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WGC CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 8, 2014Hunter MahanMIAMI, FLORIDA CHRIS REIMER: Hunter, 1‑under today, disappointing bogey on the last I would imagine in, but overall, you're right in contention heading into tomorrow's round. HUNTER MAHAN:  Yeah, obviously the wind was calmer today but the course still played tough. You know, there's some good scores up there, and you could make some putts and you could‑‑ you had some opportunities out there. But the wind picked up and it kind of changed a little bit on the last nine, and you know, still playing hard out there. You've still got to hit good shots, and the margins for error are pretty slim. Q. You had a handful of guys at the top of the board start the day. When you see some numbers posted early, Tiger was making a pretty good‑‑ particularly Tiger obviously because he's so prominent. Are you paying attention to that? What's your mind‑set there? Are you thinking that there's something out there for you? HUNTER MAHAN: Yeah, you could shoot a low round out there, no question. The pins were probably definitely easier than they have been. So you could definitely get a number up there. You could hit a ton of greens and the greens are rolling so true; if you had a good feel for them, you could make some putts, and we knew that a round like that was definitely out there. But later in the day, it definitely got windier and it definitely got tougher. You saw some guys, the leaders kind of go backwards, as well. It was kind of a mixed bag of scores today, and you know, you've got to be aggressive when it's there, but then you've got to take your medicine when you're in trouble, as well. Q. Do you pay any more attention if it's Tiger moving up the board? HUNTER MAHAN: Not really. You're not going to change anything. You can't really do anything different. You've just got to keep playing golf. There's plenty of other guys to worry about. Q. One change doesn't get a lot of publicity. They planted a lot of trees down the right side of 18‑‑ HUNTER MAHAN: Yeah. Q. I'm just wondering how different it is playing from that area than in the past? HUNTER MAHAN: Yeah, I think in the past, maybe you get lucky, maybe you get a lie you could kind of shoot it up into those bunkers, shoot it by the bunkers by the green and maybe give yourself a pitch or something if the pin is back. Definitely can't do that. As soon as you hit it right there, it's an automatic pitch‑out, unless I hit it super, super right, like in 1 fairway, but yeah, it's an automatic pitch‑out now. We looked over there to see if there was any sort of gaps or anything, and there really isn't. Q. Tomorrow, and I don't know what we have, maybe a dozen guys separated by four shots or so, with the new design, how does that change the dynamics of intimidating course, moving up‑and‑down, and how would you grade that question. HUNTER MAHAN: Yeah, I think everyone is just going to be really into their games. This tournament will not be over until the last putt drops on 18. I think that always happens, but it seems like you just can't coast in here and you just can't get in the clubhouse with a two‑ or three‑shot lead with a couple to go. You can't have a big enough lead going into 18 I don't think this week. So I don't think anyone is going to be too bothered if someone gets out to a three‑ or four‑shot lead, because there's so much golf out there, and there's so much that can happen, good and bad. You can definitely make a few eagles out there. There's going to be‑‑ I don't know, I think everyone is going to be pretty patient and just play their games. You know, when there's something good out there to be had, you've got to be aggressive. But I think there's so much that can happen on this golf course; to panic early or maybe force it in there, I think could be a mistake. Q. What do you make of Patrick read? HUNTER MAHAN: Not much. I don't know him that well. Doesn't communicate that much with‑‑ played with him one time and I don't know that much about him. Q. You wouldn't have played the tournaments he won probably, I wouldn't think? HUNTER MAHAN: I haven't, no. I played with him at Barclays, and like I said, he doesn't say much. He doesn't talk much. So like I say, I don't‑‑ I didn't find out much about him then. Q. What's your philosophy on Saturdays, if you're a little behind, does it depend on where you're at, how many your back, to try to make a move and start free‑wheeling it? HUNTER MAHAN: Yeah, I think depending on your position, you might even be more aggressive to kind of get back into contention, especially in the conditions‑‑ it used to be coming here, you're going to have to make some birdies on Saturday. If you were kind of behind, you were going to have be kind of aggressive, because you knew the leaders were not going to fall backwards. They were going to shoot at least 3‑, 4‑, 5‑, maybe 6‑under. On a course like this though and a situation like this, man, you're really just in your own zone and playing your own game and trying to shoot the best score you can, because, you know, it's pretty difficult. Q. Is that the mode, you being one of the guys at the top going into the day, was that your philosophy today? Did you just try to maintain and move ahead? HUNTER MAHAN: I didn't want to chase anything. I just wanted to play golf, play my game. If there was something to be had, if there was something we could do‑‑ like on 10, we kind of went for it on 10. We had a good club there and was aggressive with it and it worked out. The wrong angles to some of these holes, you can still be in the fairway and have a wrong angle into the green and still not have a shot. You have to play kind of situationally and figure out where is the best place to leave yourself. There's so much that can happen in this place, I just don't think getting overly aggressive is kind of the best strategy. Q. It's been almost two years since your last win, may not seem like it, but are you getting a little bit antsy right now, and how do you keep yourself from getting too antsy at wanting that next win? HUNTER MAHAN: Well, I can't get too antsy because that's just not going to help me win. I know that. I want to win; I'd like to; I've had a few chances this year. Just haven't played as well on Sunday as I'd like. I just have to keep putting myself up there and keep trusting the process and keep trusting myself and what I'm doing, and you kind of keep working, because you just never know when you might win two or three times. Like Jimmy walker, all of a sudden, boom, you finds something, you go, and you kind of burst on the scene there. I think you just never know when you're going to win. You never know when you're going to get hot, but I think you always have to believe that it's going to happen and you just have to keep kind of working toward that and keep trying to get better. I know in previous years, I would try‑‑ I tried way too hard. I would try to be a Top‑10 player. I would try to win tournaments and try to be in the Top‑10 every week, and it's like‑‑ it just doesn't work like that. Golf isn't that type of game. You have to follow the process and try to get better every day and figure out, what do those guys do that makes them so great and how can I get better. CHRIS REIMER: Good luck tomorrow, Hunter. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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