AT&T BYRON NELSON

May 14, 2022

James Hahn

TPC Craig Ranch

Quick Quotes

Q. What went right for you on the back nine starting that score that you had?

JAMES HAHN: Everything went right. I feel like the end of the front nine was kind of when it started off. I really don't know, I don't like counting how many birdie I have, but I think I had maybe three in a row and then a couple to close out my front nine.

And the eagle on the back nine definitely kick started things on the back nine. You had a reachable par-5, wasn't really trying to make birdie on 15 but that happened, and then great save on 16 and 2-putt birdie on 18.

I feel like it just played easy out there for me, but everyone's shooting, 9-, 10-under, someone is every day, so I just felt like why not me.

Q. To your point, Spieth was saying yesterday he thought it would be an easier or, excuse me, a harder week compared to last time and he was like dead wrong. You've been kind of surprised by how easy it's played through three rounds?

JAMES HAHN: I feel like the course is in such good conditions right now. The greens are pure, the fairways, we're getting a perfect lie every time in the fairway, as long as you're in the fairway I feel like every hole can be a birdie opportunity. And they moved a couple of the tee boxes up on the par-4s to make it reachable, all the par-5s are reachable today, so there's going to be a lot of low scores, just happy that I was one of them.

Q. Is there something about this place that's sort of ignited you, given your record for the year so far? You had a good week last week and then come in this week and you're tearing it up.

JAMES HAHN: Yeah, I'm just taking it day by day. Last week was a completely different animal and I feel like this week you had to change your mindset and try to make as many birdies as you could and just go firing at flags. It's nice when the head pro comes down, his name is Ronnie, and gives me a little putting lesson after the end of the round yesterday. That definitely helped out a lot. Felt a little more confident over the ball. And ended up making some good saves and some birdies on the back nine.

Q. What was it that he showed you in the tip that maybe you weren't doing before?

JAMES HAHN: I don't know. Kind of like to keep it a secret just in case Justin Thomas or Jordan Spieth's watching, but basically just to have the ball come off more solid, take it a little bit more straighter back and accelerate through the ball. It's my tendency, especially when the greens get really fast, is to somewhat decel because they're so quick and worried about the second putt. But he said the way I was rolling it, just go ahead and give it a roll and most likely it would go in and that's what happened today.

Q. What was your favorite shot of the day?

JAMES HAHN: Favorite shot.

Q. You only hit 61.

JAMES HAHN: There was a lot of good favorite shots. I feel like the eagle on, I think it's 13 or 14, that was a tough lie because yesterday I hit a draw in there, landed on the front of the green and rolled all the way to the back. And I felt like in order to get it close I had to cut it off of a draw stance. And so for me it just was an uncomfortable shot, but that's kind of what legends are made of and I just went for it and hit a great shot and hit it to four feet and made the putt for eagle.