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Mon, Jun 14th 2010, 09:16
Before the fame - Hunter Mahan
Hunter Mahan proved himself as an elite golfer long before his first PGA Tour victory.
Born in Orange, Calif., Mahan excelled in soccer and karate before being introduced to golf by his father, Monte Mahan. Hunter considers his dad to be the most influential person in his life growing up.
Unlike most golfers, golf came easy for Mahan. “I was blessed with a naturally smooth golf swing,” said Mahan.
Growing up in suburban McKinney, Texas, Mahan enjoyed a long list of junior accomplishments as a part of the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). A self-described “not flashy, but consistent” golf game earned Mahan three Rolex Junior All-American awards and the 1999 Rolex Junior Player of the Year.
During his junior golf career, Mahan was a mainstay atop the leaderboards. But upon reflection, Mahan acknowledges there is one junior golf victory he coveted above all the rest. “Winning the U.S. Junior,” said Mahan. “It’s a great list of champions and to be part of that is pretty cool.”
The list of U.S. Junior Amateur champions includes Johnny Miller, David Duval, Tiger Woods, and 16-year-old prodigy, Jordan Spieth.
The enormous trophy case earned during his junior career doesn’t hold Mahan’s only memories from junior golf. In reminiscing on his junior years, Mahan claims that his fondest memories were bonding with fellow golfers. Mahan and his best friend on tour, Sean O’Hair, met when they were only 12 years old.
“For myself and Sean we kind of look back to when we were 12 years old, playing, meeting each other, playing against one another and seeing where we are today, and see what we are in our lives,” said Mahan. “It’s just kind of neat to see how the progression in life kind of started when we were kids and where it is now.”
Comments
howie crawford | on 16/6/10
GOOD LUCK AT THE OPEN.....HEAD DOWN,SMOOTH SWING,KEEP THEM IN THE FAIRWAY AND YOU WILL BE ON TOP.......
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