Hunter Mahan's game suited for National

Sean Foley can picture Hunter Mahan with a green jacket draped across his shoulders one day.

“Absolutely,” said Foley, who is Mahan’s swing coach. “Tee-to-green he’s one of the best in the world. He’s plenty long. He’s a beautiful long-iron and 3-wood player, too. This year, I think he’s ranked in the top 20 in putting. That’s a pretty good combination.”

Add in the fact his ball flight is right-to-left and it’s no surprise Mahan has finished in the top-12 in three of his six appearances at Augusta National Golf Club. He tied for 12th last year despite closing with 2-over-par 74.

“He’s got a little baby draw which suits a lot of tee shots; not all tee shots,” Foley said. “I think it sets up there well for him.”

And does Mahan believe he can win the Masters Tournament?

“I wouldn’t show up if I didn’t think that,” he said.

Three of the four par-5 holes on the course set up for a draw (No. 15 is a fairly straight-away design). No wonder Mahan played the par-5s in 7-under last year.

“Birdieing the par-5s, those are opportunity holes,” Mahan said. “You’ve got to give yourself the best look at those. Historically, that’s where you can attack Augusta, on the par-5s.”

On the par-5s last year, Mahan birdied Nos. 2, 13 and 15 twice each and had one birdie on No. 8. He parred those four holes in the other rounds.

“There is no secret,” Mahan said. “You’ve got to hit good shots and you’ve got to put yourself in the right angles to those holes. You can hit a good shot on the wrong side of the hole and you’ve got nothing. You’re going to have a very difficult up and down.”

One day, Foley hopes that people will realize that Mahan has a solid short game. His stubbed chip on the 17th hole in the 2010 Ryder Cup in his singles loss to Graeme McDowell continues to dog him.

It came at a crucial point, with Mahan 2-down in the only match left on the course. He needed to win the final two holes to force a tie in the matches, which would have allowed the U.S. to keep the cup. Instead, he lost the match on No. 17 and Europe won by a point.

“People talk about his struggles with his short game,” Foley said. “Every time he’s about to chip, they just show highlights of the Ryder Cup. He’s in the top 20 in the world; his short game is pretty good.”

Mahan’s attitude when he gets to Augusta National seems to elevate his game that week, said Foley, whose most famous pupil is Tiger Woods.

“I think he loves the place and that always helps,” he said. “It’s good for mood and state (of mind).”

Said Mahan: “Your mood is very important wherever you go. I enjoy playing there. Every time I get there, I’m excited. It’s always a fun opportunity to play there.”

Mahan said he enjoys the challenge of continuing to learn the ins and outs of Augusta National.

“You better be learning because things change there every year,” he said. “I learn something new about that golf course every time I step on the first tee there.”