Fan To James Hahn Before NoTrust Open Playoff: "It's Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey and some other guy."
/The golf knowledge of last week's Northern Trust Open fans left a lot to be desired. Pretty much any shot not holed from the fairway earned a light applause (at best), even if it was to three feet on the 240-yard fourth.
Sadly the tournament had nice momentum fan-wise until this year, when fewer everyman's promotions and light local advertising/non-existent local television coverage combined with LA's viewing Super Bowl (the Oscars) to sport tiny crowds. And all at the best spectator viewing course on the PGA Tour. Such a waste, especially with the antics that true golf fans would have found so appealing Sunday.
Either way, the ignorance did have its benefits, as noted by Bill Dwyre in his LA Times wrap of the event. Before the fan ignorance part, there was also this from Hahn, a breath of fresh air who moved from 297th in the world to 86th:
After college, he couldn't make it in golf. So, much of 2006, he sold shoes at Nordstrom in Walnut Creek and Pleasanton.
"I was pretty good at it," he said. "Sold a lot."
He was asked if he is a shoe guy.
"I don't think we can afford Nordstom's," he said. "We are more Foot Locker kind of people."
And there was this from Hahn about his post-round autograph signing and question to a fan, noted by Dwyre and the PGA Tour's DJ Piehowski, and Instagrammed by the tour(!):
Though Hahn's trophy ceremony speech isn't available, AP's Mark Terrill captured a tremendous image (embedded above) to capture the fun that witnesses said was evident.
Golf Central aired this from the post round presser: