Mahan's Redeeming Matchplay Victory

Hunter Mahan ended his final 2010 Ryder Cup match against Graeme McDowell in a less-than-preferred manner, punctuated with a duffed chip shot and amplified by an infamous press conference reaction. On Sunday, however, another matchplay victory would offer Mahan solace and redemption, even if on a different scale.

As ESPN.com's Farrell Evans writes, Mahan's professional career unfortunately carried the blemish of the 2010 Ryder Cup despite already having three professional wins on his resume by that time. Golf - and that moment in his career - meant so much to him that he could not help but wear his emotions on his sleeve. Missed opportunities seemed to be more commonplace with the young PGA TOUR superstar than success, especially in the mind of Mahan.

Then the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship presented another opportunity for Mahan, thanks to his stellar play throughout the week at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain. After holding off Mark Wilson earlier in the day, Mahan was paired against Rory McIlroy in the Final Match. A few hours later in the late afternoon, Mahan had defeated McIlroy by a 2-and-1 margin en route to capturing his second WGC title and fourth PGA TOUR victory overall.

"If I wanted to be the player that I felt like I could be, I was going to have to change," Mahan said after capturing the WGC-Accenture Match Play in a 2 and 1 win over Rory McIlroy. "I had to take it easy on myself, not try basically not try so hard.

"I didn't want to have my identity stuck with my golf score. They needed to be separated, and I needed to play golf because I enjoyed it and accept the result and move on and not get attached to it."

This was obviously not the Ryder Cup. The circumstances are different, as were the stakes. Yet this victory can, in the very least, serve as a redeeming moment for one of the best young golfers in the world.