Interview: Hunter Mahan

Published:

‘Tiger and Phil will win again’

Hunter Mahan talks desire, Ryder Cup and why driving is so important

The Ryder Cup
When you lose it takes a lot out of you because you get two years off from it. It’s such a passionate and emotional event, unlike any other event in golf, but that’s what’s great about it and makes it so special, how emotionally invested you are.

The state of my game
Everything feels good. I had a couple of months where it wasn’t clicking and it couldn’t continue from one day to the next, but everything feels great right now from top to bottom.

Tiger and Phil
I don’t think their winning days are over. They’re as good as they ever were, and I don’t think they’ve lost their desire to contend. The depth of the game has definitely grown. It used to be that pretty much the same guys were up there in the Majors, but that has changed and the quality of fields has got deeper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The key SCORING skill
For me, driving is the most important part of the game. In big tournaments you need to be able to hit fairways; you can’t play out of the rough. Having par putts is no good. The goal at the start of the tournament is to have 72 putts at birdie. It makes it a lot easier when you’re hitting from the fairway. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working with SEAN Foley
It’s a pleasure to work with Sean. I got Sean right when he was pretty new on Tour; he was working with Stephen Ames and Sean O’Hair. I’ve grown a lot since working with him, and he’s grown as a teacher and as a person. His knowledge of the swing is incredible. He used to sit on the range for 12 hours a day teaching 18-handicappers over and over again, and it takes a lot of love to do that. He comes to work every day excited. 

Being a top driver
I’ve always been a good driver, ever since I was a kid. My swing sets up well for the driver, and then it’s all about tempo and rhythm. I don’t want to move into the ball too much. I like to keep my head still and allow my arms to work down to the ball quickly. My key is making sure I get on to my left side on the way down, into my left foot. The more stability I have in my feet, the more consistent I am.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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