Putt for dough: $918,000, to be exact, for D.J. Trahan

    D.J. Trahan couldn't resist a huge grin late Sunday in Palm Desert, Calif., his teeth flashing through the "terrible looking thing" (his words for his new goatee) when he was asked about his victory at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic -- specifically, the way he won it: by leading the tournament in putting.
    "Pardon me for smiling like that, but I've never heard anybody tell me that before," the former Clemson All-American said, evoking laughter from interviewers, as he talked about his come-from-behind, three-shot win over Justin Leonard -- a victory worth $918,000, or nearly as much as he won in each of the previous two PGA Tour seasons.
    A year ago, the lanky ex-Tiger won $1 million-plus ($1,106,374 to be exact), despite ranking a miserable 171st in putting on the Tour. The rap on Trahan, even dating back to his college days when he led the Tigers to the 2003 NCAA Championship, was his touch -- or lack of it -- on the greens.
    But this week, and specifically Sunday, Trahan's flat stick was what enabled him to chase down Leonard, a 10-time Tour winner and former British Open champion. In shooting a 7-under 65 (to Leonard's closing 72), he sank seven birdie putts, and chipped in for another.
    Trahan finished at 26-under-par 334 in the five-round format, and made 35 birdies during the 90 holes to lead the tournament.
    "It obviously means a lot. It's the reason I'm sitting here," Trahan told reporters covering the tournament. "After the first round, someone asked Justin what it took to win here, and he said it's a putting contest. And it truly is. ... You have to make a lot of putts."
    Trahan did, and did so when it mattered most. He birdied four of his first six holes to keep pace with Leonard, then birdied the par-5 ninth hole while Leonard was making bogey for a two-shot swing. When Leonard made back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 10 and 11 while Trahan was sinking a 35-foot birdie at No. 10, Trahan had erased a four-shot deficit and the pair was tied.
    He took the lead at the par-5 14th with a 6-footer for birdie. When Leonard hit water off the tee at the 18th, all Trahan had to do was avoid a disaster to notch his second career win. That also put the 27-year-old into an elite group of American players under 30 with two or more wins (another ex-Tiger, Columbia's Jonathan Byrd, and Charles Howell III are the others).
    Trahan, who has tried all manner of putting techniques including the "left hand low" technique, credited a student of his father, professional and teacher Don Trahan of Inman, with turning around his putting. Jack Moore, a Gastonia resident, came to the elder Trahan for help with his overall game, "but the man can putt, and he's kind of brought me back to basics and really working on some fundamentals," Trahan said.
    It showed not just in the results, but for Trahan's fans watching on The Golf Channel.
    "D.J. was incredible with the putter all week," said Clemson coach Larry Penley, who spent Monday hunting rabbits after staying glued to his TV on Sunday. "I've played with Jack Moore; I don't know exactly what he's doing with D.J., but one thing I noticed was his putter blade was flat on the ground. And he's gotten down over the putt, which for some people helps them see the putting line better."
    Trahan, who stands 6-foot-3, has struggled with standing too erect at address on putts. His confidence has improved dramatically since working with Moore, he said.
    "I don't know how to tell you how happy I am about that," he said. "Usually I'm right around 115 or 130 (in putting) every week. It means a lot because I set a goal for myself to work on my putting, and it obviously went in the right direction this week.
    "I only hope that it will continue to go that direction."
    Don Trahan thinks that's a no-brainer. "D.J.'s been busting his (butt) on the practice green, but he'd get out on the course and (the putts) would lip out," the elder Trahan said. "Jack changed my life with the putter, and it's working for D.J., too.
    "It's nice to get to the green, and you can't wait to putt, instead of thinking, 'I hope I make a putt.'"
    That confidence shows in other ways, too. Golf Channel analyst Nick Faldo talked Sunday about Trahan having "that look, with his jaw set." Don Trahan and Penley said they've seen that look before, and it's good to see it again.
    "When he gets that look in his eye ... (Faldo) said it's the set jaw, but to me it's his eyes. I've seen that before, and when he gets that focus, he's as good as anyone.
    "I know D.J. worked hard in the off-season. To me, it's just a matter of time before he breaks through and becomes one of the best players in the world."
    Don Trahan said one of the best parts of his son's victory is the automatic invitation to this year's Masters that come with it. D.J. Trahan has played at Augusta National once before, in 2001, courtesy of his victory as an amateur in the U.S. Amateur Public Links the year before, but hasn't made the field as a professional.
    "I won't say it's the Holy Grail (of golf), but  P.R.-wise, the Masters is it," Don Trahan said. "D.J. wants to prove something after missing the cut (with scores of 75-78) as an amateur.
    "He told someone (Sunday) that he hasn't been to Augusta in a while, (he said) 'now hopefully it's forever.' It sends chills up my spine, because Augusta fits his game. He hits it long, hits a big draw, and now that he's got his short game and putter going ... if ever a course was built for someone, that's it. It's built for him to win."
    Time enough for that, though. D.J. Trahan said as important as the money and the Masters are, winning for the second time (his first, in 2006, came in the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, a now-defunct, late-season event in Mississippi) also validates his place in the game.
    "This victory right here basically ... well, it's probably not quite as satisfying as the first one, because the first is always the sweetest," he said. "(But the second win) is like saying, 'OK, here I am. I belong.'
    "I feel that I can use this as a stepping stone to take my game where I feel like it can be."
    Yet another reason to grin hugely for Trahan.

NOTE -- If you missed Trahan's victory Sunday, you get two more chances to watch today (Monday). Golf Channel will air encore presentations today from 1 p.m.-4 p.m., and again from 9 p.m.-11 p.m.

BOB GILLESPIE