NORTON, Mass. – Hunter Mahan won two PGA TOUR events early this season. But he hasn’t had a top-10 finish in his last six starts, including this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship, as he finished Monday at 3 under,  which currently has him outside the top 35.

Since he didn’t make the U.S. Ryder Cup team on points, he will now have to hope Davis Love III makes him a captain’s pick. Mahan said he felt the pressure this week in terms of his Ryder Cup chances.

“You want to make the team,” Mahan said after shooting an even-par 71 in the final round. “It’s plain and simple. It’s not like you can just forget about it. It’s not like it’s not there and not going to impact you.”

Just two of Mahan’s 12 rounds on TOUR have been in the 60s. His last top-10 finish on TOUR was at the AT&T National I n early July.

“What I'm trying to think right now is what can I do to start changing my game right now,” said Mahan, who was on the Ryder Cup team two years ago. “I don't know, I'll just have to think about it, I guess, and try to strategize and change something up. “

The pairings have been unveiled for this week’s PGA TOUR Matchups Game on Facebook. You can check out the Matchups for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational below, or on the PGA TOUR’s Facebook page.

Participants have until 6 a.m. ET Thursday to make their picks. Log on to the PGA TOUR Facebook page and click the Matchups link to make your picks for this week, or to sign up.

Tiger Woods vs. Adam Scott	The seven-time Firestone champ takes on last year's winner
Ernie Els vs. Keegan Bradley	Two major champs; Bradley tied for 15th in Firestone debut in 2011
Jason Dufner vs. Zach Johnson	These two technicians are sitting in third and second in FedExCup points
Justin Rose vs. Hunter Mahan	Mahan won here in 2010; Rose scored first WGC win this year at Doral
Rickie Fowler vs. Luke Donald	Donald seeks second WGC title; won Accenture Match Play in 2011

The pairings have been unveiled for this week’s PGA TOUR Matchups Game on Facebook. You can check out the Matchups for the RBC Canadian Open below, or on the PGA TOUR’s Facebook page.

Participants have until 6 a.m. ET Thursday to make their picks. Log on to the PGA TOUR Facebook page and click the Matchups link to make your picks for this week, or to sign up.

GO TO FACEBOOK PAGE TO PLAY MATCHUPS GAME

Ernie Els vs. Vijay Singh	Two of the game's best over-40 players. Or best players, period.
Jim Furyk vs. Sean O'Hair	Furyk won here in 2006; O'Hair is defending champion
Matt Kuchar vs. Hunter Mahan	Mahan started the season on fire; lately, Kuchar's been hot
Brandt Snedeker vs. Scott Stallings	It's Vanderbilt (Nashville) vs. Tennessee Tech (Cookeville)
Robert Garrigus vs. Charlie Wi	FedExCup surprises in '12 -- both are on the top 30 bubble

BETHESDA, Md. -- With temperatures soaring into triple digits at Congressional on Friday, it was Hunter Mahan who was the hottest player on the golf course.

Mahan birdied two of his final three holes to shoot the day’s best round, a 65, to get to 7 under and a two-shot lead after two rounds of the AT&T National.

Playing late in the day, Mahan, who finished second to Tiger Woods the last time this tournament was played at Congressional in 2009, seemed unaffected by the heat.

Mahan went out in 32 with birdies on three of his last four holes, then kept the momentum going on the back nine with six straight pars before a birdie on the par-5 16th and another on the par-4 18th.

“When the conditions and the weather comes into play, it's a whole other factor,” Mahan said. “I've got to stay mentally tough. Once your mind goes, the body is going to go with it. It's very important to be mentally strong. We've got two more days of this, so it's going to be important to take care of yourself every night and every day when you're out on the golf course, or it's going to cost you shots.”

Three others -- Brendon de Jonge, Jimmy Walker and Robert Garrigus -- are tied for second, while five others are another stroke back.

Just 17 players are under par after two rounds at Congressional, which has played over par each of the first two rounds.

One of them is Tiger Woods, who won the AT&T National the last time it was held here.

Woods shot 68 Friday and is 2 under heading to the weekend.

The cut line was 6 over -- the highest since the 2011 Honda Classic.

BETHESDA, Md. -- Scoring continues to be difficult at Congressional, except for Hunter Mahan.

Mahan, who came into this week of a career-low 61 in his final round a week ago and tied for second the last time the AT&T National was played here, is 4 under through nine holes and 5 under for the week.

That puts him in a tie for the lead at the moment with clubhouse leaders Brendon de Jonge, Jimmy Walker and Robert Garrigus.

Mahan missed just one fairway and one green on the front nine, where he had five birdies and just one bogey.

No one else in the afternoon wave has been able to come close to the lead.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old amateur Beau Hossler continues to play well. The soon-to-be high school senior was 1 under through his first four holes and is 1 under for the week, just four shots off the lead.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

BETHESDA, Md. -- Hunter Mahan was standing on the 18th green at Congressional when he told his caddie, John Wood, “For 2 1/2 hours of golf if 90 percent of the field is over par, you know it’s playing tough.”

Mahan should know. He hit “great” and managed just a 1-under 70 Thursday in the opening round of the AT&T National.

“There's not a whole lot of birdie holes,” Mahan added. “You're not going to get lucky around here. You've really got to be smart and know the scores are going to be tough and not be overly aggressive. You can't afford to make silly bogeys if you have an opportunity to make a birdie.”

It’s certainly different than last week, when Mahan shot a career-low 61 in the final round of the Travelers Championship, and different than last year’s U.S. Open here. One caddie said it’s playing tougher than it did last June.

Mahan didn’t disagree.

“It's perfect as it gets from the rough perspective, and the greens are rolling very true,” Mahan said. “It's playing similar, but this is probably tougher.”

Mahan also felt he played better than his score, another indicator of how difficult Congressional is playing.

“I was never in trouble,” he said. “I wasn't stressed out there. I didn't have to save a lot of holes. I was just hitting a lot of fairways, a lot of greens.”

FEDEXCUP: Standings | Bubble glance | Who's up, down | Leaders | 2012 Winners | More By Chris Dunham, PGATOUR.COM Based on last year’s numbers, 89 players have secured positions in the 2012 FedExCup Playoffs. While much will continue to be discussed about the important battles for the final positions in the 125-man field at The Barclays, other intriguing plots could continue to unfold near the top of the FedExCup ranks. In 2009, the last time the AT&T National was contested at Congressional Country Club, Tiger Woods and Hunter Mahan battled for the title with Woods edging his nearest competitor by one stroke. If the event features another Woods-Mahan battle this year, it wouldn’t just be for the title. The top spot in the FedExCup race would also be on the line. Mahan (No. 3) and Woods (No. 4) are the only two competitors in this week’s field with an opportunity to unseat Jason Dufner atop the FedExCup standings this week at Congressional. Woods would need a victory, while Mahan could regain the top spot with a runner-up finish. If Woods and Mahan finish 1-2, Woods would go to No. 1 while Mahan would check in at No. 2. The last time in the Regular Season we saw the top two players in the FedExCup standings replaced by two new golfers? Last year’s AT&T National where champion Nick Watney and runner-up K.J. Choi took over the No. 1 and No. 2 positions respectively in the FedExCup standings. 23 AVALIABLE SPOTS? If this season’s final tally matches last year’s, 102 players have secured spots in the 125-man field for the FedExCup Playoffs. That’s the number of TOUR members with more than the 335 points that would have been required to qualify for last year’s Playoffs. William McGirt finished at No. 125 in the standings a year ago with a 334-point mark. Things look to be comparable to last year. Entering this week a year ago, Cameron Beckman was 125th in the standings with 256 points. This year, Erik Compton occupies that spot with 248 points.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

CROMWELL, Conn. -- Needing to make a 6-foot putt on his final hole of the third round just to make it to Sunday, Hunter Mahan rolled in the par and made the secondary cut on the number.

Then he took advantage of the second chance.

Mahan shot a career-best 61 in the final round of the Travelers Championship, where he came up one short of tying the course record. He missed just two fairways and birdied nine of his final 13 holes.

“I've been swinging it great all week; I just got some putts to fall in and got a little momentum early and kind of rode the wave coming in,” said Mahan, who twice barely made the cut this week.

The first time came after a bogey-double bogey finish to shoot 69 in the second round to finish 1 under. The cut was even par.

The second came Saturday afternoon when there was a secondary cut because more than 78 players had finished at even or better. Mahan birdied Nos. 6 and 7 -- his 15th and 16th holes of the round -- then made pars coming in, including that testy 6-footer on No. 9.

“At that point you're kind of like, God, do I want to make this?” joked Mahan, who like several players had to finish his second round Saturday morning before going right back out for the third round because of weather delays earlier in the week. “Long day [Saturday].”

It was a short one on Sunday.

Playing in the first group off, Mahan played fast and took advantage of pristine conditions, finishing his round in just over 3 hours.

“I figured the lower I shoot, the faster we'll play,” Mahan said. “We're not going to hold up the field. It shouldn't take long to play golf.”

Mahan’s first birdie of the round didn’t come until the par-5 sixth, then he added two more birdies in his next three holes. He made five more birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine and finished with nine in all, including a 20-footer on the 18th hole.

It was a special finish for Mahan for more than just his score, however.

David Finn, a 19-year-old from River Edge, N.J., who suffers from Leigh’s Disease (a neurological disorder similar to Multiple Sclerosis that has him bound to a wheelchair), got to “caddie” the final hole as Mahan’s caddie, John Wood, wheeled him down the fairway.

“He's so aware, but he just can't do the things that he wants to do,” Mahan said of Finn, who has been a regular at PGA TOUR events in the Northeast the last five years. “He's a fun kid, and it's an opportunity that you couldn't pass up.”

It was actually the second day in a row Wood wheeled Finn down the fairway on the final hole.

“It didn't quite have the impact since we were 1 under and no one was watching us,” Mahan joked.

There was plenty to watch Sunday. With the finish, Mahan, who won here in 2007 and finished runner-up each of the next two years, becomes the all-time leading money winner in the event.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Three Golf Boys have won PGA TOUR events in 2012. Ben Crane has not.

“Well,” Rickie Fowler said with a grin, “he is a bit slower than the rest of us.”

Fowler was the latest of the three, claiming the Wells Fargo Championship three weeks ago. Bubba Watson won the Masters in April and Hunter Mahan is one of just two players – Jason Dufner being the other – with multiple wins this year.

Crane won The McGladrey Classic in his final start of the 2011 season, but his best finish this year is a solo second at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

As a result …

“Ben doesn’t talk to us anymore,” Mahan said. “He’s pretty upset at us.”

Perhaps this week he’ll join his fellow Golf Boys in the 2012 winner’s circle. His track record at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial is pretty good – three top-5 finishes in his last five starts here, although he missed the cut last year.

Said Fowler: “I definitely want to see Ben get out there and get a win to complete the four wins for all of us.”

Overall, though, it’s been a productive 12 months on TOUR for the Golf Boys. Starting with Colonial last year, they’ve accumulated five wins and 16 other top-10s.

“It’s pretty crazy to think four guys who did something kind of silly and all played well since then,” Mahan said. “Pretty random, I would say, if anything. But it’s been fun. It’s a good motivator for all of us, I think.”

By John Schwarb, PGATOUR.COM

Who could have imagined at the start of the season that the flagship Titleist staff player at the end of May would be … Jason Dufner?

With his win at the HP Byron Nelson Championship on top of last month’s breakthrough at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Dufner became the second two-time winner this season. The first, Hunter Mahan, is a Ping staff player.

Which company has had the better year on the PGA TOUR? Every equipment manufacturer uses different criteria to determine supremacy, from boasting the most balls used on TOUR (Titleist) to the most drivers (TaylorMade). But not every player who has a Titleist ball is a full Titleist endorser, and so on.

My unscientific formula involves counting hats. If a player is wearing a logo on his hat, he’s basically that company’s guy (the logo isn’t always prominent; Rickie Fowler’s hats have Cobra on the back). By that count, Titleist has seven wins so far this season and Ping has five. If you want to give Ping extra points for Bubba Watson at the Masters, that’s your call.

Here’s my chart for the season’s first 22 events; we’ll revisit it again in a few months.

2012 PGA TOUR wins by hat

Titleist	7	Jason Dufner (2), Steve Stricker, Kyle Stanley, Bill Haas, Rory McIlroy, Ben Curtis
Ping	5	Hunter Mahan (2), Mark Wilson, Bubba Watson, John Huh
Bridgestone	2	Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar
Nike	2	Tiger Woods, Carl Pettersson
TaylorMade	2	Johnson Wagner, Justin Rose
Callaway	1	Phil Mickelson
Cleveland	1	George McNeill
Cobra	1	Rickie Fowler
Mizuno	1	Luke Donald

NEW APP ON TAP: Nike Golf today announced on Tuesday a new, free app called NG360 to help golfers track their rounds, improve their swings with coaches’ input and find golf-specific workouts.

“It’s about knowing your game to better your performance,” Nike Golf marketing director Nate Randle said. “The NG360 App lets golfers look at their game through a 360-degree lens. This is only the beginning of amazing things to come from Nike Golf as it relates to digital sport and the experience on and off the course.”

Golfers can track rounds including stats with the “My Game” function and get personal coaching from Nike staff members that are PGA professionals through video uploaded with the “My Swing” tool. The “My Body” section helps golfers get into shape through Nike Golf’s partnership with the Gray Institute, a leader in applied functional science.

Of course, the app also allows browsing through Nike Golf products, with recommendations available from Nike staff PGA pros. The NG360 app is free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch. View a video about it here.

BITS: Vijay Singh will have a Yes! Sally belly-length putter in the bag at Colonial … TaylorMade is sending an adjustable belly-putter fitting tool to its suppliers to better help fit golfers for the bellies.

WINNER’S BAG: Dufner at the HP Byron Nelson Championship:
Driver: Titleist 910D2 (Mitsubishi Diamana ‘ahina 60X shaft, 9.5 degrees)
Fairway woods: Titleist 910F (13.5 degrees) and 906 F2 (18 degrees)
Hybrids: Titleist 910H (19 degrees)
Irons: Titleist AP2 (4-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM4 (54, 60 degrees) 
Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron Prototype 
Ball: Titleist Pro V1