole during the first round of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, the final event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup, at East Lake Golf Club on September 24, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sean O'Hair

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 24: Sean O'Hair watches his tee shot on the 13th hole during the first round of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, the final event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup, at East Lake Golf Club on September 24, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sean O'Hair

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Jim Furyk watches his drive from the third tee during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)