Best known for his Gangnam Style moves at the 2013 Phoenix Open, James Hahn announced himself to a much wider audience by winning his first PGA Tour title at the Northern Trust Open on Sunday.
In a breathtaking finish, Hahn delivered his own magical script to beat fellow American Dustin Johnson and England’s Paul Casey in a playoff shortly before the coveted Oscars were up for grabs at the 87th Academy Awards being held in nearby Hollywood.
Just three weeks before the scheduled birth of his first child, Hahn sank clutch birdie putts at the second and third extra holes to clinch the winner’s check for US$1.206 million and his first trip to the Masters at Augusta National in April.
“Amazing,” said Hahn, who was born in South Korea but played college golf at the University of California, Berkeley.
“I birdied two playoff holes, against Paul Casey and Dustin Johnson, two great competitors. I’m lucky to be here now,” Hahn said.
“Just like the [PGA Tour] commercial, ‘These guys are good,’” he said.
“I knew either Paul or Dustin was going to make birdie, so I figured I had to go for it,” he said of his birdie at the driveable par-four 10th, where he hit a lob wedge to 2.75m.
Casey was eliminated at that hole after making par, and Hahn went on to seal victory at a wet and cold Riviera Country Club by sinking a 7.3m shot at the par-three 14th, where Johnson missed his birdie attempt from 3.65m.
“I missed it right in regulation, so I played it straight,” Hahn said of his putt on 14. “It was going to break left early, and it was left edge with about five feet left, five feet to go.”
“I just kind of put it in God’s hands and it luckily caught the left corner. Pretty fortunate,” added Hahn, whose previous best finish on the PGA Tour was joint third at the 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Hahn, who became a YouTube sensation when he followed a final-round birdie on the 16th hole at the 2013 Phoenix Open with his rendition of the Gangnam Style dance, was initially unaware that his win on Sunday earned him a spot at the Masters.
“Amazing,” the 33-year-old said. “I wasn’t even thinking about that.”
“First and foremost, I have a little girl coming in three weeks and I’m really excited for that more than anything,” Hahn said.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and