Mahan makes his case for Ryder Cup
PARAMUS, N. J. Hunter Mahan had the Ryder Cup on his mind.
Now he has the lead in the FedExCup Playoffs.
Mahan, the only player to play in all 29 playoff events since its inception, broke away from a large, tight pack of contenders Sunday at sun-drenched Ridgewood Country Club with five birdies in his last eight holes and shot 6-under-par 65 to win The Barclays by two shots.
A final-hole bogey putt from 8 feet wrapped up the victory over Stuart Appleby, Cameron Tringale and Jason Day in the first of four playoff events.
Mahan, who finished at 14-under 270, started one shot behind co-leaders Day and Jim Furyk and was flawless until the final hole, especially on the back nine, where he made birdies at 11, 13, 15, 16 and 17. It was Mahan’s first victory since the 2012 Shell Houston Open, a span of 62 events. And it came at a most opportune time as Mahan now is strongly in the mix to be one of Tom Watson’s three U.S. captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup on Sept. 26-28 in Scotland.
Watson makes the picks Sept. 2 after the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second playoff event at TPC Boston.
“I haven’t done my best this year, but to get the win and the timing of this is incredible,” said Mahan, who was a captain’s pick in 2008 and automatically qualified for the 2010 team. “I’ve felt great the last few weeks, and I felt my game was coming around. I felt my game was in good order.”
Appleby, seeking his first win in 107 events since firing a 59 in the final round to capture the 2010 Greenbrier Classic, shot 65. Tringale, who turned 27 on Sunday and was trying to win his first PGA Tour title, shot 66. Day, who went back to his old putter, shot 68.
Furyk finished in eighth with a 70. Since winning the 2010 Tour Championship, he has held at least a share of the 54-hole lead eight times and not won. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy struggled with the greens all week and saw his three-tournament winning streak come to an end. He shot 70 to finish in a tie for 22nd.
“The year has been a bit quiet, so it was really nice to get out there today and feel more comfortable,” Appleby said. “The nerves, I dealt with them nice, which was great. It was a great test of golf and nice to roll the ball and make some putts.”
Now Mahan, who was greeted on the 18th hole by his wife, Kandi, and daughter, Zoe, will feel the nerves. Mahan is in first place in the FedExCup Playoffs, with McIlroy second, Jimmy Walker third, Matt Kuchar fourth and Bubba Watson fifth. But Mahan wants to be one of the three Tom Watson chooses.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a few weeks,” Mahan said. “So obviously I have no idea what he’s thinking or if he has any sort of strategy. But a win is a good step in the right direction.
“It definitely hurts when you don’t make it, because that’s the goal of every American and European player. I felt like there was an opportunity for quite a few guys to make a run and make themselves known and put their hat in the mix. The last few weeks I’ve done that and at least gave him a lot to think about.”