B.C. Golf Notes: Hadwin Secures Spot In U.S. Open; Close To Earning Berth In Open Championship

Adam Hadwn Continues To Have A Breakout Year On The PGA TOUR, Now He'll Tee It Up In The U.S. OPen - Image Courtesy adamhadwin.com

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin has earned an exemption into next month’s U.S. Open and is close to securing a berth in his first Open Championship.

Hadwin earned a spot in the U.S. Open by virtue of being ranked 49th on the latest Official World Golf Ranking. All players inside the top 60 of the world ranking as of Monday received exemptions into the U.S. Open, which goes June 15-18 at Erin Hills in Erin, Wis.

Hadwin will earn a berth in the Open Championship, which goes July 20-23 at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, if his world ranking remains inside the top 50 as of May 29.

Making the cut at this week’s Dean & Deluca Invitational in Fort Worth, Tex., would likely keep Hadwin inside the top 50. 

Hadwin has never competed in the Open Championship, but has played in two U.S. Opens. He tied for 39th place in the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., and missed the cut two years later at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.

SUPER STREAK: After taking last week off, Hadwin will be trying this week to extend one of the PGA TOUR’s longest streaks of consecutive cuts made. Hadwin has made 14 straight cuts. Only Louis Oosthuizen (16) and Martin Kaymer (15) have longer streaks.

Hadwin’s last missed cut came at last October’s Safeway Open. He has made the cut in two previous appearances at Colonial. He tied for 22nd last year and tied for fifth in 2015.

TAYLOR’S TIME: Fellow Abbotsford pro Nick Taylor is also in the field at Colonial this week and he heads there riding a hot streak. Taylor has finished in the top 10 in his last two starts. After making the cut on the number, Taylor shot weekend rounds of 66 and 65 to finish tied for ninth place this past weekend at the AT&T Byron Nelson in Irving, Tex.

That result moved Taylor up to 70th place on the FedExCup points list. He has all but locked up his spot in the top 125 and exempt status for next year. Taylor has not finished worse than tied for 22nd in his last four individual starts. He and fellow Canadian Mackenzie Hughes missed the cut at the two-man team event in New Orleans last month.

Taylor earned $195,000 on Sunday and has now made $962,511 this year. Taylor, who is now ranked 197th in the world (up from 233rd last week), will attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open at a sectional qualifier in Memphis on June 5.

OFF TO SECTIONALS: Richmond’s Chris Crisologo earned one of the six spots up for grabs at a U.S. Open local qualifier on Thursday in Walla, Walla, Wash. Crisologo, who just finished his junior year at Simon Fraser University, shot a three-under 69 at Wine Valley Golf Club and finished in a two-way tie for fifth place. Crisologo advances to sectional qualifying on June 5.

Vancouver’s Jordan Lu has also advanced to sectional qualifying after being co-medallist at a local qualifier in Gig Harbor, Wash.

T-BIRDS 12TH: The University of B.C. men’s team finished 12th at the NAIA national championship tourney in Silvas, Ill. The field playing the TPC Deere Run faced miserable weather. At one point, play was called because of tornado concerns. UBC finished the 72-hole event at 100-over par. Grand View University of Des Moines, Iowa, won with a score of 61-over.

The UBC women play their national championship tourney Tuesday through Friday at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. UBC enters the tourney as the No. 6 seed. The University of Victoria is also in the field. The Vikings are seeded No. 22.

BIRDIE BINGE: West Vancouver’s Seann Harlingten scorched Sandpiper Golf Course in Harrison Mills with a 10-under 62 en route to winning the Vancouver Golf Tour’s Players Championship. Harlingten followed up that round with a five-under 67 at Chilliwack Golf Club to win the 36-hole event by five shots over Riley Wheeldon of Courtenay. Harlingten earned $2,000 for the win.

Meanwhile, Mission’s Kevin Stinson has earned the VGT exemption into next week’s Freedom 55 Invitational, the season-opening event of the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada circuit at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver.