Canadians Hadwin, Svensson finish strong at Players Championship

Adam Hadwin is trying to get to Augusta National. Adam Svensson is going on Monday.

The two Canadian golfers finished up The Players Championship in a tie for 13th position, each earning $461,000. Both went through ups and downs the first three rounds and Sunday was no different.

Hadwin played his front nine in two under but missed two short putts on the back that cost him. The first was a three-footer on the 13^th hole and the second a three-and-a-half foot putt on the 18^th.

Dropping two shots moved him from a tie for fifth to a tie for 13th and ended up costing him $517,000 from the lucrative $25 million purse. It also cost him points in the Official World Golf Ranking. However he did move up the World Ranking to 61^st from 67^th which will get him a spot in the Dell Technologies Match Play in two weeks.

Hadwin is also hoping to earn a spot in the field for the Masters. To do that, he’ll need to be inside the top 50 in the world ranking the week prior to the first major.

It was an opportunity lost but after the initial sting of the missed putt on 18 passed, Hadwin was able to look at the positive side of his performance.

“Any time you finish top 20 in a tournament of this caliber and a field of this strength, you’re doing something right,” Hadwin said.

Hadwin did continue a notable Players Championship streak. He landed on the green all four times he played the 17^th hole this week, extending his perfect streak to 28. He said his ball-striking was solid, a continuation of the hard work he’s been putting in.

“I hit some really clutch shots when I needed to on the back side,” he said. “Things could be worse. Obviously I want them to be better but it all netted out today.”

Svensson finished strong with birdies on the 16^th and 18^th holes to put a good finish on a week that saw him lead the tournament after 36 holes. He stumbled in the third round on Saturday, and wasn’t hot out of the gate on Sunday, making bogeys on three of his first 10 holes before finishing up with birdies on three of his last six.

“I kind of lost my golf swing the last two days,” he admitted. “I found it a little bit here and there and scraped it in.”

This was the first Players Championship for Svensson and it was also his first time being in the last group in a big event, which occurred on Saturday. He played alongside eventual winner Scottie Scheffler and said that he can draw on that experience in the future.

“The biggest thing for me is putting myself in that situation,” he said. “Now I feel calmer just being out here, more relaxed. Once I get into that position more often, I’ll be better each time and learn from the experiences from this week.”

Thanks to his win at the RSM Classic in November, Svensson is in the field at the Masters. He was headed to Augusta National on Monday for a practice round. It will be his first time on the grounds of the home of the Masters.

“I’ve always dreamed of going to Augusta so it should be a great moment,” said the Surrey, B.C. product.

Hadwin is scheduled to play next week at the Valspar Championship, a tournament he won six years ago. It remains his only PGA Tour win to date.

The third Canadian to make the cut, Taylor Pendrith shot a final-round 80 and ended up in a tie for 69^th.