Hunter Mahan finally opens up about his heart-breaking Ryder Cup experience
For the first time in recent memory, the Ryder Cup, contested earlier this month in Wales, would be decided by the final singles match of the day. Hunter Mahan, two-down with two holes to play, needed to halve his match against Irishman Graeme McDowell to
retain the cup for the Americans.
With every spectator on the course surrounding the hole, Mahan hit his tee-shot at the par-three 17th well short of the green. His next shot will forever be remembered: Mahan flubbed the chip, essentially handing the match to McDowell and the cup to Europe.
The American was in tears in the press room after the emotional finish, unable to speak. He tried a few times but was interrupted by his team-mates when he simply could not get the words out. Yesterday, he finally opened up about the life-changing experience,
saying he’s not usually an outwardly emotional person.
"That's what the Ryder Cup does," he said. "It brings a lot out of you that you maybe didn't have before…It grabs a hold of you because it's different than any other tournament. It's a whole different animal, but it's one of the most amazing tournaments
there is."
It was reported in the media that Mahan volunteered himself to play in the final match of the day. As it turns out, this wasn’t quite accurate.
"I asked to be first off," he said. "I wanted to throw my name out there and say I'd love to be the first out there. I wanted to help get the mo' going on our side. When he said he was going to put me last, I didn't know how to take that. But after thinking
about it for a little bit, I was pretty excited about it."
Mahan, who just couldn’t make any putts that fateful day, became aware of the importance of his match on the back-nine.
"When Rickie [Fowler] did his thing [halving his match], we were the only ones out there, so we knew the situation," he said.
The world may never know whether Mahan succumbed to the enormous pressure of the moment or if he just simply mis-hit the shot, but one thing is for sure: it was a unique scene at the 17th hole that day.
"That whole scenario there, I've never seen anything like it," Mahan said of the throng surrounding the hole to watch the last match on the course. "I've never seen so much energy – you see it, you feel it. I've never had energy like that against us. It
was the coolest thing. You felt that at Valhalla, but this was just crazy."
Asked to compare the pressure at a Ryder Cup with that of a major championship, Mahan said there’s just something different about the Ryder Cup.
"It's just different," he said. "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."
Mahan doesn’t even want to hear the word "choke." He maintains there was none of that going on.
"It's one of those things that I'll never, ever forget and I'm glad it happened," he said. "It's something that I'll always remember. I'll always be proud that I was there and did a lot of good stuff that day. I didn't feel like I choked by any means or
let the moment overcome me. I felt like I was in it all day and I was proud of the way I played."
Mahan was appreciative of the level of support he received from everyone, including those on the European side.
"You know, we are competitors, we are individuals, but we know what each person goes through," he said. "When we go and play tournaments, we're not cheering for anyone to do badly, because we're worried about ourselves and how we're going to handle the situation.
But that shows you what kind of sport we have, when guys are so positive in defense of me and encouraging me."
Tags: