HONOLULU, HAWAII | Chances are you remember James Hahn.
He really hasn’t been away that long, but in professional golf terms going six months without swinging a club is like a trip to Siberia.
Hahn (above) is the guy who did the dance on the 16th green at the 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open, becoming a viral video sensation when those things were relatively new.
He won two tournaments – the 2015 Northern Trust Open and the 2016 Wells Fargo Championship – and lost a six-hole playoff to Patton Kizzire at the Sony Open in Hawaii in 2018.
Then his right arm began aching. There was swelling in his forearm and triceps, but there were tournaments to play. After an ultrasound last February, Hahn was told he could keep playing because he would not do more damage to what was ailing him.
Trying to hit practice balls beside Dustin Johnson at last year’s Genesis Open near Los Angeles, Hahn couldn’t do it. He flew home, got an MRI and found out he had a partially torn triceps.
“What I was doing was making it worse,†Hahn said.
The good news is Hahn didn’t require surgery but he underwent blood-spinning treatments along with other rehabilitation protocols while waiting for his arm to heal.
“Six months of legit couldn’t pick up a club,†he said. “I tried to putt in my backyard and even that would hurt. Things like opening doors would hurt, pushing down on the soap bottle, shaking hands.â€
“I want to be inside the top 125 by the end of the (season), that way I have a job.â€
James Hahn
With a 4-year-old daughter, Hahn focused on being a dad and called the mandated down time “a blessing in disguise.â€
Almost fully healthy now, Hahn is playing on a major medical extension, trying to keep his playing status. After missing the cut at last week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, he has 12 starts left to earn enough FedEx Cup points (305) to retain his 2019-20 status. Hahn had 44 points entering the Sony Open.
What Hahn is most concerned about is earning enough points to be in the top 125 after the Wyndham Championship, when playing status for next season is determined.
There’s the old saying that golf is about math, not art. It’s doubly so when FedEx Cup points enter the equation.
“I want to be inside the top 125 by the end of the (season), that way I have a job,†said Hahn, a member of the tour’s Player Advisory Council.
Historically, Hahn has been at his best in Hawaii and through the West Coast swing so the next five weeks are important to him. More than once, he’s made every cut on the West Coast but he’s likely to bypass next week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, where the rough is ultra deep. No sense tempting fate – or his arm – there, Hahn said.
“I think it’s the same amount of pressure as a first-time player, rookie on tour trying to keep his card,†Hahn said. “I’m in the same boat.â€
Ron Green Jr.
