Although he was working with PGA Tour players Zach Johnson and Vaughn Taylor, Pat O'Brien kept a low profile teaching at the Practice Tee in Richardson.

But he was overtaken by a strange sensation after checking on his prized pupils before the 2007 Masters. Both looked in top form when O'Brien returned home for a teaching clinic after the first round.

Turns out O'Brien made a perfect read. On Easter Sunday, he was back at Augusta National. Phil Mickelson was draping the green jacket over Johnson's shoulders, and O'Brien was about to don a hotshot-putting-guru tag. As Johnson celebrated in Butler Cabin, O'Brien walked down Magnolia Lane in silent darkness, mind racing, toward the bright lights on Washington Road.

"If I wasn't a man of faith before, I sure was after," O'Brien recalled. "I had this feeling. I knew something good was going to happen."

After years of studying his craft, O'Brien had become an overnight sensation. His reputation as a short-game expert rose dramatically. And he landed his dream job as director of instruction at Dallas' Lakewood Country Club.

O'Brien, 39, is still riding that momentum like a slick downhill putt. He has added to his client list PGA Tour players Colt Knost and Ted Purdy and LPGA player Taylor Leon. His Web site and blog, full of handy tips, have taken off. He recently released an instructional DVD, and his unique putting theories have been featured in Golf Digest and GolfWeek magazines.

"There are plenty of really good full-swing instructors out there but not too many short-game instructors, so I've carved out a pretty good niche," O'Brien said. "In my view, fundamentals have gotten a free pass. Look at the great putters; it's all about setup and angles you create."

For O'Brien, the 2007 Masters was almost as surreal. His longtime students were both in contention, paired together in the final round. Taylor, who tied for 10th, and Johnson have been longtime users of SeeMore putters. They hooked up with O'Brien when he was working as a sales rep for SeeMore. O'Brien, in his second stint at SeeMore, serves as a consultant.

O'Brien's connection with SeeMore is about as surreal as the 2007 Masters. During his senior year in high school, he caddied for Harry Crosby, son of entertainer Bing Crosby, at the 1987 National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. They were paired with Payne Stewart. O'Brien kept in touch with Stewart, and eventually tagged along with him on tour to study his form during the 1999 season, when Stewart won the U.S. Open with a SeeMore putter.

"I went from being a star-struck kid to being his friend," O'Brien said of Stewart, who died in a plane crash about four months after that U.S. Open victory.

O'Brien went to work for SeeMore, befriending Taylor and Johnson on the mini-tours. Taylor and Johnson forged successful careers on the PGA Tour primarily on the strength of their putting. O'Brien left SeeMore but returned when it came under new ownership in 2006.

O'Brien's putting theories seem unconventional, but they adhere strictly to fundamentals. He stresses the importance of grip and setup to ensure that ball, putter and body work in harmony on a natural arc, not straight back and through. He believes the eyes should be focused inside the putting line, not over the ball, and the grip should not be dominated by the right hand.

"If you don't have proper fundamentals, then your contact will be inconsistent," he said. "Speed is all instinct based, but you can't develop that if you don't have consistent contact."

Putting specialist Pat O'Brien, Lakewood Country Club's director of instruction, offers five tips for average players:

1. Stand tall and let your arms swing freely. This will help prevent overly active hands in the stroke.

2. Get properly fit for a putter. Pick one that allows you to be in good posture, with the correct lie angle so the heel or toe is not up in the air.

3. Relax your face and jaw. This will help take the negative thoughts out of your mind and the tension out of your stroke.

4. Understand the design of a putter. The shaft goes into the head at an angle and it is essentially a weight on a stick. It is designed to swing on an arc and come up out of the ground. Don't try to take it back straight or low. Allow it to swing itself.

5. See the ball go in during your rehearsal and feel the length of stroke needed without conscious thought. After the last look at the target, let it go. The best strokes are the ones you don't remember.

For information on Pat O'Brien, including his recently released instructional DVD, visit: www.patobriengolf.com.

Position: Lakewood CC director of instruction

Age: 39

Birthplace: Chicago

Residence: Dallas

College: UC Santa Barbara

Family: Wife, Reagan; daughter Carys (2).

Notable: Works with PGA Tour players Zach Johnson, Vaughn Taylor, Colt Knost and Ted Purdy, and LPGA player Taylor Leon. ... Serves as consultant for SeeMore Putters. ... Developed teaching fundamentals while observing the late Payne Stewart go from 40th to second in putting with his new SeeMore putter in 1999. ... Emphasizes the importance of grip, posture, stance and alignment.