Hahn makes a name for himself at Riviera

ANOTHER tournament, another crazy finish, and a winner that nobody could possibly have predicted. Just another routine week on the PGA Tour then.

Before his dramatic victory in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera, James Hahn was probably best known for the Gangnam Style dance he performed at the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale during the 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_s62MfvOYQ

And even as he prepared for the greatest moment of his career, he was brought crashing back to earth. He had been signing a few autographs and asked a fan if he knew what had happened in the tournament. "There's a playoff between Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey and some other guy," came the reply.

Well everybody now knows the name of the other guy after Hahn beat his two more famous rivals thanks to a superb birdie on the third playoff hole. He is 33 years old and it has been a long journey to get here.

He once sold shoes to make ends meet. And then there was the time that he four-putted, as a result of which he missed out on his Tour card. "At the time I thought it was the most devastating thing that's ever happened to me," Hahn said. "But being able to play three years on the Web.com Tour, I think that's one of the reasons why I'm here today."

James Hahn's winning playoff hole at the 2015 Northern Trust Open 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2UJiJ6qVl0

In 2008 he was playing on the Canadian Tour and had $200 in his pocket, not enough to get himself and his caddie back home. "I started looking for jobs and then it just hit me. 'Hey, you have an opportunity to do something with your life'. And I was wasting it just hanging out with friends, partying on the weekends. I wasn't putting the time in."

He finished eighth that week, winning $3,000. It was a turning point. But even he couldn't have imagined that he would win against such an elite field, especially after leaving a ball in a greenside bunker on the finishing stretch, and having to hole a 25-foot putt just to walk off with a bogey. But in difficult conditions on one of the most difficult courses on Tour, Hahn hung in there and closed with a 69 that took him to six under par, tied with Johnson and Casey on 278. All three thought they were going to come up at least one short, but Sergio Garcia dropped shots at the 17th and 18th to finish on five under.

The first playoff hole, the 18th, was halved in par. Hahn and Johnson bother birdied the next, the 10th, eliminating Casey, who could only manage a par. And when Hahn drained a birdie putt of the par-three 14th he was in dreamland. The victory was his first in his 65th start on the PGA Tour and it moved him to eighth in the FedExCup and secured a place in The Masters.

He now plans to take the next month off as his wife is due to give birth to a girl. And Hahn already has some ideas for a name. "The birth of a duaghter kind of humbles me and brings me down to the reality that I'm going to be a dad here in three weeks," Hahn said. "I couldn't be more excited, and more nervous that we don't have a name picked out yet. But I am going to talk to my wife about Riviera. I think that's a good name."

For Johnson, meanwhile, he has answered all the doubters. In just his third comeback event he had a glorious chance to win, and he will know that his game is in great shape and that it won't be long before he does claim another victory. Casey has not had a happy time of late, but final round of 68 was superb and he will be delighted to have come so close again. It will be fascinating to see how the rest of the season works out for him.