The Canadian Press
John Chidley-Hill
OAKVILLE, Ont.–When Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor begin the opening round of the RBC Canadian Open this afternoon, it’s going to feel more like a trip down memory lane than a national championship on the PGA Tour.
They’re paired up in the first round of a tournament for the first time since their teenage years when they sometimes played together at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club.
Just six months apart in age, Hadwin and Taylor grew up together in Abbotsford, B.C. and have become two of Canada’s top professional golfers.
“It might feel like just a casual round, a round around Ledgeview for us as a 15- and 16-year-old,” Hadwin said yesterday after playing in a pro-am at Glen Abbey Golf Course.
“We’ll just hopefully go out and have some fun,” he added.
“Maybe have a few side bets or two. But don’t tell anybody that.”
Taylor laughed when he heard about the side bets.
“Yeah, I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” he remarked.
Taylor won his first PGA title at the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014.
Even though Hadwin’s the older of the two, it took him a few more years to earn his first victory on the Tour–winning the Valspar Championship in March.
He also shot a 59 at the CareerBuilder Challenge back in January.
“We definitely have a comfort level playing with each other,” said Taylor.
“I don’t think that will be a huge deal playing together,” he added.
“It’s playing together at the Canadian Open that will make it a little more fun, a little more memorable.”
Hadwin and Taylor are two of 17 Canadians competing in the tournament at Glen Abbey this weekend.
No Canadian has won the national championship since amateur Pat Fletcher did it at Vancouver’s Point Grey Golf Club in 1954.
It’s a drought all the Canadians are well aware of.
“We’re all trying our best. Yes, we know that Pat Fletcher was the last one to win,” said Hadwin with a smile.
“We know that. So we’re all trying our best to be moving forward.”
Hadwin is the highest-rated Canadian on the PGA Tour right now, ranked 13th in the FedExCup standings.
Coming just four days after the Open at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, it will be a depleted field today, with only No. 2 Dustin Johnson above Hadwin in the standings.
Johnson is looking forward to playing at Glen Abbey, where he tied for second last year.
“It’s in perfect condition,” Johnson said of the course. “You can’t find anything wrong with it.
“The greens are perfect. The fairways are perfect.
“If I drive it straight, I’m going to have a good week,” he added.
Other Canadians in the field include Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask. and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., who also will be paired together today.
They’re joined by Ottawa’s Brad Fristch, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., Jared Du Toit, of Kimberley, B.C., Matt Hill of Sarnia, Ont., Vancouver’s Ryan Williams, Riley Wheeldon of Comox, B.C., Bryn Parry of North Vancouver, B.C., Drew Nesbitt of Shanty Bay, Ont., and Toronto’s Daniel Kim.
Three Canadian amateurs also will be playing: Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint Hillaire, Que., and Austin James of Bath, Ont.
Last season, Du Toit took the tournament by storm as an amateur–sitting second heading into the final round of play before dropping into a tie for ninth.
