James Hahn achieved one of the rarest feats in golf on Friday during the second round of the Sony Open.
From the right rough on the par-5 9th at Waialae Country Club, Hahn hit a *perfect* second shot from 193 yards with a 6-iron, landing it just short of the green and letting it roll up to the pin and straight into the hole for an albatross (or double eagle — semantics).
“I wanted to hit 7-iron, but I didn’t think it was going to fly, so I decided to chip a little 6-iron,” said Hahn following his two-under 68, five-under two-day total. “I had to carve it around a tree, so I knew if I faded it and picked it clean that it would be a pretty good number for me.
“A little into the breeze and as soon as I hit it and it came off perfect, and it landed I don’t know how many yards short of the green, but it landed short, took a perfect bounce, and then I saw it, it was like left edge the whole way, and then kind of broke right, and then it just disappeared and I just went crazy.”
Hahn and his caddie celebrated with a not-so-successful chest bump. (As you may recall, he has a knack for sweet reactions.)
“That was a little spontaneous, but I forgot that I’ve got to be politically correct, right, but white men can’t jump,” said Hahn, laughing. “I got a little air, (my caddie) didn’t. But it was fun, I don’t think he knew that I was going to chest bump him. But that’s just what I felt like at the time.”
It was the first albatross recorded at the Sony Open since 1978.
Hahn shot a first round three-under 67. He’s currently in a tie for fourth place at six-under total through 13 holes.