Organisers of this week’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters have thrown visiting American Hunter Mahan into the deep end for the opening two rounds of competition in Doha.
Mahan, who finised sixth in last week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, will play the first days on the Doha Golf Club course in the company of former U.S. Open champion, Graeme McDowell.
Graeme McDowell holes the '2010 Shot of the Year' on route to defeating Hunter Mahan in the Ryder Cup.
Some 15 months ago McDowell set up victory for the European Ryder Cup side with his 3 & 1 Sunday Singles match over Mahan.
McDowell won the encounter on Celtic Manor’s 17th hole when Mahan ‘duffed’ his chip shot into the green.
However the Northern Irishman later won the ‘2010 European Tour Shot of the Year’ award for his 15-foot birdie putt at the par four, 16th that put him ahead of Mahan.
Unfortunately for McDowell the driver he used to help steer Europe to success had to be retired from service last week in Abu Dhabi.
McDowell and Mahan have met once before since Wales and that was during last year’s WGC – CA Championship at Doral in Florida.
“We played the first event on the 2011 PGA Tour together at the Hyundai Champions together, so we got it out of the way real quick,” said Mahan smiling.
“But then I’ve known Graeme since we were at college. He’s a great guy and it’s hard to dislike him. I don’t really have any ill feelings toward the guy or anything like that.
“The Ryder Cup is a great competition. It’s a lot of fun. It really brings out the competitive nature in everybody that you really don’t see on most weeks, becasue you just don’t have that kind of fire you usually have.
“But the fact Graeme and I are playing together won’t add any spice. I am looking forward to playing with him, and I see that Branden Grace is leading the Race to Dubai and he’s playing with us for the two days.
“However I’m excited to play with Graeme and someone I really know so it should be a lot of fun.
“Hopefully, we’ll both have an opportunity to rekindle that rivalry later this year.”
Mahan, now aged 29, qualified automatically for Corey Pavin’s USA team by winning twice in 2010 but the Californian proved no match for the then reigning U.S. Open champion.
Mahan also has never before played in a regular European Tour event apart from the British Open and never previously travelled to the Middle East.
“It’s my first visit to this part of the world and it’s a different opportunity for me,” he said.
“I played a practice round today and it seems like a great golf course and a great tournament, and I have only heard good things about Qatar.
“But this is kind of like what golf is at the moment, it’s worldwide.
“However while I haven’t played in regular events on the European Tour, I’ve played in China and I was down in Australia late last year for the Australian Open and Presidents Cup.
“So it’s difficult for me to become a global player as my roots are in the U.S. so it’s not like I am going to join the European Tour any time soon.
“But in saying that I do feel as though I am becoming a better player playing a little more around the world.
“It’s good to learn to play off different grasses, compete on different golf courses, experience windy conditions and it helps to keep your mind sharp.
“In the U.S. we play too much on the same golf courses every year so to play a new golf course like this here in Doha my mind is going to have to be sharp and you have to think more and be more a complete golfer.”
Mahan arrived in the Qatar capital after finishing sixth in Sunday’s concluding PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.
He travelled direct from San Diego to London where he stayed overnight ahead of arriving in Doha early on Tuesday.
Mahan, currently ranked 19th in the world, joins six other top-20 ranked players competing in Qatar headed by World No. 3 Lee Westwood, World No. 4 Martin Kaymer and the likes of Australia’s Jason Day (No. 10), McDowell (11), Korean K J Choi (13) and Sergio Garcia (18).
“I know many of the leading European Tour players so that’s going to help this week,” he said.
“I’m also coming off a good result last week at Torrey Pines as that was my first tournament I played in about six to seven weeks.
“It was good to get back out there and see where my game was at because you’re never too sure how you are going to perform having had so many weeks off
“So you never know where you are going to be at this time of year and overall I was happy with the way I played.
“I set myself a New Year’s goal to win again as I didn’t win on the PGA Tour last year, and I also I want to get myself back on the Ryder Cup team.
“It was disappointing to be on that Celtic Manor losing side so I really want to get myself on Davis’ team to be on a winning team.
“So winning again and the Ryder Cup are the high priorities for me and also to be in contention more in the Majors is always a goal.
“It all comes down to being a better player and that’s what I am striving to achieve.
“And given the strength of the European Tour at the moment, and with the top four players in the world European born, it’s going to be good to compete against them here in Doha this week.”
