IRVING, Texas – James Hahn is back in a familiar spot.
He opened the AT&T Byron Nelson with a 6-under 64 to share the first-round lead with Ricky Barnes, but Hahn dropped six strokes behind Jason Kokrak after an even-par 70 on Friday.
So Hahn simply went out on Moving Day and fired another bogey-free 64 to grab a one-shot lead over Billy Horschel heading into the final round.
“Anytime you’re under par after nine holes you’re kind of freed up a little bit, and I feel like I did that today,” Hahn said. “Made some good decisions. Wasn’t too aggressive with my approach shots.”
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He kicked off his round with a slam-dunk pitch for birdie at the par-4 3rd, and Hahn tacked on five more birdies coming in to take the lead.
Hahn plans on watching the leaderboard on Sunday, knowing a lot can happen down the stretch of a tournament with so many big names lurking, including Jason Day (two back) and Sergio Garcia (four back).
“I think having the lead in the golf tournament in itself creates a lot of anxiety and nerves,” Hahn said. “If you weren’t nervous leading a golf tournament, there’s probably something wrong with you. So, I welcome that opportunity and, for me, it’s just another test.”