The post ‘They are catering to the top players:’ Lone dissenter to PGA Tour’s changes airs grievances appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘They are catering to the top players:’ Lone dissenter to PGA Tour’s changes airs grievances appeared first on Golf.

After the PGA Tour announced wholesale changes to its schedule and structure for next season, even apparently winning back the commitment of rising star Cameron Young in the process, James Hahn still doesn’t seem to be content.

Hahn told Golfweek he cast the only dissenting vote on the changes as a voting member of the PGA Tour’s Policy Board. That’s despite saying he’s not entirely dissatisfied with the results.

“We all want the same thing, what’s best for the Tour, but we have different ideas on how to get there,” he said. “Right now, it seems like they are catering to the top players in the world.”

The Tour announced a new structure for next season ahead of last week’s Tour Championship, where the top players, as defined by a reimagined Player Impact Program, have all committed to a 20-event schedule. Twelve of those events being the PGA Tour’s ‘elevated events,’ featuring purses between $15 and $25 million.

This is all coming as the PGA Tour faces a rival league, LIV Golf, which plays events with $25 million purses and has lured away top names such as Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka with guaranteed contracts. LIV Golf is backed by the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund.

Hahn, a two-time Tour winner who said he has not been approached by LIV Golf, said changes have been made to directly compete with LIV Golf, and not necessarily improve the PGA Tour.

“To prevent more players from leaving our Tour, we are ending up paying the top players in the world guaranteed money that has increased exponentially,” Hahn said. “Three years ago, we started implementing this new PIP program, which has grown to $100 million. It seems like the people who have the most influence of how much money is distributed to the top players in the world have a much stronger voice now than they’ve ever had.

“I understand the reasoning that the money is used to keep top players and without them, we have no Tour. My question to them is when is it enough? We’ve gone from $50 million to $100 million. When $100 million isn’t enough, will they ask for $200 million? How will that impact our business?”

He also said he felt the changes could have come sooner.

“It’s crazy to think that it took a secret meeting between Tiger, Rory and the best players in the world to make a change so fast that could have been made a year or two ago,” Hahn said. “I was talking to Bryson [DeChambeau] before he left the Tour. That’s what he wanted. He wanted the top players in a room and have a conversation on what they bring to the Tour and how can they be compensated for it. Because of the person that Bryson is, I don’t think he got the respect of his peers to bring together those players.”

Before the BMW Championship in mid-August, a reported 20 of the Tour’s top players, plus Rickie Fowler and Tiger Woods held a players-only meeting to discuss what would eventually become the changes announced by commissioner Jay Monahan last week. Woods and Rory McIlroy reportedly spearheaded the meeting. Hahn was not present.

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Even as a member of the Policy Board as a player director, whose term comes to an end at the beginning of next year, Hahn said it was hypocritical how the Tour is now requiring players to play 20 events for huge purses, similar to how LIV will require it’s contracted players to play 14 events next season.

“It’s interesting how things have switched,” he said. “Purses increasing to $20 million isn’t enough — [LIV Golfers] needed guaranteed money to give up their freedom. It feels very hypocritical and it could cannibalize the rest of the season and make the other tournaments feel like second-class events. By asking the best players to play more and essentially the same schedule they are going to end up taking the same week off. Are they going to play the Honda Classic with its $8-million purse or the $20 million purses that surround it? I fear we could end up like the ATP (the pro tennis tour) where only a handful of events draw real interest. These are some of the things we had to think through before we voted.”

The new structure also calls for all exempt players to be given a $500k “league-minimum” salary, which will be held against their winnings. Non-exempted players will also be given a $5,000 stipend when they miss a cut to help cover expenses.

When the original PGA Tour schedule for 2022-23 was released earlier in August, Hahn put it on blast, writing on Twitter how the schedule’s travel demands will cost thousands of dollars and lots of time.

Hahn didn’t seem to think the new structure did enough to take care of the journeymen pros, like himself who finished 107th in the FedEx Cup standings.

“We’re valuable to the Tour – not as valuable – and we’re trying to find a middle ground of how much guaranteed money we should pay the top players versus distributing the money in purses among the rest of the membership,” he said. “The secret meeting with Tiger and Rory set a precedent that the top 20 players can get whatever they want from the Tour. So, what’s stopping the other 90 percent of our Tour from getting together and doing the same exact thing as Rory and Tiger and saying the top 20 players can go play their own tournaments but the rest of the Tour, us 90 percent all stand together and we want more benefits?

“I feel like a portion of the $100 million could have gone to making our Tour great rather than going to the top 20. These are the little things that irritate the rest of the membership to the point there is a lot of animosity between the haves and have-nots.”

He told Golfweek he’s motivated for the upcoming season because if he plays well, the rewards will be more fruitful under the new system. However, if he plays poorly, it will be harder for him to keep his job.

“Everyone has their legacy – it’s not as great as Rory or Tiger – but I want mine to remain on the PGA Tour,” he said.

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The post Pro blasts new PGA Tour schedule, citing expenses, long travel days appeared first on Golf.

The post Pro blasts new PGA Tour schedule, citing expenses, long travel days appeared first on Golf.

If a PGA Tour pro wanted to play all five events from the second week of October to the first week in November, that itinerary would require just north of 15,000 miles of travel, according to Google Earth.

Of course, no player is required to enter all of those events, but the potential travel headache of doing so — especially with the way things are going this summer — has two-time PGA Tour winner James Hahn wondering why the schedule is built that way at all.

“Take a look at the new PGA Tour schedule and you’ll understand why players are upset,” Hahn tweeted Monday afternoon, just minutes after the Tour released the 2022-23 lineup. “Vegas to Japan to South Carolina to Bermuda to Mexico? For the viewers, it’s a flick of a remote. For us, it’s 20 hour travel days and tens of thousands of dollars in expenses.”

Hahn, who serves as a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, said he’s currently playing his seventh tournament in a row. The start of next week’s Fedex Cup Playoffs, which Hahn looks to make at No. 115 in the standings, will make it eight in a row.

“Won’t see my family for a month,” Hahn replied to another Twitter user. “Will miss taking my daughter to her first day of school. The sacrifices I make to be the 236th best golf (sic) in the world.

“Do you see the hypocrisy. Players are leaving the Tour because they want to spend more time with their families among other things. But when I address our scheduling issue, it’s considered whining and insignificant. Can’t win with you guys.”

Of course, the Tour schedule has come under increased scrutiny with the growth of LIV Golf, with many players citing the taxing travel schedule on the PGA Tour among the reasons they decided to leave for the upstart league.

“I’ve been on the road since 1998. It’s like winning the lottery for me,” said Pat Perez, who added that he missed the birth of his child due to his PGA Tour travels. “I’ll have to explain that to him someday why I wasn’t there.”

In another tweet, Hahn suggested only playing events in major cities, such as those with NFL teams.

Hahn’s rant generated hundreds of replies, including one from Scottie Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott.

“Change your mindset pro,” Scott said. “Most people have a tough gig in this life. We ain’t them. It’s a game that provides a living for us. Soak it up man. Be grateful.”

Evidently, Hahn will have plenty of time to reflect on his gratitude on his way to Greensboro for this week’s Wyndham Championship. Hopefully from the comfort of a window seat.

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The post ‘I could hear you man’: Pro chirps fan for … eating chips? appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘I could hear you man’: Pro chirps fan for … eating chips? appeared first on Golf.

The list of things not to do when a golfer is in their backswing is long, if not yet compendious.

When a golfer addresses the ball, it is expected that you will not speak, yell, swear, move quickly, sneeze, cough, take photos or otherwise disturb the peace. Should you do these things, you will be publicly shamed. Should you do them repeatedly, you might even be asked to leave.

On Saturday at the Wells Fargo Championship, the list of backswing no-goes grew one offense longer … and the loud eaters among us might want to listen up.

It all started on the 14th green at TPC Potomac, a drivable par-4 that has played as one of the easiest on the course throughout the week at the Wells Fargo. It was a rainy Saturday in the DMV, with blustering winds and chilly temps contributing to brutal moving day conditions for the pros.

James Hahn, a 40-year-old two-time Tour winner, stood on the 14th green with a 20-footer for birdie that would have moved him to even par for the day and within two strokes of the mark set by 54-hole leader Keegan Bradley.

Hahn surveyed his putt for a long time, then finally rocked his putter back and struck his ball. He watched as the ball rolled up to the hole and skipped past, coming to rest three feet long of the flagstick.

But before approaching his par putt, Hahn stopped what he was doing and stared off into the crowd, where he had some choice words for a fan.

“I could hear you eating those chips man, for like two minutes,” he said, the frustration spread across his face.

On the telecast, the CBS crew laughed.

“Too much crunch, man,” Nick Faldo said as he tossed to break.

You can check out the full video of the interaction below.

Fortunately, the munching stopped for long enough for Hahn to make his par putt.

He would go on to shoot a two-over 72 on Saturday, and entered Sunday’s final round in a tie for 4th. As for the fan? Well, hopefully he’s enjoying the rest of his meals at TPC Potomac from a safe distance … or chewing with his mouth closed.

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The post How almost missing a flight led to James Hahn winning a tournament appeared first on Golf.

The post How almost missing a flight led to James Hahn winning a tournament appeared first on Golf.

For every frequent flier, there comes a time when you’re sweating to catch a flight. It’s an anxiety-inducing exercise that no one wants to experience, but if you fly enough, you’re sure to find yourself hustling to get on a plane before the doors close for good.

James Hahn flies near weekly with his schedule as PGA Tour pro, so this song and dance is nothing unusual. However, one near-miss was more consequential than most.

As Hahn explained on the most recent episode of GOLF’s Subpar, in 2012 he was in contention on the Korn Ferry Tour late on a Sunday, but all the while he had eyes on the clock, hoping to catch a cross-country flight after the event.

As luck would have it, Hahn ended up in a playoff by day’s end, helping his chances that he’d win the tournament, but hurting his chances he’d catch his flight for a U.S. Open qualifier.

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After matching pars with his opponent, Scott Parel, on the first playoff hole, Hahn came to the second playoff hole and decided it would be the last hole of the tournament.

“We’re in the middle of the fairway and we’re debating whether we want to go for it or lay up,” Hahn said. “I asked [my caddie], ‘Hey, what time is it?’ … I’ve got a flight to catch.”

When his caddie told him the time, Hahn realized he was on a tight deadline. With that information in hand, he decided to go for the green. Either he’d execute the shot, birdie the hole, and win the playoff, or he’d hit in the water and lose. But he wasn’t going to miss his flight.

“Regardless, it needs to end on this hole,” Hahn recalled.

While Hahn didn’t quite hit the shot he had in mind — he flared it well right of the green — the ball did not find the water, and he was able to get up-and-down for birdie. When Parel failed to card a birdie of his own, Hahn was the champion.

“I’m telling the guys, ‘I gotta get out of here. We’ve got to do this trophy presentation,’” Hahn said. “So we do it within 15 minutes and I catch [my] flight.”

To hear more from Hahn’s appearance on Subpar, check out the full interview below.

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The post James Hahn reveals the jobs he had supporting his pro career appeared first on Golf.

The post James Hahn reveals the jobs he had supporting his pro career appeared first on Golf.

Two-time PGA Tour winner James Hahn had a fairly unorthodox path to the PGA Tour. Though he earned a scholarship to play collegiately at the University of California at Berkeley, Hahn quit the golf team after his junior year. After he graduated, he decided to give professional golf a try and quickly went broke when he missed the cut in the first three mini-Tour events he entered.

Hahn quickly realized that if he wanted to pursue the game for a living, he’d need to redouble his efforts. And without sponsorship money to fall back on, he’d need a job too. On this week’s episode of Subpar, Hahn told hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz about the various jobs he held down in order to make his competitive golf dreams come true.

“I worked for an advertising agency for a year, saved up about $30K doing that,” Hahn said. “I worked at Nordstrom selling women’s shoes. That was pretty fun. And I also worked at a golf course in Richmond, and saved up some money there. So basically I saved up enough money where I could sponsor myself for at least a season.”

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Hahn was then off and running, playing in Korea for a year, then in Canada for two years, and the Nationwide tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour) for three years. Hahn finally earned his PGA Tour card in 2013 and hasn’t looked back, racking up two wins and more than $11 million in earnings.

But if he had to go back to one of those former jobs, Knost asked, which one would Hahn pick?

“To be honest with you, selling women’s shoes, so much fun,” Hahn enthused. “It’s just the camaraderie. You see the same guys, and we always talk about the customers, the girls that we have to service and whatnot.

“It was the first job that I had that I actually had to wear a suit to work,” Hahn continued. “And anytime you wear a suit to work, you feel like, special. You feel like you’re respected. Wearing a suit to work, clocking in and your punchcard and all that, getting a paycheck every two weeks, that was pretty cool. That was probably one of the funnest times that I’ve had.”

For more from Hahn, including the the time Hahn tried to buy a bar in Edmonton and when he forgot to cash a $1.2 million winner’s check, watch the full interview below.

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The post How this pro forgot to cash a $1.2 million (!!!) winner’s check appeared first on Golf.

The post How this pro forgot to cash a $1.2 million (!!!) winner’s check appeared first on Golf.

Some people forget their wallet. Some forget their credit card. But only a select few people can claim to have forgotten a million-dollar check. One of those people is James Hahn.

The PGA Tour journeyman is not an inherently forgetful person. Nor is he careless about money. But in 2015, after he won the Northern Trust, a slip-up left the 39-year-old’s $1.2 million winner’s check sitting in the glove compartment of his car (!).

On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar, Hahn explained the backstory, which he said began in college.

“Back in college, I read a book called The Secret,” Hahn said. “For me, one of the things that I got from it was to visualize a million-dollar check coming to my house. That was all I wanted from my life. I just wanted the actual, physical check. So my whole career to that point was just ‘Oh, I want a check.'”

As a result of the book, Hahn never bothered (nor cared) to set up direct deposit for his winnings. He kept in pursuit of that million-dollar check, an effort that eventually resulted in a brilliant performance at the Northern Trust, and, at long last, the check he’d waited forever to receive.

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“So I win the Northern Trust. Got the physical check for 1.2 million,” Hahn said. “Took a picture with it. It comes time to deposit the check and I’m like, ‘Oh, I put it in my glove compartment. No big deal.'”

But then, a few weeks went by, and the check still had not cashed. Hahn’s wife began to grow wary.

“My wife’s like, ‘How long does it take for it to clear a million dollar check?'” Hahn remembered. “And she’s like, ‘You went to the bank like two weeks ago and it still hasn’t hit our account.’ I’d left a million-dollar check in my glove compartment in my car for two weeks and I’d totally forgotten about it.”

In a mild state of shock, Hahn immediately ran to the bank.

“So I go to Chase Bank and the first thing [the teller] does is laugh at me, and she says, ‘You wrote a million dollars on this, the decimal is wrong,'” Hahn said with a laugh. “Then I realized I forgot my ID, so I go straight to the car, and by the time I return there are two guys in suits and they’re like, ‘Hey Mr. Hahn. How are you doing? We’re from Chase private strategy, on the investment side.’ And I’m like, ‘Hey guys, I just want to cash the check.'”

Eventually, the check cleared, and it was a lesson learned for Hahn.

“Since then, I’ve gone direct deposit, because it is a lot easier,” he said. “But losing a check in the glove compartment doesn’t sit well.”

To hear the rest of Hahn’s Subpar interview, including the time a restaurant server roasted him after a big win, check out the video below.

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The post GOLF’s Subpar: How an early flight time led to James Hahn’s first Korn Ferry win appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: How an early flight time led to James Hahn’s first Korn Ferry win appeared first on Golf.

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by 2-time PGA Tour Winner James Hahn who explains how an early Sunday evening flight time led to his first win on the now Korn Ferry Tour.

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This week’s episode is presented by FanDuel Sportsbook. If you’ve never tried FanDuel Sportsbook, what are you waiting for? Go to https://www.fanduel.com/subpar or download the FanDuel Sportsbook app to get started. Be sure to sign up with promo code SUBPAR so they know we sent you.

Disclaimer: must be 21+ and present in AZ, CT, or NJ. First online real money wager only. Refund issued as nonwithdrawable site credit that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), (888)-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), or 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ).

The post GOLF’s Subpar: How an early flight time led to James Hahn’s first Korn Ferry win appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: James Hahn reveals the jobs he had supporting his pro career appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: James Hahn reveals the jobs he had supporting his pro career appeared first on Golf.

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by 2-time PGA Tour Winner James Hahn who reveals the jobs he had to support himself early on in his pro career.

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This week’s episode is presented by FanDuel Sportsbook. If you’ve never tried FanDuel Sportsbook, what are you waiting for? Go to https://www.fanduel.com/subpar or download the FanDuel Sportsbook app to get started. Be sure to sign up with promo code SUBPAR so they know we sent you.

Disclaimer: must be 21+ and present in AZ, CT, or NJ. First online real money wager only. Refund issued as nonwithdrawable site credit that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), (888)-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), or 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ).

The post GOLF’s Subpar: James Hahn reveals the jobs he had supporting his pro career appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: James Hahn talks forgetting to cash a $1.2 million winner’s check appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: James Hahn talks forgetting to cash a $1.2 million winner’s check appeared first on Golf.

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by 2-time PGA Tour Winner James Hahn explains why he got a physical winner’s check after winning The Northern Trust and then forgot to cash it.

—

This week’s episode is presented by FanDuel Sportsbook. If you’ve never tried FanDuel Sportsbook, what are you waiting for? Go to https://www.fanduel.com/subpar or download the FanDuel Sportsbook app to get started. Be sure to sign up with promo code SUBPAR so they know we sent you.

Disclaimer: must be 21+ and present in AZ, CT, or NJ. First online real money wager only. Refund issued as nonwithdrawable site credit that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), (888)-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), or 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ).

The post GOLF’s Subpar: James Hahn talks forgetting to cash a $1.2 million winner’s check appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: The time James Hahn tried to buy a bar in Edmonton appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: The time James Hahn tried to buy a bar in Edmonton appeared first on Golf.

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by 2-time PGA Tour Winner James Hahn who shares the story of the time he tried to buy a bar after winning a tournament in Edmonton.

—

This week’s episode is presented by FanDuel Sportsbook. If you’ve never tried FanDuel Sportsbook, what are you waiting for? Go to https://www.fanduel.com/subpar or download the FanDuel Sportsbook app to get started. Be sure to sign up with promo code SUBPAR so they know we sent you.

Disclaimer: must be 21+ and present in AZ, CT, or NJ. First online real money wager only. Refund issued as nonwithdrawable site credit that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), (888)-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), or 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ).

The post GOLF’s Subpar: The time James Hahn tried to buy a bar in Edmonton appeared first on Golf.