By the looks of his final score on Friday, it may seem as if Adam Hadwin was just running on the spot. But his scorecard will show a different story as the Canadian shot an eventful even-par 72 that kept him very much in contention at the Memorial.
“It was gusty and it was kind of flipping just a little bit,” Hadwin stated, “just enough to make you think. It's a tricky place to play. There are so many shots where you have to be spot on and when you're playing, whether it's a 10-mile-an-hour gust or a 20-mile-an-hour gust, you're not sure, you kind of have to pick and hope you pick at the right time.”
His lone birdie on the back nine came on the par-5 15th, when he hit his third shot from a greenside bunker to inside three feet and drained the putt. But two holes later, the wind came back into play again. His tee shot landed in a fairway bunker and he was only able to advance it 73 feet from there. Wind hit his next shot, diverting the ball in mid-air from the green into a bunker and three shots later, he marked a double-bogey on his card.
Muirfield Village didn’t give up many low rounds with only a handful of golfers getting into the 60s. In many cases, it was enough to simply hang out around even par. Corey Conners appeared on his way to a good score, posting a three-under 33 on the front nine. On the back, the gusts took their toll and the Listowel, Ont., native signed for a seven-over 43.