Jun 9, 2020
Hadwin ready to get back to work
Canadian Adam Hadwin is one of 148 golfers entered in the PGA Tour’s historic restart at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Bob Weeks writes.
By Bob Weeks
Adam Hadwin is in his sixth year on the PGA Tour, but this week he won’t feel much like a veteran.
“I’m not really sure if I’ll know where to go, or what to do or what to expect,” he said. “It’s going to be a different experience, that’s for sure. I’ll feel like a rookie again.”
Hadwin is one of 148 golfers entered in the PGA Tour’s historic restart in Fort Worth, Texas, at the Charles Schwab Challenge. With a myriad of protocols in place and no fans on site, almost everything about this year’s event at the Colonial Country Club is new.
The Canadian golfer has been hunkered down at his home in Wichita, Kan., since play was halted following the opening round of the Players Championship in March. On Monday, he was at the airport with clubs packed and a facemask in hand, ready to restart the season.
“It all seems a bit weird,” he stated. “But I’m excited to get back to work.”
Hadwin’s return actually started last week when he completed a coronavirus test sent to all members of the PGA Tour. He took the saliva version on Thursday and on Saturday was told the result was negative. He’ll take another test when he gets to Colonial as part of the tour’s guidelines.
But like a number of players and caddies, the 32-year-old product of Abbotsford, B.C., won’t follow all of the PGA Tour’s suggestions. He’ll be staying at a hotel other than the recommended one, preferring to stay closer to the course and at a facility he considers less risky.
As Hadwin pointed out, the messages from the tour can also differ from the protocols in place in the state of Texas. For example, players have been told to avoid going out for meals, yet restaurants in the area are open with spacing restrictions.
“I’m just trying to be smart about everything, trying to limit contact with people as much as I can,” he said. “I’m not going to do anything that I think is going to put me at risk.”
It will be another learning experience on the course as players deal with social distancing on the driving range and putting green, and with different practices in the clubhouse and locker room.
Hadwin said he also hasn’t worked out just how he and his caddie, Joe Cruz, will handle social distancing on the course. The tour has asked the players and caddies to stay apart as much as possible.
This week, practice rounds are going to be about more than just hitting shots. It will also be about learning the new ways of getting around the course.
“Our normal week is not a normal week anymore,” Hadwin stated.
As for the state of his game, Hadwin is not really sure where he stands. His clubs sat almost untouched for the first part of the pandemic, but over the past few weeks he’s been back to work with plenty of intensity.
He’s played three times a week and spent every day on the range, working on various parts of his swing. The last few days, he was under the watchful but socially distanced eye of coach Ralph Bauer.
“It’s difficult to tell where things are until I get under the gun,” he said. “But I feel my game’s in good shape.”
The top-ranked Canadian on the Official World Golf Ranking has played four times at Colonial in his career, making the cut in all four appearances and finishing tied for fifth in 2015.
Hadwin played a light schedule early in the season, taking time off after the birth of his daughter, Maddox, in January. He will play this week and also at the RBC Heritage next week before heading home again.