Adam Hadwin takes no sacks in return to action at U.S. Open

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LOS ANGELES — Adam Hadwin completed his opening round at the U.S. Open level par with three birdies against three bogeys, and despite major pressure he didn’t allow a sack.

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“I feel fine, all good,” Hadwin said after his first competitive round since last Sunday’s tackle at Oakdale.

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Looking to build off a strong T12 finish at the RBC Canadian Open, Hadwin got off to a great start at Los Angeles Country Club on Thursday.

“I’d say I played pretty much perfect golf for 13 or 14 holes,” he said. “I had about a four-hole stretch where I missed fairways and kind of got on a bogey run.”

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Through the first ten holes, Hadwin missed just one fairway and hit every green, before running into a skid of three bogeys in four holes beginning at the long par-3 11th.

“I was so good tee-to-green through ten holes and then just a little off,” he said. “You don’t have to be off by much to make bogeys around here.”

Hadwin said he was surprised to see Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele shoot 62s, and that he expected the Day 1 leader to be between three- and five-under. Despite record-setting scores, Hadwin warned what could happen if any player looking at the leaderboard decides to push the envelope.

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“A lot of bad things,” Hadwin said. “You’ve got to be careful, the U.S. Open is so tricky and you can’t press even when you feel like you need to. Try to do too much and you bring doubles into play.”

Among the early wave of Canadians, Hadwin and Corey Conners were best at level par.

“Seeing the leaderboard and seeing low numbers out there I wish I got a little more out of it,” Conners said of Thursday’s round. “There’s going to be a wide gap in scores. If you’re a little bit off, this course can beat you up.”

Adam Svennson birdied the difficult 18th hole to shoot a one-over-par 71 in his U.S. Open debut.

Roger Sloan, who is playing on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, shot a two-over 72. Playing at Oakdale last week, and the U.S. Open this week has Sloan energized to make it back to the PGA Tour.

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“It’s extremely nice to run into all my friends again,” Sloan, 36, said. “And what has been really nice, is how many good things a lot of these guys have to say about my game. That kind of positive affirmation gives me encouragement to make it back out here.”

Canadian golf has been a major story over the past week and the seven players in the field this week are hoping to keep it going.

“It’s very well deserved,” Hadwin said. “We have four different winners on tour this year which is second most of any country. I think we have proven with the major finishes that we’ve had over the past number of years that it’s only a matter of time before a Canadian wins another major.”

As for his viral moment?

“Not something I ever could have expected and something that I know will die out eventually, but we haven’t reached that point,” he said. “I’m focused on this week and trying to play my game, but still trying to enjoy it.”

Nick Taylor, Mackenzie Hughes and Taylor Pendrith played in Thursday’s afternoon wave.

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