Mahan Triumphs in Travelers Playoff

[Bag Chatter]

<p><img width="117" height="150" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.golfwrx.com/BagChatter/wp-content/uploads/Hunter_Mahan_Travelers_Trophy.jpg" /><strong>The final pairing at the final round of the Travelers Championship featured two men with a lot to play for. Jay Williamson, a former PGA Tour player who lost his playing privileges, was one round away from earning back his playing rights and a two year exemption on the PGA Tour. Hunter Mahan, the young man from Orange, California who was a junior and amateur standout, was looking to prove that he could capitalize the golfing potential so many had dubbed him with.</strong></p>

<p>With so much pressure and so much to play for, odds were good that either Mahan or Williamson would succumb to the nerves inherent in obtaining an elusive tour victory. However, the opposite seemed to happen - both players seemed to thrive under the pressure. Williamson began the day <a href="http://www.golfwrx.com/BagChatter/2007/06/24/65/">with a one shot lead</a>, and from the beginning both players made it clear they were playing to win. Throughout the day, the two traded birdies like heavyweight fighters trying hard to knock their opponent out, only to have them charge back.</p>

<p>Both players played near perfect front nines, with Mahan making the turn one shot ahead of Williamson. However, Williamson quickly caught fire on the back with birdies on 11, 13, and 15. Mahan matched him with consecutive birdies at 11, 12, and 13. However, bogies at 16 and 17 gave Williamson a one shot lead. Both players arrived at 18 and found the fairway with their tee shots. Williamson was away and hit a fantastic approach to twelve feet. After a brief conversation with his caddie John Wood who reassured him of their strategy, Mahan did not hesitate and put his 9 iron approach to six feet inside of Williamson's ball, on the exact same line. Mahan said, "We had a good yardage and just went with it. I went right at it. I mean, there's no reason not to. I figured he was going to make birdie. He just kind of had that putt. So was just going to be aggressive with it and luckily made a great swing." Williamson pushed his putt just slightly to the right and Mahan went to school on the putt and payed close attention. Mahan's putt was center cut and after 72 holes the two players were tied.</p>

<p>If the first time through the 18th hole wasn't dramatic enough, the players found a way to improve on their performance. After finding the fairway, Williamson managed to put his approach to six feet. However, Mahan again managed to get inside Williamson putting his approach to three feet for a tap-in birdie. Williamson missed his putt again, and Mahan converted for his first PGA Tour victory. For Mahan, this victory is especially important, since his very first victory on Tour changes his career and season from this point on. However, Mahan said just knowing he can win was the biggest benefit, "Just you know the fact that -- the fact that I know I won out here means a lot. I mean, it's just knowing that you can win and actually winning is two different things. And to win it the way I did is just amazing to me. To have to birdie in a playoff especially after he hit that shot in there is mind-boggling."</p>

<p>For Williamson, who pulled out many resilient par saves on the back nine to stay in contention, the victory was surely bitter-sweet.  Although he wasn't able to find his first victory, his $648,000 runner up check dwarfs the $150,000 he has earned thus far on the Nationwide Tour. However, more importantly, his prize money this week gives him special temporary member status on the PGA Tour for the rest of the year - meaning he won't need to tee it up on the Nationwide Tour next week, and he will be in the field at next week's Buick Open. "hopefully my performance today will help me maybe get some exemptions down the road. Hopefully I handled myself well and did the types of things that tournaments would want me in their events for, so we'll see," Williamson said.</p>

<p>

<table width="299" height="143" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1">

<tbody>

<tr>

<td><strong>Pos</strong></td>

<td><strong>Player</strong></td>

<td><strong>R1</strong></td>

<td><strong>R2</strong></td>

<td><strong>R3</strong></td>

<td><strong>R4</strong></td>

<td><strong>Tot</strong></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>1</td>

<td>Hunter Mahan</td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">62</font></td>

<td>71</td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">67</font></td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">65</font></td>

<td>-15</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>2</td>

<td>Jay Williamson</td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">66</font></td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">66</font></td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">67</font></td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">66</font></td>

<td>-15</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>3</td>

<td>Nick O'Hern</td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">67</font></td>

<td>70</td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">66</font></td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">66</font></td>

<td>-11</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>4</td>

<td>Vijay Singh</td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">68</font></td>

<td>71</td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">66</font></td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">65</font></td>

<td>-10</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>5</td>

<td>Fred Funk</td>

<td>70</td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">65</font></td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">67</font></td>

<td><font color="#ff0000">69</font></td>

<td>-9</td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

</p>

 

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