Sean O'Hair is undeniably young. He is 25 years old and one of only four Americans under 30 with multiple PGA Tour wins.

Sean O'Hair, who qualified for the tournament by winning in Tampa, Fla., has compared the Masters to a "schoolboy dream." (Jackie Ricciardi/Staff)

But in Masters Tournament years, O'Hair is just crawling out of the potty-training phase -- or so he says after his only prior invitation in 2006.

"At Augusta, I just felt so overwhelmed when I got there," said O'Hair, who earned a return visit with a March victory in Tampa, Fla. "I didn't play before the week, so my first practice round was Tuesday, and I played with Tiger (Woods) and Mark O'Meara. I needed a diaper, just in case. It was pretty overwhelming.

"I can't even remember Wednesday. I just felt so overwhelmed playing the course and just the history with it, and I just didn't know what I was doing."

Considering that the professional lifestyle was thrust upon O'Hair as a teenager by his estranged father -- who took his son on the mini-tour circuit before he even graduated from high school -- he has grown up quickly. He earned his 2005 tour card in Q-school and won in his 18th career start the day before his 23rd birthday.

"It was awesome winning and then going to the British Open and playing well and then end up getting Rookie of the Year," he said. "It just was a whirlwind in '05."

But the predicted success eluded him over the next two seasons, with his highest-profile performance a Players Championship duel last year against Phil Mickelson that ended with a spectacular crash on the famous 17th hole at Sawgrass. A quadruple bogey dropped him to 11th.

It had been nearly three years between wins until crashes by several others lifted him to victory last month. A week later, he played opposite Woods in the final group at Bay Hill.

"The first time you win, it's very, very special and something that you never forget," he said. "But you know, I was very naive thinking that this was going to happen to me every year, and obviously it didn't. And I think I've kind of learned what winning on the PGA Tour really is and what it represents. This time I'm just so grateful, I'm just so satisfied about it."

His recent victory helped move O'Hair from 76th into the top 50 in the world rankings and earned him an automatic invitation to Augusta. And like his first win that prompted his whirlwind season with an eleventh-hour scramble to the British Open, O'Hair marveled at how fast his world can change.

"I just got a big grin on my face thinking, 'I just can't believe this,' " he said two days after his win. "A week ago, I wasn't in the Masters, and a week ago I'm thinking about playing Puerto Rico next week, and now I'm in the World Golf Championships. ... It just is like, wow. This is what you work hard for, but there's nothing wrong appreciating it when it happens. This isn't obviously the peak of where I want to end up. Obviously I want to achieve a lot more, but I definitely need to kind of enjoy it."

Fans duck to protect themselves from an errant shot by Sean O'Hair, who was making his Masters debut in 2006. O'Hair says he's more prepared for Augusta now. (File/Staff)

Returning to Augusta two years older and wiser, O'Hair says "it's completely different now."

"What did I learn? That I need to learn those greens a little better. Those are brutal," he said. "And Augusta is all about putting the pieces of the puzzle together."

The "shock and awe," he said, of the last visit should be as far behind him as the years spent touring the country with his father. He's mature, married with two children and nurtured by in-laws who have taken him under his wing and shown him the value of a strong, supportive family.

Now -- as long as his putter shows up -- he's ready to tackle Augusta.

"It's like your schoolboy dream," he said of the Masters. "I kind of got there, and I wasn't mentally prepared for it. I wasn't ready for the golf course mentally. I wasn't ready for the environment mentally. It's a whole other world. I've played in two U.S. Opens, I've played in three British Opens, and I've played in three PGAs, and it's just different. It's completely different. So I know what to expect now. I know how to prepare myself. I'm not saying that I'm going to go there and, you know, do all and know all. But I think I know how to handle myself better, and hopefully that will, you know, produce better results."

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.