Aug 6, 2018
Hadwin healthy and ready to go at Bellerive
There was no hobbling, no limping, not even a grimace as Adam Hadwin walked from the range towards the clubhouse at Bellerive Country Club. The Canadian golfer showed no signs of the hip ailment that kept him out of last week’s lucrative World Golf Championship event in Akron, Ohio, TSN's Bob Weeks writes.
By Bob Weeks
St. Louis, MO. – There was no hobbling, no limping, not even a grimace as Adam Hadwin walked from the range towards the clubhouse at Bellerive Country Club. The Canadian golfer showed no signs of the hip ailment that kept him out of last week’s lucrative World Golf Championship event in Akron, Ohio.
That, of course, is a good thing since Hadwin has a major to play this week here in steamy St. Louis. The Abbotsford, B.C., golfer pronounced himself fit, ready and raring to go.
“It’s feeling much better,” he said after a Monday session on the putting green where he was trying to dial in the greens. “It just needed some rest. It’s a lingering issue I’ve had for a while. I think my first MRI was back in 2010. It’s something that’s on-going, something that I’ve dealt with for a number of years now. It just kind of flared up last week and it was a bit too much to play.”
Hadwin described the injury as a torn labrum, which is a tear in a ring of soft tissue that surrounds the hip socket. It’s a common injury on the PGA Tour that can come as a result of years of golf swings. He manages the condition through work with his trainer as well as regular exercises that keep it under control.
What’s unusual is that the cause remains a mystery.
“It doesn’t hurt to swing,” he stated. “It’s really strange because there’s no one thing that triggers it. It just happens sometimes when I move and then it’s painful.”
Hadwin did say that there have been times when a short pitching motion has led to a flare up but he’s never been able to pin-point anything that sets it off. Last week, however, he knew he was in trouble and the pain became too much.
The week off from the World Golf Championship – Bridgestone Invitational was a costly one. With no cut, even a last-place showing was worth $46,500, as well as a handful of FedEx Cup points that could boost chances heading into the season-ending playoffs. Hadwin currently sits 67th on the list and has collected $1.5 million.
While he’s had a solid season he hasn’t been quite as sharp lately. He’s had seven top-25 finishes, but his last one was in early May at the Wells Fargo. The slow summer, which also happened last year, has been nothing short of frustrating.
“For whatever reason, I just seem to stall out during the summer months,” said Hadwin. “This season at least I’ve been a little more consistent, I’ve made a lot more cuts. I feel like I’m getting better, I’m more consistent. I’m still just waiting for that opportunity for things to click, to get going, it just hasn’t happened. “
As well as sharpening his game, Hadwin is hoping to change his mental approach going into this major. In the past, he said, he’s drummed it into his head how hard and difficult the course will be. That, of course, isn’t a great approach to the task at hand. This week, things will be different.
“I really just want to go out there and play golf this time,” he stated. “Just see shots, hit different shots, shape the golf ball and just try and have some fun with no expectations and see if I can’t get a nice solid finish here in another major.”
This will be just his 10th major and so far his best finish is a tie for 24th at this year’s Masters. A good finish here would go a long way towards building some confidence heading into the FedEx Cup playoffs.