Red-hot Hadwin staying patient at Valspar

TSN Senior Reporter

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It wasn’t that long ago that a missed shot would burn inside Adam Hadwin. While going through technical changes a year ago, a swing that didn’t produce a good result would sit with the 34-year-old for the next few holes, causing his game to go off the rails.

But times have changed for Hadwin, who seems calm and in control no matter where his ball ended up with the most recent swing. He’s even smiling out there.

As a result, he finds himself in contention at the Valspar Championship, sitting at 12-under par after a second-round 66. That had him alone in first place after the morning wave of players finished up.

“My mind has been pretty good this week,” said Hadwin, who won the tournament in 2017. “(I’m) staying patient, not getting too worried about any sort of missed shots or anything.”

Hadwin’s opening nine was fairly pedestrian with two birdies and a bogey. That changed after making the turn, as he made birdies on four of his first six holes. His play this week has been bolstered by a strong iron game that saw him hit 14 of 18 greens on Friday. And his putter has also offered up a lot of support. Through two rounds, he’s drained more than 170 feet of putts.

His speed control on the greens has been excellent and his second putts are usually just tap-ins, removing any nervy moments over the five-footers.

“That's what won me the tournament, I think, five years ago, six years ago now,” said Hadwin of his putting. “And I would agree, it's been a strong part of my game for the last four, five years now, and I'm finally starting to see some improvement with the iron play, hitting more greens, giving myself more chances. So, again, staying patient around this place I think is key.”

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