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WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN

February 5, 2016

James Hahn

Scottsdale, Arizona

An interview with:

JAMES HAHN

THE MODERATOR: Welcome James Hahn to the Waste Management Phoenix Open media center. 10-under heading into the weekend. Great position. How would you assess your play so far?

JAMES HAHN: Fun. I'm having fun out there. Making a lot of putts, hitting a lot of fairways, giving myself as many opportunities to make birdie. My caddie and I were having good conversations.

Sleeping in my own bed this week, live about 10 minutes away from here. Yeah, looking forward to a good weekend. More excited about the Super Bowl than anything.

As long as I can take my mind off of golf, you know, I think I will be able to do good this week.

THE MODERATOR: We've seen you do Gangnam style on 16. Do you enjoy this atmosphere out here, this being unlike any other PGA TOUR event?

JAMES HAHN: It's the one week out of the year where you're allowed to do anything you want and not get fined. So the fact that the PGA TOUR is a little lenient on us doing, you know, whatever things you want to do on that hole, it's good for golf, good for the game, good for the fans that come out here. They support the golf tournament, so might as well give them a show.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Talk about how you live in the area. I believe you played in practice out here up until recently. Did you feel the need to even play a practice round out here? How comfortable out here are you?
JAMES HAHN: Very comfortable. I didn't have an opportunity to play a practice round. I finished late Monday at the Farmers Insurance Open. When I got in on -- let's see, I think I flew in Monday night. Tuesday I was just beat. I wanted to rest. I wasn't in the Pro-Am Wednesday, so the fact I got that one extra rest day, I feel comfortable not having a practice round.

I have played this course a hundred times. The only thing different about the course today, as any other day, is the greens are better. The rough is not as high as some of the days out here throughout the year, so with those few things, you can just grip it, hit it anywhere you want, and try to make as many birdies as you can.

I honestly felt the leading score would be, you know, 14-, 15-under just because the conditions were so good out there.

Q. Seems like it's a pretty big month for you. You're going to defend in a couple of weeks. Just talk about that. On 6 you almost hit a napping fan in the rough and it bounced on the green there.
JAMES HAHN: Yeah (smiling). I have played this course so many times, and it always kicks off that hill. I knew if I pulled it a little bit left that it would kick on the green.

It's unfortunate the ropes are a little close to the green, but, you know, it was rewarded for a member's bounce, and I am a member here, so... I pay my dues.

The second question was, you know, defending at Riviera, Northern Trust Open, I think is something that I have yet to experience in my career, just defending.

I have played on the Canadian Tour and won there. Never had a chance to defend. Web.com, never had a chance to defend. Going to Riviera in the next couple weeks, I'm really excited for that and the opportunity to play another golf tournament.

Q. Can you talk me through the process of switching clubs. How long did it take before you knew you were going to switch and how good are they?
JAMES HAHN: Wow, loaded question. They're awesome.

No, the transition from TaylorMade to PXG has been really easy. Really, the very first day I picked up a PXG driver, 3-wood, irons, the ball is going where I want it to go. I'm swinging well. That definitely helps. Basically just put the same Fujikura shaft that I had in my TaylorMade driver into a PXG driver, and the numbers are identical.

It was very comfortable for me to make a decision and switch over, knowing that, you know, the numbers, when I'm swinging it well, that the numbers are exactly the same. The numbers that I feel like with a 3-wood are a little bit better, but then again I was using an eight-year-old 3-wood with TaylorMade. I'm picking up some distance with the technology that the PXG has and the fact that they are 15 minutes away from here. Any time I can go down there -- and Mike Nicoletti has done a great job with making me comfortable. If I have any problems with the irons or the wedges or the 3-wood, I can just pop my head in and he will be able to fix it for me.

The people that they have there have really made it easy for me to make the decision and switch all -- I think I have 12 golf clubs right now. Probably add a couple more later in the year.

Q. How many of the fellow pros ask to look at them? Does that happen?
JAMES HAHN: 99% of them. Everyone that I have played with have wanted to touch them, see them, explain to them like what the screws do.

So, yeah, it's been fun. It's a little redundant at times, but, you know, I'm excited. I'm still excited about the new technology, the new clubs, and I think I will stay that way for a long time.

Q. You got to win at a great venue, open the tournament at Tournament of Champions. What do you feel is the next step for you?
JAMES HAHN: Winning again. I feel like, you know, in my career I want to win multiple times. They are introducing us on the first tee, and it's like from Scottsdale, Arizona, one-time PGA TOUR winner, James Hahn. Then they say eight-time PGA TOUR winner, Geoff Ogilvy, and I'm like, Hand, Dog. Really? Borrow some money? But he's had a long career. I think we have talked about it on the golf course and he's played on tour for 16-so-odd years.

Eight PGA TOUR wins, that's pretty good for him. I feel like throughout my career -- I started a little late. I'm 34 now. Probably have a good six, seven years left.

So hopefully I can pick up a couple before my career is over.

Q. Two lighter questions. You did push-ups today, right, on 16? Was that premeditated, or did you just...
JAMES HAHN: Yeah, I totally wanted to miss the green by 30 yards (laughter).

No, I hit a horrible shot. I missed the green yesterday and missed the green today. I was like, all right. I got booed again. It's no fun when you get booed on 16. I felt obligated to give them 10 push-ups. It was well-deserved for them. They came out to watch the gun show, so I popped them out right there on the tee box.

We're having fun with it, and, you know, it's just a golf tournament.

Q. You say that you're a winner, PGA TOUR winner now. Excited, great last season. Do you still use Priceline a lot?
JAMES HAHN: I do. Priceline is awesome. I own stock, so everyone use Priceline.

No, you can get some great deals. I don't want to be a Priceline commercial, but...

Q. You have done very well for yourself. I'm wondering if you're actually still using Priceline.
JAMES HAHN: Yeah, I don't want to take too much air time explaining to you the deals that I get, but the PGA TOUR does a great deal of negotiating rates, and I have gone on Priceline and have found better rates.

It's on the record. I can't take it back.

Q. Were your arms tired on the next tee shot after 16?
JAMES HAHN: No, man, it was only 10 push-ups. I do like 150 a day.

Q. Seriously?
JAMES HAHN: No. No, I work out a lot, so 10 push-ups is not too much that I can do. I can do a lot more than that.

Q. Just going back to the win last year and then obviously, like you say, trying to get the second win, what's harder? What did you feel like was harder? Trying to get the first one and now obviously trying to get the second one?
JAMES HAHN: I think they're all hard. I think winning on the PGA TOUR is really hard. Jordan makes it look easy. A lot of the guys make it look easy.

But for average guys that play on the PGA TOUR, you can go your whole career without ever winning a golf tournament and have a successful career.

The fact that I have been able to knock that off the goal sheet and kind of gear towards winning my second and just having a lot of confidence with that and saying, you know, I have been in this position before, and there is no reason why I can't do it again.

Q. Other than Riviera, what other site would make the most sense for you to win with your game?
JAMES HAHN: The most sense?

Q. Your opinion. What do you think makes the most sense to pick up No. 2?
JAMES HAHN: Well, my rookie year I played really well at AT&T Pebble Beach and I think all those courses fit me very well. I love poa annua greens, the West Coast swing, everything about that area. I thought of all tournaments, that would be the one I'd be able to win.

But, you know, it's golf. And, you know, I didn't think I'd play well on the Florida swing just because from the West Coast I don't play on Bermuda greens or Bermuda grass, rather, but I played well in Florida, as well.

I feel like my game is progressing and I'm getting better at reading greens and hitting the ball straighter. I feel like now, I mean, I could win on any golf course. It's a real confidence boost for me knowing that it doesn't matter what golf course I play in, that I have a legitimate chance of winning a tournament.

Q. Pebble Beach or anywhere else?
JAMES HAHN: Yeah, exactly.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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