For Hunter Mahan the wait goes on and, having this week spoken of the need to redeem his Ryder Cup reputation, his pairing’s 2&1 defeat in the afternoon foursomes to Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson means the American will have to hang on a bit longer to regain his peace of mind.
“The tough thing about the Ryder Cup is when you win you get to cherish it for two years,” Mahan said here, “and when you lose it takes a while to get over, and you have to wait hopefully two years to come back. It’s taken me four. I’m excited for this week and this opportunity. It’s good to be back.”
In the US Mahan is considered to be one of the best exponents of matchplay on the tour and before this defeat he had accrued 4.5 points from the eight on offer in his two Ryder Cups. That said, his most memorable moment, and the one that unfortunately still defines him to many, was the dropped point in the singles at Celtic Manor in 2010, which somewhat unfairly means he is considered by some to be the man who loosened the USA’s grip on the trophy.
On that occasion he had just slipped to dormie two against Graeme McDowell and fluffed his chip from pin-high left on the 17th green. If it had gone in it would probably have sent the match down the 18th and given the USA a chance of a 14-all tie to retain the trophy he helped them win at Valhalla in 2008. To par was not an option, as it would probably not have extended the match.
On Friday Mahan was back with Johnson, his foursomes partner in south Wales four years ago when they beat the Molinaris of Italy but lost to the Macs of Northern Ireland. The Californian was on the tee for the odd-numbered holes, the first of which saw a 10-footer from Stenson drop for birdie meaning the US pair were trailing from the off and, although they twice pulled level, they were never in front all afternoon.
A putt of a similar distance by Rose at the 6th doubled the margin but the Americans were all-square after eight, drawing level with par after Rose missed a short one. The Englishman once again put Europe ahead at the 11th only for a US birdie at 14 to level things once more. Stenson then took the lead straight back with a three-footer at the 15th.
In the final analysis Mahan’s putt for birdie from the back of the par-three 17th, which left his partner with a five-footer back for par, was decisive. After Johnson missed it Mahan had already removed his cap before Rose completed the formalities from three feet for his team’s second victory of the day, after beating Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson earlier on.
“They don’t give anything away and we knew we would have to play well,” the gracious Stenson said later. “I think we made six birdies and we didn’t make that in winning the fourballs this morning.”
Only last month Mahan won the first of the Fedex Cup play-offs at the Barclays to help secure his wildcard, and he also numbers the 2012 Accenture Match Play among his six victories on the US Tour. The 32-year-old can clearly play the cut‑and‑thrust format and play it well, but it will take a little bit longer for some European audiences to give him the benefit of the doubt.
