Paul Casey threw away a golden opportunity to claim his first PGA Tour victory in six years after losing a play-off in the Northern Trust Open held at Riviera Country Club in California.
The title was won by 33-year-old James Kahn, who beat Casey and America’s Dustin Johnson after the three players had tied for the lead on six under par.
Kahn birdied the par-three 14th hole to secure a maiden victory on the PGA Tour at the expense of Johnson, whose 10 foot putt to extend the play-off slid by. Casey was eliminated at the second extra hole when his par was bettered by two birdies, but the 37-year-old Englishman was left to rue a costly final hole bogey in regulation when looking to post a commanding clubhouse target.
Johnson also missed a putt on the 72nd hole in regulation, as Hahn scrambled for a par which set up a three-way fight for one of the most coveted trophies on the PGA Tour.
Hahn, who was born in Seoul but brought up in California, got off to a flying start in the final round with birdies at three of the first eight holes, but looked an unlikely winner when making bogey on the 16th, having found sand from the tee. However, first Johnson pushed his approach to the 17th to drop a shot, before Sergio Garcia, who had moved into a one-stroke lead, bogeyed both the 17th and 18th to throw away his chance of victory and miss the play-off by a single shot.
While disappointed to have missed out on a win, Casey was delighted with his return to form, following a lean spell since winning the KLM Open last September. “I’m happy with the way I played overall, and really excited with the way I putted this week and my good ball-striking,” he said. “It’s very much going the right direction, and it’s a pleasure to be out there and back in the mix and get the juices flowing.”
Casey’s runner-up finish is likely to move him back into the world’s top 50, which would guarantee an invitation to the Masters if he can maintain his ranking.
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