Pro’s ball finishes in water at Players. Something else then joined it in epic meltdown

Adam Hadwin’s baseball swing looked pretty good. Maybe he’d stretch a double out of it. Let’s try to keep this positive. 

At one point, too, he’d also recovered. 

Three-over par after seven holes at TPC Sawgrass, Hadwin had started his Players Championship first round discouragingly. But they play 18, and he rallied. Hadwin birdied the 402-yard, par-4 10th after hitting his approach to 8 feet. He birdied the 535-yard, par-5 11th after hitting to 3 feet from a greenside bunker. He birdied the 516-yard, par-5 16th after hitting to 7 feet with his second shot. He was back to even par. Two holes were left. 

But yeah, that whole baseball swing thing.

What happened?

On the famed, island-green 17th hole, Hadwin came up short on the par-3 playing 124 yards on Thursday, his ball finding water. He double-bogeyed. 

On the 466-yard, par-4 18th, there was hope. Hadwin’s tee shot flirted with the water that lines the hole on the right side, but it dropped about a yard to the right of it, and he was safe. But from there, Hadwin:

— Hit with his feet on the wooden support to the right of the water. He took an abbreviated swing. 

— Took a step forward, leaned and watched. 

— Saw his ball bounce about 10 yards in front of the green.

— Saw it follow the right-to-left slope 

— Saw it splash into the water to the left of the green 

— Took that baseball swing. With his iron. That he released into the water. The follow-through was nice, though. The iron also flew a respectable 25 yards or so. 

Said announcer Steve Sands on the Golf Channel broadcast: “Oh, and not only the golf balls, but clubs are going in the water now.” 

Said analyst Notah Begay: “That just tells you how this golf course can just knock you off your rocker.” 

Said Sands: “Adam Hadwin losing his poise behind us here on 18.” 

Said Begay: “How am I going to get that club replaced?”

They then replayed it. 

Said announcer Mike Tirico: “We are waiting for the ShotLink details on the club toss into the water as well.” 

Said Begay: “Definitely the leader, Mike, in Strokes Gained: Club Toss.” 

Said Tirico: “But you said it — this is what it does to you. Seventeen and 18, back to back, just on your nerves throughout.”

Hadwin was distraught. He took a few steps down the fairway, before squatting down and looking down. He went on to bogey the hole, and he finished with a three-over 75. 

But we’ll try to end this positively, too. 

His wife, Jessica Hadwin, had seen it. She’s funny. She’s a must-follow on Twitter. 

And there, she wrote this:

“I have seen the moment in question. If I’m going simply on the aesthetic of the toss….10/10.”  

I have seen the moment in question. If I’m going simply on the aesthetic of the toss….10/10

— Jessica Hadwin (@jessicahadwin) March 14, 2024

Nick Piastowski

Golf.com Editor

Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash away his score. You can reach out to him about any of these topics — his stories, his game or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.