PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Adam Hadwin vs. the cut line … What’s with the wind? … Corey Conners heading home

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TULSA, Okla. — Adam Hadwin was four-over-par through 35 holes and in the fairway on his final hole of the day, hovering around the cut line at the PGA Championship.

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When Friday’s second round started in heavy morning winds at Southern Hills in Tulsa, four-over-par looked like a lock to make the cut. Standing over his final approach shot of the day, 155 yards from the par-4 ninth hole, Hadwin was no longer sure and unfortunately, he was in-between clubs. He and caddie Joe Cruz had to gauge both the wind and how much the uphill shot to the elevated green would affect the distance.

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“A lot of it’s a big giant guess, don’t let us kid you guys, we’re picking a number and we’re hoping it’s right,” Hadwin said after his round. “I did a lot of that today and there was a couple I got wrong.”
With the afternoon wave of players yet to tee off, the cut line was hours away from being decided, but Hadwin had to make his choice right then.

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“We thought it was a seven (iron) but then the thought of going over the green right near the cut line probably wasn’t a very smart idea,” he said. “So I tried to squeeze an eight there and it just wasn’t enough.”

His approach shot finished 28-feet short of the back pin and failed to get up to the proper tier, but it’s hard to say whether it was one that he got wrong because a birdie would have been great, but he thought a bogey would likely see him miss the weekend.

It’s one of the many little games within the game that professional golfers have to play during a golf tournament. For the 34-year-old Hadwin, a tour winner making his 19th major championship start, these Friday moments aren’t stressful, they are just part of the job.

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“That’s not pressure, I’m just trying to make the cut today, not win,” he said.

Hadwin two-putted for par and finished his second round with a one-over-par 71 in the most difficult conditions of the first two rounds. It was one of the stranger rounds Hadwin can remember. The Abbotsford, B.C. native hit his first five greens in regulation, missed the next seven, then hit the final six.

There probably isn’t much the veteran golfer hasn’t seen in his eight years on the PGA Tour, and his resume is pretty full with one victory, two Presidents Cup appearances, a 59 on tour, and now a rejuvenated game following an off-year in 2021. This far into a successful career at the game’s top level, scratching to make a cut — even at a major championship — doesn’t stress him out, which he proved by sharing a few laughs with caddie Cruz and playing partner Cameron Tringale down the stretch on Friday.

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“That’s just normal golf, they are good guys, I’m trying to shoot the (breeze) and have some fun,” he said. “Joe was telling us a funny story. That’s kind of who I am and the way that I play, and I try not to do anything different given any sort of situation.”

The only stress of Hadwin’s day came after his round trying to decide whether at four-over through 36 holes his in-laws could confidently begin the trip to Southern Hills to watch him play the weekend. He’s got the golf part figured out.

WHAT’S WITH THE WIND?

The wind seems to be a bigger concern at Southern Hills than at many other golf courses, so we asked Hadwin what makes it so challenging here in Tulsa.

“It wasn’t consistent, it was off and on all day,” he said. “I feel like the way this course sits, it sits a little bit lower almost like it’s in a valley, so nine and 18, and then on 10 and one tee you really feel the wind but you get down on seven or eight and there’s a few holes where it doesn’t affect it as much. I feel like it’s gusty and kind of shifty a little bit, so you’ve got to be spot on.”

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Justin Thomas shot a three-under 67 in the difficult Friday morning winds, and also had an incredible round in the wind earlier this year with a 69 on a disaster-filled Saturday at the Players. Thomas says the course routing here at Southern Hills adds to the difficulty on windy days.

“Something very unique about this course is you don’t have very many holes that are directly downwind or directly into the wind,” Thomas said. “You have a lot of crosswinds, so your ball is doing a lot of curving as it’s in the air. In order for it to come down on the target I want, I need it to kind of start in a certain window. Although hitting it solid is important, club face control is also extremely important.”

CONNERS A GONER

Canada’s top-ranked golfer Corey Conners is going home early. The world No. 32 followed Thursday’s 76 with a Friday 73 to finish at nine-over par and well outside the cut-line.

“Another tough battle out there, I was just a little bit off,” he said after his round. “Didn’t quite start the round how I wanted with a (double-bogey) six from the fairway from about 100 yards out.”

Conners made just a single birdie over two rounds at Southern Hills as his normally world-class iron play took the week off.

“I just didn’t play well enough to make birdies,” he said. “Disappointing.”

Conners will next play two weeks from now at Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament, before playing the RBC Canadian Open at St. George’s June 9-12.

Mackenzie Hughes will also miss the cut.