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Sun, Jun 28th 2009, 21:05
Connecticut Suits Hunter Mahan Just Fine
Hunter Mahan’s best memories happen in Connecticut.
Mahan was 17 when he, as the junior amateur champion, received a sponsor’s exemption for the 1999 Greater Hartford Open.
It would be eight years before Mahan would truly succeed at TPC River Highlands, winning a playoff in 2007 to win the Travelers Championship title — his first as a professional.
The win came after a tie for second in 2006. He was runner-up last season, a stroke behind Stewart Cink.
“That gives me confidence,” Mahan said. “I know I can put a good round together and go low [today].”
How much lower he can go is uncertain. Playing mostly without wind and with softer greens after Friday’s heavy rains, Mahan relied upon a string of birdies from the 16th to the second to shoot a 7-under-par 63.
It was the lowest round Saturday, one that moved him from a tie for 48th to a tie for ninth with Anthony Kim and Ryan Moore.
“I wish I could find more courses that suit me like this one,” said Mahan, who has made more than $2 million in the event. “I just like it. It suits my eye. It’s a fun course. You can make a lot of birdies. I just have a lot of confidence when I play here.”
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