The Official Site of Hunter Mahan

Wed, Mar 3rd 2010, 10:35

Q and A with Hunter

Q: Obviously you had a great week at Phoenix, earning your second PGA Tour win, but your season had been pretty mediocre until that point. Where did your great play come from?

Hunter: I didn’t have the West Coast swing that I was looking for, but I actually felt like my game was in good shape. I guess I was having a tough time getting into the flow of the year. I was hitting it as well as I’ve hit it in a couple of years. Coming into the week I felt like I was close. I just needed to let it happen and not force it.

Q: Everybody knows you are a great driver of the golf ball and you’re a good all-around player, ranking fourth on Tour in the all-around category in 2009. What are the weaknesses in your game?

Hunter: It’s definitely been my short game: chipping and putting. I’m a streaky putter. I’ve really been working hard on that part of my game for last year or so. Now I actually feel pretty comfortable on the golf course. What’s been difficult is taking some of the changes I’ve made in practice to tournament golf. I think not having a bogey over the last 36 holes at Phoenix is a sign that my short game is coming around.

Q: Last week you used a new Ping conforming wedge for the first time. Previously, you had used one of the controversial pre-1990 Ping wedges. Did that make a difference to you at Phoenix?

Hunter: The pre-1990 wedges aren’t even close to what the wedges were last year. So it’s not that big a difference. Early last week I visited Ping before the tournament and they worked on the sole and bounce of my 59-degree wedge to get a comfortable fit for me. Hopefully, we’ll find a resolution to this whole groove thing and put it behind us. But until then it’s something that we have to deal with.

Q: You broke the driver you’d been playing for the last three years on the second hole in the final round. How did you adjust so fast to a different driver and keep your momentum going?

Hunter: I had hit a ton balls with that driver and it was due to crack. I hadn’t hit my backup driver too much, but luckily I had just tested it earlier in the week at Ping to see that everything was fine with it. But I was little nervous because I never used it in a tournament. I was pretty relieved when the first shot I hit with it went straight down the middle. This week I’ll test new drivers and see what I like.

Q: At 27 you’re very young by PGA Tour standards, but pretty old when compared to this new batch of talent that includes the likes of Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler, who had a chance to get in a playoff with you there at the end at Phoenix. What do you think of the Tour’s youth movement?

Hunter: It’s quite amazing. I know that when I was 21 years old and a rookie on Tour I was starry-eyed and looking at Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods as my heroes. I was definitely in awe and not as mature as these guys seem to be at the same age. Fowler looks like he’s having fun and the more fun you’re having out there, the better you’re going to play. It’s definitely good for the Tour.

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