This week’s CareerBuilder Challenge brings him back not only to the site of his magical round of 59, but to a place where he has a lot of good memories. His last three years here, he’s a combined 51 under par.

“It's hard to imagine it's been a year,” Hadwin told reporters in reference to his 13-under-par round, making him the eighth player to break 60.

“Time certainly has flown by. But a lot of good memories here in the desert. My first Canadian TOUR win was here, final group last two years here, and it's always nice to start the year making a bunch of birdies and getting the confidence going, especially before heading for Torrey. I feel very comfortable here, very at home, lots of Canadians, so it's always fun to play well in front of those crowds and hopefully looking forward to another good week.”

Hadwin finished runner-up here a year ago, and went on to win a few weeks later at Valspar, the highlight of a very strong season that also included playing in the Tour Championship and the Presidents Cup.

Now he wants to keep the momentum going and play consistently in the big events against the top players. By his own admission, he didn’t play up to his potential in the fall season, chalking that up to a long season that wore him out.

“You just kind of have to be in every shot every week and it's difficult to do,” he admitted, “especially early in the season, especially this wrap-around season late in the fall after such a long year and Presidents Cup and all that, it was very hard to just kind of stay focused and get through and I don't think I did a very good job of that in the fall.

“But a couple months off now, kind of refreshed both mentally and physically, and just kind of get out there and have some fun again and enjoy it again. I think I just put too much pressure on myself there towards the end of the year last year, so just kind of go look at it as a fresh start again this year.”

So what is it about this part of the world that appeals to Hadwin’s game? Why has he been so good here over the course of his career?

“I think partly the way the courses are set up and designed, it kind of suits my eye,” he said. “Living in Phoenix for the last seven years or so now it's kind of all the golf that I've seen, mostly. So the way it sets up, the way the grass is, the way the greens are, this is what I grew up putting on as well, so I love putting on the West Coast. I feel like chipping from around the greens seems a lot easier, just the way the grass is. I struggle with Bermuda still and so I kind of like to make hay on the West Coast when I can.”

And there was one more possibility Hadwin threw out for his low scores.

“You can't discount the Canadian factor as well here in the desert. I think we double the population when wintertime comes around, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I don't know,” he laughed.

The large throng of snowbird Canadians who come to watch the players from north of the 49th will have a lot to cheer for this week. Seven Canadians are set to tee off, equaling the most Canadian players in a PGA Tour event outside the RBC Canadian Open.

Hadwin, David Hearn, Nick Taylor, Ben Silverman, Corey Conners, Mac Hughes and Mike Weir will play at three different courses in La Quinta, Calif. Weir won this event in 2003 when it was known as the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and is playing on a sponsor exemption.