PGA Tour pro rips 'conflict of interest' involving Jordan Spieth's father
James Hahn ripped into a 'conflict of interest' over the involvement of Jordan Spieth's father in the PGA Tour's controversial player impact program.
PGA Tour pro James Hahn wasn't happy when he found out Jordan Spieth's father was directly linked to the controversial player impact program through his company MVPindex, according to a report.
For the uninitiated, Hahn is likely one of the most outspoken PGA Tour players.
Take, for example, the time in March where he absolutely ripped into the North American circuit over their plans to introduce limited-field, no-cut events for the 2024 season.
In Hahn's view, they were just created to line the pockets of the game's biggest stars in response to LIV Golf.
He told Golfweek he hated the events. "Everyone knows 100 percent it's about more guaranteed money being funnelled to the top players in the world," he said.
"We've been talking about money for the last two years and for them not to say that that's not the No.1 reason why they're making these changes —it's very, very hypocritical."
Other Hahn highlights include calling out CBS golf reporter Kyle Porter:
Not any worse than PGAT fanboy accounts. I got Kyle on my jock strap 24/7. It’s not any better on the other side. And to think the PGAT is encouraging this type of behavior is absolutely disgusting. https://t.co/gKnTqdC8P1 pic.twitter.com/bBbEOAYNaH
— James Hahn (@JamesHahnPGA) April 22, 2023
Oh, and he also called for a PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf match. "Give the people what they want," he wrote.
Why we are talking about Hahn is because he reportedly came out with an hilarious line when talking about the PGA Tour's controversial player impact program.
The PIP was created in 2021 to reward the game's biggest stars via a series of different metrics.
In the inaugural PIP, the top-10 players were rewarded with cash bonuses.
It will come as no surprise to you Tiger Woods won the first PIP. He won the second, too, when the PIP was extended to the top-20 players.
Critics argue while the PIP is measured upon different criteria, it is essentially a social media popularity contest. A slush fund. A Tiger tax.
Hahn was previously a player/director on the PGA Tour's policy board and was the only pro to vote against the PIP.
Per Alan Shipnuck in an extract from his new book about the PGA Tour-LIV Golf battle, he reported Hahn was also irritated that the 'MVP Index' was derived by a company founded by Jordan Spieth's father Shawn.
Hahn told the reporter:
"Hahn sounds like a clown but that is a great line," on X user wrote.
Another added: "He has benefited so much for being a member of the tour but seems to hate being a part of it."
PIP results 2021:
- Tiger Woods $8m
- Phil Mickelson $6m
- Rory McIlroy $3.5m
- Jordan Spieth $3.5m
- Bryson DeChambeau $3.5m
- Justin Thomas $3.5m
- Dustin Johnson $3m
- Brooks Koepka $3m
- Jon Rahm $3m
- Bubba Watson $3m
PIP results 2022:
- Tiger Woods $15m
- Rory McIlroy $12m
- Jordan Spieth $9m
- Justin Thomas $7.5m
- Jon Rahm $6m
- Scottie Scheffler $5.5m
- Matt Fitzpatrick $5m
- Will Zalatoris $5m
- Tony Finau $5m
- Collin Morikawa $3m
- Shane Lowry $3m
- Kevin Kisner $3m
- Billy Horschel $3m
- Max Homa $3m
- Rickie Fowler $2m
- Adam Scott $2m
- Jason Day $2m
- Patrick Cantlay $2m
- Viktor Hovland $2m
- Hideki Matsuyama $2m
- Cameron Young $2m
- Sam Burns $2m
Read more:
Ben joined GolfMagic as Content Executive in September 2021 just before the Ryder Cup and has contributed significantly to the growth of the site. Ben now assumes our Content Manager role, specialising in PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf content.
