Monday 23 February 2015 08:17, UK
James Hahn drained a 25-foot putt at the third play-off hole to clinch his maiden PGA Tour title after an enthralling final day of the Northern Trust Open.
The 33-year-old edged out Dustin Johnson with a superb birdie two at the 14th after England's Paul Casey had bowed out on the second extra hole at a wet and cool Riviera Country Club in California.
The leading trio, who had finished tied at the top on six under, all parred the 18th at the second time of asking, and Johnson and Hahn both produced remarkable birdies at the 10th after they had pulled their drives into thick rough.
Casey had the best angle to the pin, but he left his pitch 12 feet short and his birdie putt shaved the edge of the hole before Hahn nailed his putt from 10 feet and Johnson converted a stunning flop shot to four feet.
Johnson was closer to the pin at the par-three 14th, but Hahn judged his slippery, downhill putt to perfection and then celebrated his breakthrough win after Johnson's putt from 15 feet veered left of the target.
"This is amazing," said Hahn. "I never would have thought I would win this tournament."
Earlier Casey had set the clubhouse target after a creditable three-under 68, although he ultimately cost himself the title when he bogeyed the last after birdies at 16 and 17.
Johnson was one of a number of players to throw away a winning position when he took six to negotiate the 17th and then missed an eight-footer for birdie at the last following a sublime approach.
The resulting par completed a 69 and left him tied with Casey while Hahn, who was four under for the day after a flawless first 11 holes, overcame dropped shots at the 12th and 16th in an erratic back-nine with two battling pars to finish off his 69.
Garcia and Goosen slip
With the lead changing hands frequently throughout the day, Sergio Garcia edged into the outright lead with a superb chip-in for birdie at the 12th, but he gave the shot straight back at the next.
The Spaniard ground out three pars before three-putting the 17th green, and an ugly snap-hook on the 18th tee led to a bogey as his 20-foot putt for par finished short and left of the cup.
"I've always been truthful to myself and I didn't deserve to win this week. It's as simple as that," Garcia said.
"It caught up with me on the last six, seven holes. It was already a good effort for me to have a chance. Unfortunately, it's never nice to finish bogey-bogey. But I can't really be disappointed because I didn't play well enough."
Jordan Spieth also bogeyed the last to miss out on the play-off by a shot, while excellent finishes from Hideki Matsuyama (67) and Keegan Bradley (68) earned them a share of fourth place.
Retief Goosen, attempting to convert a 54-hole lead into a win for the first time since the 2004 US Open, was one-under for the day after six holes before his challenge unravelled - following a bogey at seven with a double-bogey at the next.
He hauled a shot back at the long 10th, but he then crashed out of contention with another double-bogey at the 13th and dropped shots at each of the next three holes, although he did raise wry smile after birdies at 17 and 18 salvaged a 75 and left him two off the lead on four under.
Goosen's fellow veteran Vijay Singh was another to throw away a winning position as the Fijian slipped from seven under to three under over the last three holes.
Challenges from Bubba Watson and Jim Furyk fizzled out as both scrapped their way to 73s to finish on two under, while Vaughn Taylor's appearance on the leaderboard after four birdies over the first six holes was ended by a triple-bogey at the 10th followed by two more dropped shots down the stretch.
