National Post (National Edition)
HADWIN GETS TO PLAY ON THE WEEKEND THEY THREW SOME (TOUGH) PINS IN THERE AND DIDN’T BOTHER TO MOVE TEES UP OR ANYTHING TODAY.
CANADIAN NOT LETTING FRIDAY’S DOUBLE BOGEY SULLY HIS CONFIDENCE AT U.S. OPEN
Every golfer knows that one shot at the end of a round can leave you with a better or worse taste in your mouth than you rightfully deserve.
That was Adam Hadwin’s Friday at Erin Hill, where a double bogey at the penultimate hole dropped him off the first page of the U.S. Open leaderboard after two very good days. The Canadian shot a second-round 2-over 74 but is still in the mix heading into the weekend at two-under par.
The other Canadian in the field, Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., isn’t as fortunate after shooting 4-over 76 for the second straight day. Sitting at 8-over 152, he won’t be around for the weekend.
“A little disappointing to end with the double on 17, but I started hitting it a lot better on the back side,” Hadwin said minutes after his round.
“The putter was hot on the front side to keep me in it, so it’s all there, it’s just a matter of putting it together and I’m not out of it.”
After hitting his drive into the rough on the 17th hole, Hadwin did well to get his second shot up by the green. It’s there that the mistake was made when Hadwin tried to play too perfect of a third shot up toward the raised putting surface.
“I made the mistake of leaving it short and having it come back down to my feet,” he said. “That was the big mistake on the hole. I needed to make sure I got it up on top to give myself a chance.”
A do-over chip and two putts later, Hadwin’s scorecard had its first double bogey of the championship. But any bad taste in his mouth shouldn’t last long because it’s been an impressive week for the 29-year-old Valspar Championship winner from Abbotsford, B.C. In Thursday’s first round, he tied a U.S. Open record by making six consecutive birdies en route to a four-under 68 and a share of seventh place.
On Friday, with Erin Hills beginning to firm up following early week rainstorms, the USGA decided to tuck some of the pins into tight spots after a fairly unU.S. Open opening round.
With a record number of scores under par in Round 1, it’s no surprise the course was set up tougher for Round 2. After all, the U.S. Open has a lengthy history of getting the last laugh, and this championship is only at the halfway mark.
“They threw some (tough) pins in there and didn’t bother to move tees up or anything today,” Hadwin said. “I thought walking onto the par-3 13th with the front left pin, I thought they could at least give us one tee box up but that’s probably too nice to expect out of the USGA. That’s a PGA Tour thing to do.”
On a day with scoring more difficult, Hadwin found his game to be a little off early in the round but he was able to grind out pars with great putting. A bogey at the extremely difficult par-4 fourth hole was the only blip on the front nine and he made the turn at one-over for the day. Hadwin’s shotmaking improved the back nine, that’s when the putter cooled off.
But that’s golf, and Hadwin is much better equipped to handle the ups and downs of the game now than he used to be. Besides his much improved putting, Hadwin credits his marriage and a change in attitude for his strong play this year.
“Getting married kind of chills you out, and I don’t want to put on too much of a show for her out there,” he said on Friday, hinting at past outbursts on the golf course. “There’s no secret that I’m very fiery and a competitor and I’ve let my emotions get the best of me for sure so I’m understanding that if I can control those I certainly have a better chance of playing well.”
All of that is behind him now, and with any luck, so is the hiccup at the end of Friday’s round. Hadwin is having a career year and sits ninth in the FedExCup standings.
He’s Canada’s best golfer, and he has the weekend at the U.S. Open to reach yet another goal in his surging career.
“The next step is to compete in these events,” he said. “The goal is to be able to at the end of September to kind of plan a schedule around these major events.”