Northern Trust Open Recap: Hahn Writes his Own Script

It was Oscar Sunday, and this Hollywood feature had it all: star power, a series of late plot twists and a surprise ending, with an underdog taking home the top honor.

The Northern Trust Open assembled an all-star cast on the leaderboard for the final round, with the likes of Sergio, DJ, Furyk, Bubba and young Spieth all chasing Retief Goosen, a one-time big name in his own right. In the end, none of those golf A-listers went home with the trophy, as James Hahn surprised Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey in a playoff to capture his maiden PGA Tour title.

There was no Tiger (there never is) and there was no Phil (this year), but the tournament always attracts a stellar field. No matter who's there, the star of the show year-in and year-out is venerable Riviera Country Club. Located in Pacific Palisades, Calif., about an hour from the Academy Awards' Dolby Theatre and home to many celebrity members, "Hogan's Alley" is universally adored by golfers and golf reporters alike as one of the top stops on tour. If it would win an award, it would be for ... oh, how about Best Set Design? Or even better, how about a Lifetime Achievement Award?

From the breathtaking, elevated tee on eagle-happy No. 1 to the tricky bunker-on-the-green 6th to the devilish risk/reward drivable par-4 10th to the brutal 475-yard uphill closing hole, Riviera captivates from start to finish. And unlike so many of the birdie-fests that dot the tour schedule, NTO scores were more U.S. Open-like without the course being unfairly penal and amid largely benign weather.

Johnson, Casey and the little-heralded Hahn -– we'd call him unheralded except for his viral Gangnam Style dance at the 2013 Phoenix Open -– ended regulation at 6-under on the par-71, 7,349-yard layout. All three parred the first sudden-death hole, 18, before heading to 10. Off the tee, Casey had the advantage as both Hahn and Johnson found the thick grass, needing to flop over a bunker to very little green. But both hit remarkable shots to set up birdies, while Casey squandered his chance and was eliminated.

On 14, another tricky par-3 with the pin tucked behind another bunker, Hahn and Johnson had birdie putts. Hahn made his slow-rolling 25-footer and, after a fist pump, he buried his head, choosing not to watch as Johnson's 12-foot equalizer slid by.

Hahn won on a day that seven golfers had a portion of the lead, none more likely than him. Hahn will now head to the Masters, but not before he and his wife celebrate the birth of their first child in two weeks. He said he's thinking of naming the baby girl "Riviera."

Hollywood couldn't write that any better.

MONDAY TAKEAWAY

Dustin Johnson

Johnson continues to impress following his six-month absence. He notched his second consecutive top-5 in his third event back. Johnson had a couple of chances to win in regulation, but bogeyed the par-5 17th, then missed a makeable birdie try on 18. And there's no way Hahn should be the one making the winning putt in overtime, especially one twice as long. Johnson will continue for a fourth successive week at the Honda Classic, then make it five with the WGC-Cadillac Championship. You have to wonder whether fatigue will start to set in.

Paul Casey

Casey had been a forgotten figure on tour after winning the 2009 Shell Houston Open and peaking at No. 6 in the point standings in 2010. Injuries and personal issues sidetracked him, and this strong showing came out of the blue. He's never been in the mix at Riviera. Still, Casey had a chance to win outright. But after birdieing 16 and 17, the Englishman bogeyed 18. He hadn't really shown anything to suggest his game was returning, so we'll have to wait and see.

Sergio Garcia

The full Sergio was on display on the weekend, from his self-described Seve-like showing on Saturday to his Bad Sergio on Sunday. After a better-lucky-than-good chip-in birdie on 12 to grab the outright lead, Garcia bogeyed three holes coming home, including 18, to tie for fourth and miss the playoff by a stroke. For Garcia, he's winless on tour since 2012. Since then, he's had a whopping 18 top-10s in 39 starts. For Garcia owners, maddening.

Jordan Spieth

When Spieth came to 18 a little ahead of the leaders, Garcia and Johnson hadn't fully melted down. He stood at 6-under when it appeared he'd need to get to 7. So he went full bore on his birdie chip from off the green on 18, ramming it six feet by. Spieth then missed the comebacker for par, and he subsequently missed the playoff by a stroke. For all of Spieth's greatness at age 21 that has carried him to the top 10 in the world, he's still only a one-time winner on tour, and in the John Deere, of all tournaments.

Retief Goosen

The two-time major winner turned back the clock just weeks after turning 45. At least for for 3-plus rounds. Goosen got as low as 9-under on Saturday before finishing at 8-under to carry a two-shot lead into the final round. But five bogeys and two doubles later, Goosen shot 75 to stumble into a tie for eighth. He hasn't won since 2009 but opened this season with a T3 at the Frys. Can he continue to sprinkle in some top-10s after the two he already has? He's still hitting it a ton, so maybe in the lesser fields he can.

Kyle Reifers

The Wake Forest product closed with a 67, one of the best rounds of the day, to move into a tie for eighth. Add that to his T21 at Pebble, and Reifers has climbed to 63rd in the point standings. He had missed three straight cuts to start 2015 but appears to have gotten back to where he was last fall, when he was 5-for-5 in cuts. Definitely someone to keep an eye on if you're looking to make a move.

Alex Prugh

Just ahead of Reifers at No. 62 is Prugh, who carried consecutive top-10s to Riviera. He tied for 30th –- another decent showing. Interestingly, Prugh was the only golfer to not finish his second round as darkness hit on Friday, choosing to call it a night with his ball on the green 48 feet from the cup. That overnight wait didn't affect the cut, but the tournament could not release third-round pairings until the morning. It was a gutsy move by Prugh, who doesn't exactly have a lot of cache on tour. But he did what he thought he needed for his game, while others of his stature may have felt compelled to put in the waning light.

Robert Streb

After missing two weeks for the birth of his first child, the surprising Streb returned without the same results he enjoyed prior to parenthood. He missed the cut at Riviera, following five top-10s in eight starts. Was it the layoff, or was he coming back to earth? Too soon to tell, so keep a close eye.

Scott Piercy

Is there a tougher hole to start your tournament than No. 10 at Riviera? It's the risk/reward, 305-yard reachable par-4 with a narrow green surrounded by bunkers. That was Piercy's charge at the barely daylight time of 7:11 in the morning on Thursday. Piercy played ping-pong more than golf, going from bunker to bunker to bunker ... to bunker. That added up to a tournament-opening double-bogey 6 en route to a first-round 80. After a second-round 76, Piercy was last among all golfers to complete two rounds. But with two top-10s already on his ledger, Piercy still sits 16th in the point standings.

Sand saves: Jim Furyk didn't have a lead to blow on Sunday, though he was in the mix. He finished four shots behind the leaders, and that after doubling 15 and bogeying the par-5 17th. ... Defending champion Bubba Watson hung around the first page of the leader board all week, but when the doubled the 10th on Sunday, his reign was over. Watson tied Furyk in the group at T14. ... Vijay Singh turned 52 on Sunday, bidding to become the second-oldest winner of a tour event. After opening with a share of the first-round lead with a 66, Singh was still hanging around late Sunday, gaining a share of the lead at 7-under. But he went bogey-double-bogey on Nos. 15-17, finishing with a 72, tied for 12th and three shots out of the playoff. Singh doesn't get many chances anymore, and he certainly squandered this one.