James Hahn: 2021 FedEx Cup Contender or Pretender?
By Tim Letcher
James Hahn has had a resurgence this year on the PGA Tour. Can his hot play this fall allow him to contend for the 2021 FedEx Cup?
With the 2020 portion of the PGA Tour schedule in the books, we at Pro Golf Now will be taking a look at the current top 50, and some selected others, in the current FedEx Cup standings and whether they are contenders or pretenders for the 2021 FedEx Cup. Our latest subject is the current No. 43, James Hahn.
Best career FedEx Cup finish: Hahn was once seen as a player who was on the rise on the PGA Tour. However, his best finish in the FedEx Cup playoffs was a 39th place showing in 2016, when he earned the second of his PGA Tour victories at the Wells Fargo Championship.
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So far this season: Hahn got off to a scorching hot start in the 2020-21 season. His season started at the Safeway Open, where he was in the mix through 54 holes before shooting a 72 on Sunday. Still, he tied for ninth place, earning his first Top 10 on the PGA Tour since 2018.
Hahn kept it rolling two weeks later at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship.
He shot 68 on Thursday, 68 on Friday, 70 on Saturday and 69 on Sunday for a very consistent week. It ended with Hahn in a tie for sixth place, another solid showing.
Two weeks later, Hahn was at it again, this time at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He opened with a red-hot round of 64 and followed that with a 66 on Friday. That put him firmly in the mix through 36 holes as he looked for his first PGA Tour win in five years. But rounds of 67 on Saturday and 68 on Sunday left him in a tie for fifth place for the week. Still, it was three Top 10s in a row for Hahn.
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After three weeks off, Hahn placed in a tie for 50th at the Houston Open, then missed the cut at the RSM Classic. Still, through five events this fall, Hahn has played well overall.
The verdict: Despite his strong showing this fall, Hahn has proven that, even at his peak, he’s not a Top 10-type of player in the playoffs. Unless he can turn that corner, he will still be a pretender in this year’s postseason.