The Official Site of Hunter Mahan

Question:

What are your goals for the rest of 2010?

Answer:

Obviously, my top goal is to make the Ryder Cup team. I think that's everybody's goal. I also like my chances to do well at the majors because I think my game is suited well to courses where you have to keep the ball in play.

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.

Question:

What weeknesses do you see in your game that you are working on?

Answer:

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.

Question:

Do you like playing in events with smaller fields? Do you have to make any adjustments for that?

Answer:

Well, no adjustments, you're just a lot more excited. 70 players, no cut, play is usually a lot faster. Tee times are a lot nicer. You don't have early tee times or late tee times, they're kind of right in the middle. It's great. I think we're all excited about it, really.

Question:

There's kind of a debate among fans about whether they'd like a course to be hard enough to limit birdies or so hard that par is a good score. What do the players think? What's the consensus out there?

Answer:

Yeah, I think the fans like to see us struggle sometimes, like to see us kind of scratch our heads and kind of looking confused out there. I enjoy that challenge. I just think it's a lot more fun when you play a really tough golf course. It's a lot more mental than it is physical sometimes because you have to mentally stay in the rounds a lot longer, and you know par is a good score.