Hahn uses playoff to halt skid at Wells Fargo Championship
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — James Hahn said the anxiety was creeping in after missing eight straight cuts on the PGA Tour, causing him to wonder if he’d ever get his game straightened out.
But after a long talk with caddie Mark Urbanek last week, Hahn came to Quail Hollow Club with a renewed confidence and determination to end the streak. He did that and more. Hahn beat Roberto Castro with a par on the first hole of a suddendeath playoff Sunday in the Wells Fargo Championship to snap the three-month slump and earn his second PGA Tour title.
“It was going bad for a while,” Hahn said. “Just didn’t have the confidence, didn’t believe in myself. I felt like I was putting in the work but wasn’t getting any reward for it. ... You’re playing bad and you’re missing cuts and there’s nothing funny about that.”
The anxiety appeared a distant memory Sunday as a smiling Hahn cracked open a can of Bud Light as he sat behind the podium and asked the media, “You want one?”
Hahn, perhaps best known for his “Gangnam Style” birdie celebration three years ago on the Phoenix Open’s rowdy 16th hole, said when things got bad he remained motivated by never wanting to lose his PGA Tour card and having to play on the Web.com Tour.
“I just told my wife, I can’t play there — I can’t,” Hahn said. “It’s not an option for me. I feel like I’m good enough and I need to put in more work to stay on this level, and it’s worth every minute of it. ... I have a lot of people counting on me.”
He won’t have to worry about that now for quite a while. In winning, Hahn picked up the $1.3 million US prize and an automatic two-year extension on the PGA Tour, not bad for a former Bay Area women’s shoes salesman.
“You have to keep believing in yourself and keep grinding. I constantly remind myself that I am good enough and belong out there,” Hahn said.
Hahn shot 2-under 70 on Sunday, and Castro had a 71 to finish at 9-under, one shot ahead of Justin Rose (71). Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson both shot 66 to tie for fourth at 7-under with third-round leader Rickie Fowler (74) and Andrew Loupe (71).
Adam Hadwin, of Abbotsford, finished 4-over and tied for 61st.
Parnevik wins his first Tour Champions title
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Jesper Parnevik won the Insperity Invitational for his first PGA Tour Champions title, shooting a 5-under 67 for a four-stroke victory Sunday.
The 51-year-old Swede won in his 23rd career start on the 50-andover tour. The five-time PGA Tour winner finished at 12-under 204 at The Woodlands Country Club.
“It feels fantastic, actually,” Parnevik said after his first victory since the PGA Tour’s 2001 Honda Classic. “I’m still in shock, because when it’s been this long, you don’t even remember how it is.”
John Daly tied for 17th in his PGA Tour Champions debut. The two-time major champion closed with a 71 after opening with rounds of 70 and 73. He turned 50 on April 28.