PGA Tour: Waste Management Phoenix Open leaderboard here.
After opening with 3 straight birdies on Saturday at this Waste Management Phoenix Open, something special seemed on the cards for Adam Hadwin, however the putts stopped falling but a steady run of pars kept him amongst the leaders at -11.
Then at the par 4, 14th he couldn't get up and down missing a 6 footer for par for his first bogey, then the par 15th saw him drive it 300 yards into the water eventually missing a 14 footer for par and suddenly his round was slipping away, and so were his chances.
However in my opinion his play at the par 3, jam packed cauldron at the 16th was his turning point. His tee shot was pure, finishing pin high just right of the hole, then he brought the crowd, some adorned with the Canadian flag to their feet as he holed the 14 footer for the bounce back birdie. He raised his arm in acknowledgement, I'm sure relief flooding through his veins.
Confidence buoyed, he striped his drive 300 yards, just short of the short par 4 17th, on the apron, hit a lovely pitch and run to 4 feet, for back to back birdies, and back to -11, and he damn near birdied the 18th with a drive into the middle of the fairway, an approach pin high to 16 feet and the putt left right on the hole's edge for his 2nd consecutive 68, T7 -11 with a large group chasing rookie leader Sahith Theegala who won't go away, at -14. Defending champion and two time winner Brooks Koepka is 2nd at -13 with half of the US Ryder Cup team lined up behind.
Corey Connors shot 69 and has climbed to T29th at -6.
Super Bowl Sunday is all set, more sunny calm weather in store in the desert around Phoenix.
Theegala -14 on his biggest day, Koepka -13 defending champion and Scheffler -12 are the final pairing at 105pm EST.
Cantlay -12, Gooch -12, and Schauffele -12 are next at 12.54, then Matsuyama -11, Hoge -11 who won for the first time last week at Pebble Beach, and Homa -11 at 12.43 EST.
4th pairing off then, the international pairing, Canadian Hadwin -11, Sweden's Noren -11 and the little lefty from South Africa Garrick Higgo -10 all off the first tee 12.32EST.
You'd think the winner will come from this dozen players. The field is off split tees again to clear the decks for the Super Bowl.
Personally I think Adam has done all the hard work, and can just go out full of confidence and play, buoyed by the fact he's in the featured groups with a chance to win.
In horse racing parlance "the field in bunched as they round the clubhouse turn, and down the stretch they come" !!
Bryan Angus
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