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TSN Senior Reporter

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Five Canadians will tee off in the Players Championship on Thursday, marking the largest contingent of Canucks in the event’s history. Here’s a short rundown on their performance coming into the year’s first big event.

Adam Hadwin

Hadwin arrives after taking three weeks off to spend time at home with his newborn daughter, Maddox. He started his year off with a pair of top-four finishes and in his last start at the Genesis Invitational, posted a tie for 26th.

“I’m certainly not as refreshed as I was previous to our little girl being born,” he smiled. “But we’re figuring things out as parents. Ideally I’d like to be a little bit more refreshed, but I’m excited to get back out and playing and get the competitive juices flowing.”

This is Hadwin’s sixth start in the Players and his best finish is a tie for 30th, but he does hold the distinction of never dropping a ball into the water on the 17th, going 16 for 16.

Corey Conners

Making his second start at the Players after a tie for 41st in his debut last year, Conners has been in a mini-slump, missing the cut in three of his last four starts. However he feels he’s on the path to better numbers.

“I think my grade’s been improving,” he said. “I’ve struggled the last month or so, but I felt like I made some progress last week and I feel pretty good about things.”

Conners is a technician off the tee and into the greens, which would seem to be a perfect combination for tackling TPC Sawgrass if his putter co-operates.

Nick Taylor

It may be just a month since Taylor won his second PGA Tour event at Pebble Beach, but that’s old news as far as he’s concerned.

“Once the next tournament started” said Taylor, “it felt like the golf world forgot. It feels like it was a long time ago.”

That said, Taylor is enjoying a solid year and comes into the Players off a tie for 16th a year ago. That came was in large part thanks to minimizing the mistakes around TPC Sawgrass, which is not an easy task.

But the Abbotsford, B.C., product feels he has learned enough about TPC Sawgrass to put a solid plan in place to move his way around the course.

His strategy this week is to keep the ball in front of him and play steady, plodding, boring golf. That could pay off handsomely at the end of the week.

Mackenzie Hughes

Hughes is coming off a second-place finish two weeks ago at the Honda Classic. That ended a streak of five missed cuts and nine of his previous 11 starts. He stated that he hopes to ride the confidence he gained from that performance into this week.

“I didn’t go all the way and get the win,” he stated, “but it’s huge and more than you can ask for on most weeks.”

The Dundas, Ont., golfer has made two previous starts in the Players with his best finish being a tie for 16th in 2017. That came when the tournament was held in May and it will play much longer this time around with the softness of the March weather. While not a bomber, Hughes is definitely not short off the tee and should fare well on the Pete Dye-designed course.

Two years ago, Hughes enjoyed a memorable round, playing alongside Tiger Woods for the first time in his career.

Roger Sloan

Sloan is in the midst of a slump and this would be a good week to break out. He’s made the cut three times this year in 13 tournaments and is in need of a breakout.

You’re never as far off as you think you are,” he said. “This year has been a bit of a struggle, but when you’re struggling and in those valleys, that’s probably when you learn the most about yourself.”

This will be the first time teeing it up in the Players for Sloan, whose game would seem to a fit for TPC Sawgrass. He said that the course fits his eye well and there isn’t one hole where he thinks he’ll find an awkward shot. If he can keep the ball in the fairway off the tee, he should fare well.