The script for the 2010 PGA golf season was written last November when a certain mega-star crashed his vehicle and started a media storm the likes of which this sport has never witnessed.

Without said incident last November, the 2010 season might well be remembered for the number of victories that came out of nowhere. Not to be confused with players that come out of nowhere to win, these out-of-nowhere victories are a result of a talented player, often with some professional success in the recent past, who just happened to show no signs of his impending victory heading into the week. It’s been the case at all three majors to this point. No one expected to see the likes of Graeme McDowell or Louis Oosthuizen atop a major leaderboard, and even Phil Mickelson‘s win at Augusta came as a bit of a surprise after his lackluster start to the 2010 season.

The regular stops on the PGA Tour have seen their own share of out-of-nowhere victors as well. Jason Day, Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy, though all big names, were under the radar when heading into the events where they were eventually victorious, not because the field was too strong, or their track record at said event was poor, but because their game was off.

It happens to the best of them. Players go through slumps, but most often, a victory only comes after a couple weeks of improvement in their game, not on the turn of a dime.

If Dean Wilson can hang on for 18 more holes on Sunday, you can add his name to that list. Wilson’s had plenty of success in professional golf, both in the States and abroad. He captured his first PGA Tour win in 2006 and earned over $5 million on the PGA Tour from 2006-2008.

To say he’s struggled over the past two years, however, would be an understatement. Last season, Wilson failed to crack $500,000 in earnings, and this season he’s played the weekend only three times, four including this week. Not exactly the resume of someone you’d expect to win this week, yet there he is, just one more round away from coming out of nowhere to win on the PGA Tour.

Late in Friday’s second round at the RBC Canadian Open, with the ball nestled in deep, thick
rough below his feet, Hunter Mahan struck a 97-yard laser-beam to within
inches of a pin deviously tucked at the back of the tiered, undulating
par-5 15th green.

But Hunter is just that kind of player:
crafty, dynamic, and relentless.

Mahan, who shot an opening round five-under
65, was ecstatic entering
this week’s RBC Canadian. But it was not necessarily because
he was striking his irons cleanly, or because his putting stroke felt
fluid.  Instead, the 28-year-old Mahan was thrilled at the chance
to compete with his best friend since he was 12 years old, Sean O’Hair.  

However, two rounds later O’Hair
has been sent sailing after missing the cut (+1) and Mahan has played
phenomenal golf, currently 8-under (T3).

Mahan fought relentlessly through
swirling Canadian winds to repair blemishes at holes 4, 12 and 13.
The Oklahoma State University grad honed his accuracy off the tee and
set up an array of viable birdie opportunities, capturing six birdies
en route to his 3-under 67.

The rolling terrain, narrow
fairways and overall arduous conditions of the St. George Golf Course
surprisingly work in Mahan’s favor, considering he is ranked No. 1
in Total Driving and No. 2 in Ball-Striking on Tour.  

Hunter’s classic, power-fade swing
dynamically intertwines technique and touch. In
a Golf Magazine interview, Mahan said,
"You can be told a thousand times how to do something, but you have
to translate it into your own language. You have to have feel involved
in technique."

Mahan has established a sense of rhythm
and control on the golf course that has allowed him to soar to victory
twice on the PGA Tour. First, Mahan captured the Traveler’s Championship
in 2007, which catapulted him into the top-100 of the Official World
Golf Rankings. Then earlier this year, he beat out young gun Rickie
Fowler by one shot at the Waste
Management Phoenix Open.  Mahan has recorded six top-25 finishes
on the year, highlighted by a T8 at the Masters.

Hunter sits just two shots
behind leaders Tim Clark and Dean Wilson, who are at 10-under heading
into the weekend. But with the way he has been pummeling his drives
and draining clutch putts, don’t be surprised if Mahan surges to the
top of the leaderboard over the weekend to grab his third professional
victory. 

Lee Janzen pops his way out of a hole in the first day of the RBC Canadian Open. Let’s hope someone threw him a ladder afterward.

Good weekend of golf ahead over the next couple days, and we’ll keep you up with what’s going on. And hey, if you’re looking for something non-golfy to listen to this weekend, check out my all-sports podcast, Why Is This News?, done with Big League Stew’s Kevin Kaduk. Go right here to see the past episodes and subscribe.

Hit ‘em straight!

The British Open is over, the RBC Canadian is here, and we’re chatting about all that and more in this week’s Golfcast. We kick around how to pronounce "Oosthuizen," whether Tiger Woods is, in fact, done, and why the heck Phil Mickelson freaks every time he crosses the Atlantic. We also talk about the state of Shane’s golf game and various other golfy things. It’s fun. Listen. Enjoy.

As always, I’m joined by Shane Bacon, writer here and at Dogs That Chase Cars. (Follow Shane on Twitter right here, and while you’re there, follow me too.)

We welcome your thoughts, ideas and recommendations on the podcast. Hit me up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com. And if you’ve got a question or comment for us to kick around, call our Skype line at 678-389-9173 and leave your message. Click the little arrow below to play the podcast or right-click it to download, and hit the iTunes site linked below to subscribe. Have at it!

Devil Ball Golfcast, Episode 46 — Wake me when the British Open is over