Hunter Mahan wins Shell Houston Open to move to No. 4 in world

HUMBLE, Texas — Hun­ter Mahan doesn’t dwell on bad shots anymore, and he says that’s leading to more good ones.

Mahan shot 1-under-par 71 on Sunday to win the Hous­ton Open, edging Carl Pet­tersson by one stroke and becoming the first two-time champion on the tour in 2012.

Mahan finished 16-under and moved to No. 4 in the world ranking, the first time he’s ever been the highest-ranked American.

“That’s a pretty surreal thing to think about,” Mahan said. “It shows me what I can do, shows me what I’m capable of.”

The 29-year-old feels as if he finally has the mental approach to match his physical skills. He credits Canadian sports psychologist Jim Murphy with teaching him to enjoy the game more.

“It’s easy to let your mind run wild and get down on yourself,” Mahan said. “That’s what I used to do. I’m trying to pump myself up more
and just believe in myself.”

Mahan earned his fifth career victory. He has six top-25 finishes in seven starts this year, including a win over Rory McIlroy in the final of the Match Play Cham­pionships in February.

“You’ve got to enjoy this stuff,” Mahan said. “It’s kind of an honor and a pleasure to be
in these tough situations.”

The new attitude got another test Sunday.

Standing on the 18th tee with a one-stroke lead, Ma­han confidently hit his tee shot down the middle of the fairway, then knocked his 203-yard approach to 21 feet. He gave caddie John Wood a high-five when the ball landed safely on the green.

The tournament became the run-up event to the Mas­ters Tournament in 2007, and Mahan has never felt better about his game heading to Augusta.

“I feel very capable of playing great golf, and I feel like I showed myself I don’t have
to be perfect to win,” he said.
Pettersson (71) finished with eight pars for his second runner-up finish this year. Third-round leader Louis Oosthuizen (75) was another shot back at 14-under.

Mahan began the day two shots behind Oosthuizen, who lost the lead with two double bogeys on his front nine.

Defending champ Phil Mick­elson (71), Keegan Brad­ley (71), Brian Davis (74) and Jeff Over­ton (68) all finished 12-under.

Three-time major champion Ernie Els finished 10-under and fell short in his bid to earn an automatic invitation to the Masters. He needed a victory to avoid missing Augusta for the first time since 1993.

“It’s not going to change my life either way,” Els said. “I’ve played many out there. It’s one of those things.”