Hadwin linked in for what’s ahead at Royal Portrush
Course offers ‘some spectacular views, some really good holes,’ Canadian says
PORTRUSH, NORTHERN Ireland If you’ve been on a buddies trip across the pond, you’ve probably played as much links golf as Adam Hadwin.
This will be the third consecutive Open Championship for Canada’s top-ranked golfer, and that’s pretty much the extent of his links golf. He’s also played at Cabot Links in Cape Breton, so we’ll count that too.
Hadwin arrived in Portrush on Sunday and played 18 holes with fellow Canadian Corey Conners on Monday. Tuesday was spent in the practice area where Hadwin was seen working on the types of shots he’ll need to navigate the sand dunes, crumpled fairways and expected wind at the seaside course on the northern tip of Northern Ireland.
He hit low drives, high drives, straight shots and sweeping hooks. It was the low drives that caught our attention, flying 260-270 yards and then running forever. He has also put a 2-iron in the bag for the week, removing his hybrid.
“It’s always fun for me to be able to shape some shots into holes and just play great golf courses around the world that we don’t often get to see,” Hadwin said on the driving range.
There will be the opportunity to play nearly every club in the bag around Portrush’s greens, if a player is so inclined, a far cry from life on the PGA Tour.
“Most of our golf on tour is take the lob wedge out, open it up, and swing hard and hit it high around the greens,” he said. “A lot of creativity is needed around here.”
What Hadwin lacks in experience he hopes to make up for in form, because the 31-year-old is playing his best golf of the year heading into the season’s final major. He earned a spot in the Open with his sixth place finish at the RBC Canadian Open five weeks ago.
In his final start before coming to Portrush, Hadwin finished in fourth place at the 3M Open in Minnesota.
Hadwin is 63rd in the world rankings, with five top tens this season, and nearly $2 million US in prize money.
At the PGA Championship, Hadwin said he had spent a few weeks focusing on his iron play and ball striking, already a strength of his game. His iron play was in fine form that week at Bethpage but putts weren’t dropping. Now they are.
“I think overall consistency throughout the year if you’re an above average ball striker — in the top-10, top-20 throughout the year — you can get away with average putting and wait until you get hot,” he said. “And then when you do get hot putting-wise, those are the weeks you’ll contend for championships.”
That seems to be the game plan for Hadwin and if the hot putting followed him to Ireland he could be in for a good week. One would think links golf should suit Hadwin’s game.
The lively, sand-based turf allows shorter players to hit the ball farther, and the wild fescue off the fairways will be equally penal for the game’s bombers.
Royal Portrush also features lots of doglegs, which further evens the playing field in the distance game. Accuracy off the tee is paramount here to create the proper angles into the greens. In general, great ballstrikers are usually good wind players but that’s one aspect of Hadwin’s game that is a work in progress.
“Growing up in B.C. we don’t get a ton of wind, and (at home) in Phoenix now we’re in a bit of a dome,” he said.
“I’ve always struggled a little bit with the wind, but I’m getting better and better each year. Learning how to control the ball flight a little better, and work it into breezes.”
Hadwin agrees with basically everyone else that Royal Portrush is a gem of a course that offers some of the most thrilling vistas of ocean and dunescape imaginable.
“I really enjoy the golf course, you get some spectacular views, some really good holes,” he said. “The conditions these first couple of days have been pretty benign so I’m not sure we’re seeing the full test of golf that it is, but I imagine when the wind starts to blow off the sea and the rain comes sideways it will be a true test.”
There is rain and wind in the forecast for Wednesday and Hadwin’s plan is to get out on the course in the morning to get a taste of it.
Hadwin tees off Thursday at 1:37 p.m. local time with Cameron Smith and David Lipsky.