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TSN Senior Reporter

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If Adam Hadwin plays as well over the final 18 holes of the Valspar Championship as he has the first 54, he will have a dilemma on his hands. The Abbotsford, B.C., product is scheduled to get married on March 24 and his honeymoon is slated for the same week as the Masters. 

That’s a nice problem to have although there’s still a little work to be done before Hadwin has to try and sell his fiancé, Jessica Kippenberger, on a trip to Augusta, Ga.

So far, he’s played very strong golf over a course that is known for eating up and spitting out contenders, especially over the last three holes affectionately known as the Snake Pit. And it’s also a layout that features Bermuda grass, a strain of which Hadwin isn’t particularly fond. 

But none of that will matter if he continues to strike the ball as well as he has so far. Hadwin has done everything well. How impressive has he been? He’s played the tougher back nine at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook in 10 under, including three under on the dreaded Snake Pit. 

That continued on Saturday with more great play.

“It was a great day,” Hadwin said after his round. “I played really solid, a lot of fairways, a lot of greens again. Made a couple bombs that probably shouldn't have gone in, but good speed and was able to pick the right line and just real solid golf tee-to-green.”

In the third round, he extended his bogey-free stretch to 31 holes, hitting solid tee shots, reaching lots of greens and getting up and down when needed. While he missed some shorter putts, he also dropped ones from 33 feet and 55 feet at 12 and 15 respectively. 

“If anybody tells you they are trying to make that, they are high on gas,” Hadwin laughed about the longest of the putts. “It just doesn't -- you're not trying to make it from 55 feet. You're picking a line, you're picking a speed and you hope you got it right. And that one, I got it right. I've been seeing the reads really good on these greens. My speed's been excellent, and just really confident when I got a chance to putt.”

Perhaps the key stat, though, is that he’s leading the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green. That’s been the key to his improvement this year, including a round of 59 at the CareerBuilder Challenge in January. A year ago, he finished 122nd in that category; so far this year, he’s 89th. When you have a putter that works as well as Hadwin’s – he’s one of the best on the PGA Tour -- hitting one or two more greens a round is a huge advantage. 

There are also less tangible aspects of Hadwin’s game that indicate he’s ready to win. He carries himself with a calm aura, swinging, walking and talking in comfort. He never appears too up or too down as he makes his way around the course. He told me earlier this year that he’s learned to embrace the moment and the atmosphere when there’s a chance for victory. That doesn’t mean he won’t have some nerves on Sunday but more than anything, he’ll be enjoying himself regardless of the outcome. 

“It's been a long time coming that I figured that out; that smiling and enjoying life seems to lead to better golf,” said Hadwin. “So it wasn't that long ago that I was breaking clubs and hawking things.”

He’s a different guy now. Different from the unheralded kid who sat in second place after 54 holes at the 2011 Canadian Open and different even than the player who finished second in January at the CareerBuilder. He’s learned at every stage and will bring that with him to the first tee on Sunday. 

“You know, being in contention a couple times and failing and learning and all that, I think is sort of setting me up for tomorrow a little bit,” he stated. “It's so difficult to win out here. There are so many good players. It doesn't matter whether you're talking majors or opposite-field events. You've got to play some good golf to win out here.”

Hadwin is certainly ready to win – no one doubts that. Will it happen tomorrow? At the very least, if it doesn’t, he’ll be ready to walk down the aisle and then head off to French Polynesia for a honeymoon, which is a pretty good way to spend Masters week if you’re not playing. Right now, either option looks pretty good.