Canadian upstart Adam Hadwin, aka Vinny Chase, doesn't have an entourage...yet.

On Wednesday evening I chatted with Canadian Tour player Adam Hadwin, who is trying to earn his PGA Tour card and playing in this week’s McGladrey Classic in Sea Island, Georgia.

Just for some background — Hadwin is in a unique position to potentially bypass PGA Tour Q-School (similar to Bud Cauley’s situation, but Hadwin has had fewer starts so he has a little more work cut out for him). The 23-year-old Canadian has made four cuts in four starts on Tour in 2011, including two top 10s — T4 at the RBC Canadian Open and T7 at last week’s Frys.com Open, which gained him a spot in the McGladrey (by finishing in the top ten, a player automatically gets a spot in the next event). (continue reading…)

Thank you, thank you!

Mike Weir who? Canada might have a new young face of golf in Adam Hadwin, a 23-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., who tied for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open.

With the support of the crowds at Shaughnessy, Hadwin rallied after posting a discouraging four-over 39 on the front nine. Following a bogey on 11, he rolled in three consecutive birdies to jump back into contention. (continue reading…)

emotional

On Wednesday Sean O’Hair couldn’t have fathomed hoisting the trophy at the Canadian Open. We wouldn’t have, either. Recently, it was hard to say whether he’d see weekend play since he’d missed 10 cuts in 17 starts this season. (continue reading…)

Nice effing pants!

Here’s something we haven’t seen in a really, really long time: John Daly near the top of the leaderboard through 54 holes (yes, he’s made it that far!) at a PGA Tour event. Daly fired a respectable three-under 67 on moving day at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club to put him at two-under for the tournament, three shots behind current leader Bo Van Pelt.

Daly is in striking distance for his first PGA Tour victory since — pardon me for a moment, I need to look this up — 2004 at the Buick Invitational (winning the ’06 and ’07 TELUS Skins Game, aka exhibition event, doesn’t count, obviously). (continue reading…)

Full amazing

The other half of “half man, half amazing” showed up at Shaughnessy during the second round of the Canadian Open.

I must hand it to Chuck Hazzard,* who wins best costume of the year (at least that I’ve seen, but I might be a little biased). Chuck traveled all the way from Las Vegas to cheer on Andres Gonzales. (continue reading…)

Two years ago, Carl Pettersson picked up his third career PGA Tour win and finished 21st on the money list. Motivated to build on his great year, the portly Pettersson decided he should follow golf’s fitness craze, losing 30 pounds in the offseason.

Pettersson missed 14 cuts and had just one top 10 in 2009, dropping to 136th on the money list. So the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Swede ditched his diet.

(continue reading…)

Ah, the disappointment of becoming the 15th 23rd player to shoot 60 on the PGA Tour instead of just the fifth to fire a 59.

Carl Pettersson made the cut at the Canadian Open on the number, and opened 1-over through four holes in his third round. But an eagle-birdie-eagle stretch turned his fortunes around, and by the 18th green, he was remarkably hunting a 59.

(continue reading…)