Hunter Mahan

The former perennial top-10 golfer has taken perhaps the most precipitous fall of anyone the past few years, but he had strung together enough semi-recent wins to keep his card. Earning less than $10,000 per tournaments seems impossible to do again, but Mahan won't come close to past glory, either.

Not a great season for Hunter Mahan, but it could have been a lot worse if not for a win during the Fed Ex Playoffs. Prior to that win Mahan was staring at a sub-$2 million season, which for a golfer of his caliber would have been a failed season. He did get that final win however, so the season wasn't a total loss. Mahan has the talent to be a top-10 guy, but he seems to disappear for long stretches. As such, he's an option in salary cap leagues, but by no means a "must-have". He should go in the third round in draft leagues.

After an up and down start to his career, Mahan has shown the consistency over the past few years that we like to see, but it's the upside that's been missing lately, especially last year. Mahan's 2013 season couldn't be classified as a disappointment, but he didn't crack the $3 million mark and he didn't pick up a win. With that said, if he happens to pick up a win in 2014, you could see a nice bump in his numbers. He's one of the few players in this range with enough upside to be a good salary cap option. In draft leagues he should go in the 10-20 range.

Mahan started last season like gangbusters, picking up two wins before the Masters. But after a T12 at Augusta, Mahan's season took a turn for the worse. Of his final 16 events, Mahan earned only two top-10s, one coming at the Tour Championship where the field consisted of only 30 golfers. It's a little concerning that he underperformed over the final six months of the season; he's simply too talented to allow himself to fall into a funk. The problem with Mahan is his consistency. Throughout his entire career, Mahan has had a nasty habit of disappearing for long stretches, seasons at a time in some cases. He's capable of topping his earnings from last season, but unlike others in last year's top 10, Mahan is simply too much of a risk to take at that price. In salary cap leagues he should go late in the first or early in the second round.

It's hard to call $3.5 million in earnings a disappointment, but after winning twice in 2010, the expectations for Mahan went through the roof. Mahan has shown flashes of brilliance since he broke through in 2007 with his first win on the PGA Tour, but until 2010, he'd yet to show his full potential. After that season, it was thought that he'd carry the momentum and make 2011 his best yet. Although it was a solid season, it wasn't his best and once again, the golf world expects more from Mahan this season. It's hard to say if Mahan's flub at the Ryder Cup prior to the 2011 season has any lasting effects on his play, but it's a possibility. With that experience further removed, expect Mahan to pick up where he left off in 2010. Mahan will come at a hefty price this season, but he's worth the gamble.

Anyone who follows the PGA TOUR is aware that Mahan is one of the best up-and-coming players in the game. His two victories in 2010 proved that point, and his top-10 finish on the money list furthered that opinion. However, when we last saw Mahan, he flubbed a crucial chip shot during one of the final matches of the Ryder Cup. Something like than could potentially have a drastic affect on the psyche. He didn't exactly set the world ablaze after that moment either, as his only two starts the remainder of the season were disappointments. It will be interesting early in the season to see how Mahan responds. Considering he won a big event last season (the WGC Bridgestone), it would seem that he's mentally tough enough to get past his blunder, but you never know. Mahan is usually solid from tee to green, but his putter is inconsistent.

It's hard to call a nearly-$3 million season a disappointment, but the bar has been set pretty high for Mahan and he has the potential to perform much better. Mahan broke through in 2007 with a win at the Travelers Championship and has played well the last two seasons. Still, Mahan has the talent to take his game to the next level, and it would not be surprising if that happened in 2010. He ranked 44th in the final 2008 Official World Golf Rankings and improved up to 29th at the end of 2009.

After a very strong 2007 season, Mahan came down to Earth in 2008. The potential is still there, however, and at this price he is definitely worth a look. For those in draft leagues, expect Mahan to be on the radar of many people. If you want to grab him, you might have to make the move late in the second round.

Mahan finally had his breakout year right after most of us had given up on him. You'll find this scenario quite often in golf. Highly touted player bursts upon the scene, then loses his game for a while, sometimes a long while, then finally finds it again somewhere down the road. In Mahan's case he was supposed to hit the ground running in 2004 as a rookie, but that did not happen. Over his first two years on the tour he nearly missed as many cuts as he made. He started to turn things around in 2006, and finally everything clicked in 2007. The bar was set pretty high last year though, and it's hard to say if he can do much better this season, but he should improve a little bit.

Mahan was the can't-miss prospect from the 2004 season. He played well enough in his rookie year to earn his card for 2005, but he misfired in his sophomore campaign and didn't really recover until midway through the 2006 season. He finished runner-up at the Buick Championship and ended the season on a positive note, making seven consecutive cuts. That's a good sign heading into 2007. Mahan's upside is very high.

Mahan came in the 2005 with high expectations. He obviously didn't live up to them, but he comes into 2006 under the radar and that should make things easier for him.

Mahan played much better in the second half of 2004. It took Mahan a while to get used to the Tour as witnessed by his earnings of 125k through the 1st seven months of the season, but he soon turned his game around and finished great. Look for good things in 2005.

From all accounts this kid is going to be a star. Finished T28 at the 2003 Masters as an amateur. Overshadowed by Ricky Barns, but Mahan has his Tour Card for 2004.