Armed with new putter, Mahan takes it low
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
PARAMUS, N.J. -- Hunter Mahan wanted to get it all out of his system.
He wanted to distance himself from those dismal rounds of 81 and 79 he shot at the PGA Championship two weeks ago. He wanted to forget the ill-advised words he had spoken about the Ryder Cup.
So the best thing to do was let his clubs do the talking, and the 9-under 62 he shot during the first round of The Barclays spoke volumes about Mahan as the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup kicked off a Ridgewood Country Club.
The round of one eagle, eight birdies and a lone bogey was the lowest opener on TOUR this year and marked the fifth time the talented 26-year-old had shot 62, including one in The Barclays last year. Mahan owns a four-stroke advantage over Paul Casey and the rest of a field that features 136 of the top 144 players in the FedExCup.
Mahan, who entered the week ranked 31st in the FedExCup standings that will determine the winner of the $10 million bonus next month, couldn't help but take a small measure of redemption from Thursday's performance.
"I played so bad at the PGA, I wanted to get that out of my system and just play golf today, and I did," Mahan said. "I was looking forward to this week and today. It's a great venue, great golf course, and (I'm) looking forward to the next couple of days."
Now, Oakland Hills was another story. Not only did he play poorly on the stern Donald Ross test, Mahan had to deal with the fallout over his comments in Golf Magazine's Ryder Cup preview issue where he said, among other things, that the players were basically "slaves" for the week.
Mahan has never played in a Ryder Cup, though. He ended the PGA Championship ranked 13th in the standings and now must rely on Paul Azinger for a Captain's Pick. Azinger was clearly disappointed in the comments, but told reporters that week Mahan had made the proper apologies and both wanted to move on.
"It was a pretty tough week, but you learn from your mistakes," Mahan recalled. "It wasn't an easy week and the golf course was hard, too, so it was double hard. It's just something, I made a mistake and learn from it and try to move on from it. I talked to the right people and clarified everything and got everything out in the open with them.
"I think it turned out fine in the end."
And it could be even better. Azinger, who successfully lobbied the PGA of America for four Captain's Picks, has said all along he wanted to use those on players who were hot leading into next month's biennial competition at Valhalla.
Mahan's play Thursday was certainly eye-opening. Not to mention, before the debacle at Oakland Hills, Mahan had four finishes among the top 18, including a tie for second in his title defense at the Travelers Championship, in five previous starts.
"I didn't play well enough to make the team on points, so I have to go another way," Mahan said. "Luckily, there's four picks.
"I don't know exactly what he's thinking with the picks, but I think he's going to pick the best players he can. And it was a good move having the picks a little bit later and see what guys are playing well, and build a little momentum from the FedExCup and roll into The Ryder Cup.
"We'll see. I would love to be a pick, but got to earn it, too. (I am) looking forward to that challenge and the opportunity the next couple of weeks."
Mahan got off to a fast start Thursday when he holed a sand wedge from 98 yards for an eagle on the first hole. His other front nine birdies came from 21, 12 and four feet but he made the turn in 31 after a bogey at No. 8 when he duffed a chip on the par 3.
"You're just trying to get into the round and kind of build some momentum on your side," Mahan said, thinking back to the eagle. "I hit two really good shots. I hit it, and I hit it exactly the way I wanted to, and it went in. That rarely happens. I was surprised and excited."
Mahan's momentum continued on the inward nine as he made an 8-footer on the 10th hole, a 14-footer at No. 12, two-putted from 39 feet at the par-5 13th and rolled in a snake of a 39-footer on No. 14. The par-5 17th loomed large, but Mahan couldn't make birdie there. Instead, he hit a 7-iron to 3 feet on No. 18 for his final birdie.
"(No.) 18 is a really hard finishing hole," Mahan said. "Everything kind of slopes right to left and everything is pushing left and the hole goes right, and it's a little uncomfortable, but it is tough. And to finish that way was great."
One of the keys to his solid play on Thursday was the fact that Mahan was able to avoid much trouble on this A.W. Tillinghast design. He hit 11 of 14 fairways and all but three greens. He also used just 23 putts with the new Ping putter he put into his bag after the PGA Championship.
"It's a tough golf course, punishing, and so you have to really keep the ball in play," Mahan said, adding that the weather -- and a morning tee time that allowed him to catch pristine greens -- also helped. "It's going to be hard to make birdies out of the rough. It's just a tough golf course. It's relentless."
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