Putting himself in a position to win on the PGA Tour is becoming more common for Canadian golf star Adam Hadwin this year.
He carded a 59 in finishing second in January, tied for 12th a few weeks later in Phoenix, and shot 7-under-64 today at the Valspar Championship to put himself in the lead of the tournament heading into the weekend.
“It is exciting because I haven’t hit it this well in a long time, and that’s giving me a lot of confidence heading into the weekend,” Hadwin said in an interview with Global News. “I’m excited by what I’m seeing. I’m playing really good golf and putting myself into really great positions on the greens.”
READ MORE: Canada’s Adam Hadwin finishes in second at PGA Tour’s CareerBuilder Challenge
Hadwin started the day with a relatively straight-forward front nine, but had six birdies in a stretch of seven holes, including five in a row to start his back nine, where he shot 29.
“It is fairly safe to say this is the best stretch of golf I’ve played in my life,” says Hadwin, who is ranked 15th on the FedEx Cup, and 98th in the world overall. “I’m getting lots of great looks out there and starting to shoot good scores more often.”
Hadwin isn’t alone at the Tampa Bay tournament – Canadians David Hearn, Graham DeLaet and Nick Taylor all made the cut at the Valspar.
Over the past few years Hadwin, from Abbotsford, B.C., has become known for his short-game prowess, specifically his putting. In January, his great work with the flatstick led Hadwin to become only the ninth person on the PGA Tour to shoot less than 60. However, he’s often said his ball-striking hasn’t been as consistent as he’d like.
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That’s not been the case this week, as Hadwin said he’s struck the ball well with both his driver and irons and hit 15 of 18 greens on Friday. Hadwin hasn’t had a lot of success at the Valspar in the past – he missed the cut last year and finished 71st in 2015 – and the course is known for being long and difficult. But this week, it seems to fit Hadwin’s eye well.
Of course, there are still two more rounds left to play and a field that includes many of the game’s best, including Henrik Stenson, Jim Furyk, Patrick Reed and Matt Kuchar.
But if he keeps hitting the ball the way he has through the first two days, Hadwin likes his chances.
“There’s lots of golf to play, but let’s see what the weekend holds.”
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