Hadwin levels out in second round
COVER PHOTO: Adam Hadwin comes off with a smile after birdieing par-5, No. 7 at the Memorial Tournament. Picture by Nicole McCray/Columbus Wired.
Adam Hadwin came into Friday’s round hot, leading the pack at -6. Unfortunately the Canadian golfer wasn’t able to capitalize on his second round of the 49th Memorial Tournament, shooting an even-par, 72.
Still, the world’s 59th-ranked golfer said he felt he played pretty well considering the blustery conditions at the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
“Very solid golf, tee to green,” he said afterwards. “Speed control on the greens has been great. (I) would have liked to just clean up a couple of wedge shots but other than that, it was a pretty good round.”
Winds were whipping around, upwards of nearly 20 miles per hour at some points, which made for some difficult circumstances despite the low 70’s, non-humid temperature.
“It was gusty and it was kind of flipping just a little bit, just enough to make you think. It’s a tricky place to play,” he said.
His front nine was a mixed bag of three birdies and two bogeys, after parring the first two holes and birdieing par-4, No. 3. He bogeyed par-3, No. 4 but followed that up with two birdies on the following two par 5’s, Nos. 5 and 7. But a bogey on par-4, No. 9 set him back a shot but that still gave him a two-stroke lead at -7.
He started the back nine with five straight pars and then gained another stroke after birdieing that last par-5 on the course, No. 15.
At that point, he was 8-under and in total control.
However, disaster struck two holes later when he got into trouble on par-4, No. 17 and limped away with a double bogey, putting him back where he started the round at -6.
His first shot went into the second left fairway bunker and his next shot only went 73 feet out and he was left with 174 yards to get on the green and at least putt for par.
But he found the bunker again on his third shot, this one positioned in front of the green, 74 feet to the hole. His potentially par-saving sand shot landed 16 feet away and his bogey putt pushed past the right edge of the cup, two feet past the hole, and sank the double bogey from there.
He birdied No. 17 on Thursday.
He was able to save himself with a two-putt par on No. 18 after his first two shots found the rough.
Even though Hadwin feels like his game has been trending in the right direction lately, he knew Jack’s course was going to present a challenge for him at some point.
“I felt like I played that first round without a lot of stress, which is not easy to say around this place. It just shows how in control I was. I think today for a better part of the day I felt the same way … just a couple of loose shots. Other than that, (I had) a pretty solid round of golf in tricky conditions, especially in a position for me that I haven’t been in in a while and staring at leaderboards all day with my name on the top.”
As of this writing, he is still in the lead at 6-under.