Cal Sports Report

Former Cal Golfer James Hahn Has 'Magical' Final Round at 3M Open

Ex-Golden Bear has the low round of the day on Sunday to achieve his best PGA Tour finish in four years
Jake Curtis|
Former Cal Golfer James Hahn Has 'Magical' Final Round at 3M Open
Former Cal Golfer James Hahn Has 'Magical' Final Round at 3M Open

Former Cal golfer James Hahn had one the best rounds on his career on Sunday in the 3M Open in Blaine, Minn., and it pushed him to his best finish in a PGA Tour event in more than four years.

Hahn, who is ranked 225th in the world, fired a 6-under-par 65 in the final round at the TPC Twin Cities course, and that was two strokes better than any other golfer's score on Sunday. It also helped Hahn finish tied for fourth place at 13 under par, four strokes behind winner Tony Finau.

Hahn's 69-yard shot for an eagle on No. 12 was the shot of the day.

“Magical,” said Hahn of his final-round performance. “That’s what it felt like. We're getting gusts up to 25 miles per hour and then it would lay down and then it would gust again for 25 miles per hour. I'm hitting some pitching wedges 170 yards and on the next hole you're hitting 6-iron from 150.

“It's just one of those days where you had to pick your clubs very well and commit to it, and I felt like I did a good job of that today.”

Hahn's best previous finish this season was a tie for ninth place in both the Byron Nelson Classic and the Well Fargo Championship in back-to-back events in May.

His fourth-place finish at the 3M Open was his highest finish since he wound up  second at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2018.

Hahn had one bogey on his final round, carding a 5 on the par-4 seventh hole, but he countered that with five birdies as well as that eagle-3 on the part-5 12th hole.  He recorded a 5-under-par score of 31 on the back nine.

His fourth-place finish earned him $315,625, a hefty sum that pushed him over $1 million for the 2021-22 seasons.

It also moved him from No. 133 to No. 109 in the FedExCup standings.

It also improved his chances of keeping his PGA card for next year, and he carried a beer with him to the podium to face the media after his round.

“Coming down the stretch, we’re obviously trying to win a golf tournament, but one stroke here or there could also mean not keeping my card for next year,” Hahn said.

“It means a lot to be able to make the Playoffs, to earn full status for next season, but just to feel like you've accomplished something, that's definitely a goal for everyone starting the season that, A, you want to make it long into the Playoffs, but you have to make the Playoffs to start. For me, I just feel like it's a long season, and I'm going to enjoy this beer.”

That beer was earned.

Hahn was born in South Korea, but was raised in Alameda, California, and graduated from nearby Cal in 2003.

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Cover photo of James Han by Mark Lebryk, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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