Q & A
Question:
Hunter, I met you today at TP. You signed a ball and hat for me. I just wanted to tell you, “I like how you golf”. I am your fan. Nicholas age 7 (San Diego)
Answer:
Thanks Nicholas! Hope you had fun. Thanks for coming out!
Question:
How did the environment of the Ryder Cup differ from that of a normal tournament?
Answer:
There was just more crazy energy. There’s always pressure in any tournament you play, but like I said, it’s so definitive on one side or the other. When you play a major, there are a ton of guys trying to win. You don’t feel like the fans are cheering for anyone; they just want to see good shots. It was nothing I’ve ever seen or felt before. It’s just different. It’s hard to describe to someone how it’s different from a major, but it is. You’ve got teammates and wives and captains and fans completely cheering against you. But it was a great feeling. That’s what the Ryder Cup is all about. They had a home-field advantage. That’s what helped us succeed in ’08 and that’s what helped them succeed this year.
Question:
What do you do off of the course during tournament weeks?
Answer:
It depends on the city, but as a big basketball fan I like to take in a game anytime I can. At the Northern Trust Open in L.A. I caught a Lakers game. During baseball season I always try to catch a game in cities with teams. The worst thing you can do is sit around and think about your round. You have to give your mind a rest.
Updates
Fri, Apr 10th 2009, 21:28
Hunter Mahan upbeat after tough day
After posting a 66 Thursday, Hunter Mahan shot 75 Friday. You might expect the 26-year-old, who lives in Plano, Texas, to be a little sour after adding nine shots to his first-round total, but he was surprisingly good-natured behind the 18th green.
With conditions in Augusta getting tougher, Mahan seemed to realize that his three-under par total for the tournament still puts him in good position heading into the weekend. He is six shots behind fellow Ryder Cuppers Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry.
“I didn’t hit it bad,” he said. “I just hit some dumb shots. In a wind like this you’ve got to stay very committed and focus on where to miss it — and I didn’t miss it in the right spots today and I got punished for it.”
He was certainly punished on the 155-yard, par-3 12th hole. Mahan’s tee shot was grabbed by the wind and fell into the center of Rae’s Creek. He dropped close to the hazard but knocked his pitch shot into the rough behind the hole. From there, he chipped onto the green and two-putted for a triple-bogey six.
“I just didn’t focus on exactly how far I needed to hit it,” he said calmly.
Maybe Mahan was able to stay upbeat because he did a good Harry Houdini impression on the sixth hole.
After blocking a 7-iron to the right on the par 3, his ball stopped on a raised area in the back-right portion of the Y-shaped green. Mahan had to putt slightly in the fringe and down a slope to get the ball near the hole. He left it five feet short but made the par putt.
“That was big, really big,” he said. “Especially on a course like this because you don’t want to get behind the 8-ball early. It’s relentless.”
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