Carrying the flag at tricky Shinnecock Hills

Adam Hadwin’s work on his all-around game has resulted in a steady PGA Tour season, but he hopes it pays bigger dividends at a U.S. Open course known to reward versatile golfers.

The native of Abbotsford, B.C., will tee off at his fourth career U.S. Open when the major tournament kicks off Thursday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, a storied and notoriously tricky course.

“I like tradition and tournaments where par means something,” Hadwin told The Canadian Press in a recent interview. “My game suits that pretty well, which should go hand-in-hand with the U.S. Open.

Hadwin, Canada’s highestranked male golfer, has enjoyed a successful if unspectacular season. He has three top-10 finishes and hasn’t missed a cut so far.

Shinnecock, established in 1891, is hosting its fifth U.S. Open. The course on Long Island in New York has implemented larger greens and wider fairways since 2004, the last time it played host. Jeff Hall, managing director of rules and Open Championships for the United States Golf Association, said the last three U.S. Open champions at Shinnecock — Raymond Floyd (1986), Corey Pavin (1995) and Retief Goosen (2004) — knew how to play the game in a variety of ways.

That could favour Hadwin, who took last week off to work on basics like setup, alignment, ball position and posture.