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.
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