Hunter Mahan has admitted that his omission from America's Ryder Cup side has hit him hard.
American admits he has lost his passion for the game
Hunter Mahan has admitted that his omission from America's Ryder Cup side has hit him hard.
The 30-year-old featured in the last two matches against Europe and looked a certainty to play a part at Medinah this time around after winning twice earlier in the season.
But his form tailed off in recent months and he eventually finished just outside the automatic qualifying places in ninth on the US points list.
His misery was compounded when he was overlooked for a captain's pick as David Love III instead chose Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson and Brandt Snedeker.
The snub appeared to take its toll on a deflated Mahan at the BMW Championship last weekend when he shot closing rounds of 80 and 77 at Crooked Stick to finish in last place, 32 shots behind winner Rory McIlroy.
''It was hard - harder than I thought,'' Mahan acknowledged. "Golf is hard right now. I just can't deal with it all. It doesn't have much appeal. It feels empty.
Out of will
"I tried to patch things together, change putters, a quick fix, but at the end of the day, I'm out of will.
"You need to be mentally and emotionally invested in each round and, if you're not, then it's hard to compete out here. I'm not even technically good right now.''
Mahan was a key figure in the last Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor where he was beaten by Graeme McDowell in what proved the crucial singles match.
However, he revealed he is unlikely to even watch this year's event after his failure to secure a place on Love's side.
"I don't think so," Mahan said when asked if he would watch the matches in Illinois on television.
"Being there, having gone through it... it's tough to say that, too. You have so many friends on the team and you want them to do well.
"I don't feel good saying that, but I think it would be hard to sit and watch it. I'll watch the match results each game, at the end of each day."
