Arron

Oberholser

He won the AT&T and is still in the running for a Ryder Cup spot, but he sounds too risky to use this week.

Camilo Villegas, Jesper Parnevik and Jonathan Byrd are all tied with Oberholser at 7-under par, while several players, including Tom Pernice and Jim Furyk, are tied for fifth one shot back at 6-under par.

The oft-injured Oberholser hasn’t competed in a PGA TOUR event since the 2009 Frys.com Open. He’s sitting on a Major Medical Extension allowing 14 starts to earn $349,854 and retain status. AO is scheduled to begin the Callaway at 9:28 a.m. PT on the first tee at Pebble Beach.

Oberholser started on the back nine of Pebble Beach today and was 3-over-par at the time of his withdrawal. He was an aggregate even par through 45 holes. Naturally, it’s his left hand that prevented him from competing for over two years, so this could be just the latest in significant setbacks. He’s currently scheduled to tee it up at Riviera next week. Today’s WD leaves him with 12 starts on his Major Medical Extension to earn $349,854 and retain status.

Of the 28 that played the host course today, Oberholser’s score was one of the nine best. Since this is an unofficial event and he hasn’t played the PGA TOUR since 2009, we’ll leave him on our Injury Report until he competes in an official tournament.

He lives in Scottsdale so it’s a natural site for him to work his way back on TOUR. Out since late 2009 due to multiple injuries and surgeries, Oberholser told the San Francisco Chronicle that he’s approaching this latest attempt to play as his final go at professional golf. “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.” He has 14 starts on a Major Medical Extension to earn $349,854 and retain status. The week after the WMPO, he’s scheduled to compete at Pebble Beach, site of his lone PGA TOUR victory in 2006. He’s yet to “defend” that title due to his series of maladies. “I’m worried, absolutely. I have worries it’s going to hold up and I have worries about where my game is going to be. I don’t know what to expect. ... I still have to make sure I have the desire to do this for a living. ... I truly don’t know where my head is going to be.”

Zero surprise here given the apparent setback he suffered at Pebble Beach on Saturday. He’ll sit on 12 starts remaining on his Major Medical Extension for the time being.

This is as expected per the news we relayed on Jan. 12. Oberholser wants to make three starts on the West Coast Swing. He has 14 remaining on his Major Medical Extension to earn $349,854 and retain status. Should he tee it up, it will mark his first live action anywhere since the Frys.com Open in October 2009.

Making his first official start anywhere since October 2009 due to his myriad of injuries, Oberholser split six (of 14) fairways, hit eight greens and took 28 putts. Given that he missed 10 GIR, it’s impressive that he swallowed just three bogeys. Among his pair of birdies was a 25'4" gem he drilled at the eighth hole.

For the record, he hit half of his 28 fairways and 20 greens in regulation. He took 59 putts, converted six birdies and incurred seven bogeys. Certainly, he wanted a payday but it’s an impressive return since being sidelined since October 2009. He now has 13 starts remaining on his Major Medical Extension to earn $349,854 and retain status. However, as golf writer Adam Schupak relayed via Twitter this afternoon, Oberholser isn’t 100 percent. Per Schupak: “Discouraging news from Arron Oberholser. Felt pain in his surgically-repaired hand. Still going to play AT&T next week, then go from there.” Indeed, AO is listed in the published field of next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.