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.”