Hunter's Bio
Hunter Myles Mahan was born May 17, 1982 in Orange, California to parents, Cindy and Monte. His family then moved to Texas. Hunter excelled in golf during his high school years at McKinney High in McKinney, Texas. He looked up to David Duval, Ernie Els, and Tiger Woods as role models for his game. In his senior year, Hunter won the 1999 Texas Division 5A High School Championships and the 1999 USGA Junior Championship. He then enrolled in USC as the top ranked junior golfer in the country.
At USC, Hunter continued to shine winning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, 1st Team All-Conference, and 2nd Team All-American honors. He then transferred to Oklahoma State University where he accumulated more accolades. During his two seasons playing for OSU, Hunter placed 3rd in the 2002 NCAA championships, was a two-time Big-12 Player of the Year, a two-time 1st team All-American, and a two-time member of the Palmer Cup Team. In 2003, he won the Jack Nicklaus Award, the Fred Haskins Award, and was the co-recipient of the Ben Hogan Award. Rounding out his junior year, Hunter was the number one amateur in the Golfweek/Sagarin Ratings.
In 2003, still as an amateur, Hunter entered the Masters where he finished tied for 28th. He decided to forego his last season of college eligibility and turn pro at 20. In the Qualifying Tournament, Hunter finished tied for 16th which earned him his first tour card for the 2004 season.
When the season kicked off, Hunter was the second youngest player on Tour at 21-years-old. Age wasn’t a hindrance, however, as Hunter finished tied for 36th in the British Open and saw three top-10 finishes. In 2005, he finished tied for 9th place in the Qualifying Tournament. That season, Hunter also tied for 9th in the FBR Open. 2006 was an even more successful year because Hunter finished tied for 26th place in the British Open, placed in the top-10 for two events, and broke into the PGA Tour Money List at number 83.
2007 was a strong season for Hunter as he moved up to number 32 on the Money List and was ranked number 41 on the Official World Golf Rankings. These rankings came after winning his first PGA Tournament: the Travelers Championship. He also had six top-10 finishes and participated in four prominent events. In the U.S. Open, Hunter tied for 13th, in the British Open he tied for 6th, in the PGA Championship he tied for 18th and in the Tour Championship he finished tied for 5th. After doing so well in the 2007 season, Hunter was selected by President’s Cup team captain Jack Nicklaus to participate on the U.S. team. He finished the President’s Cup with a 2-3-0 record.
In 2008, Hunter continued his streak of impressive performances with six top-10 finishes, including a 2nd place finish at the Travelers Championship. He finished tied for 18th at the U.S. Open en route to an 18th place finish in the final FedExCup Standings. Hunter’s 2008 season came to an end with a thrilling Ryder Cup win as the U.S. team beat the heavily favored European team by 5 points – 16.5 to 11.5. Hunter led the U.S. team in scoring by tallying 3.5 points and was the only player, along with Phil Mickelson, to play in all five possible matches.
The 2009 season started off with a bang as Hunter finished tied for 10th at the Masters, his best finish in his first three career attempts. Following on his good showing at the Masters, Hunter finished 6th at the US Open Championship. Hunter recorded 6 top-10 finishes in 2009, and set a personal best for earnings.
Hunter got off to another good start in 2010, winning the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February for his 2nd career tour victory. He followed that win up with a 8th-place finish at Masters before brining home his 3rd career win at the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational. Hunter’s consistent play and timely wins helped him land a spot on the US Ryder Cup Team for the 2nd straight time.
Hunter is starting off the 2011 season in great form. He has played in 16 events, totaling 10 top ten finishes, and is in the top 20 of the FedEx Cup Standings. Hunter looks forward to another strong and fun season on the course.
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