Adam Hadwin, the 2017 Valspar Championship winner, is in a desperate struggle to secure his spot in the FedExCup Playoffs. Sitting at 134th in the standings, Hadwin needs a miracle at the Wyndham Championship to turn his season around. Join us as we delve into his struggles, his controversial swing changes, and his fight to stay relevant in the golf world. This week, Hadwin has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Will he pull off a stunning comeback, or will his season end in disappointment? Find out in this gripping episode of golf drama.
Adam Hadwin’s desperate bid for FedEx Cup glory at Windham Championship. Adam Hadwin is on a mission to turn his year around starting with the Windham Championship PGA Tour. In a moment of reflection, Adam Hadwin takes a deep breath and admits with a hint of disappointment that he hasn’t experienced a standout moment on the golf course in 2025. However, he quickly recalls a time that brought him joy earlier this year. the very start of the year in Hawaii where he watched his daughter Maddox play joyfully in the sand embodying the carefree spirit of childhood. At that point everything felt fresh and unencumbered. There were no worries about FedEx Cup points or the pressures of what lay ahead. Fast forward nearly 8 months and Hadwin is acutely aware that he has significant challenges to tackle. He has faced difficulties on multiple fronts, particularly with swing adjustments that haven’t yet yielded the desired results. Nevertheless, he approaches this week’s Wingdom Championship with a sense of optimism. My mindset this week, Hadwin shares, is that I truly have nothing to lose. The 2017 Valpar Championship winner, who famously shot a 59 in that same season, finds himself in unfamiliar territory as he heads into the final event of the regular season in North Carolina, currently ranked 134th in the FedEx Cup standings. Just a year ago, he finished 37th and had consistently placed within the top 60 for the past 3 years. His participation in the BMW Championship last year granted him access to all the signature events in 2025. Unfortunately, after beginning to work with renowned swing coach Mark Blackburn last year, Hadwin experienced some initial success, but things have not progressed as he had hoped. This year, he finds himself ranked 155th in strokes gained total, a significant drop from his 39th position in the same statistic two years prior. He has managed to secure just one top 10 finish which occurred at the WM Phoenix Open in February. With a small knowing chuckle, Hadwin confesses that he contemplates reverting to his previous methods every week. I often wonder if I made the right choices, if I’ve messed up my swing, or if Mark is the right coach for me. I’ve questioned everything, Hadwin admits, but that’s a common feeling in this situation. After being on tour for a decade and seeing results from changes, the first adjustment I made with Mark did yield some positive outcomes, allowing me to get through the year. It wasn’t my best year, but it certainly wasn’t as challenging as this one. You start to doubt yourself, and I’ve been grappling with that for most of the year. Despite the struggles, Hadwin has managed to accumulate a reasonable number of FedEx Cup points through his participation in signature events throughout the year. However, he hasn’t been able to make significant progress in July. He finished tied for 78th at the Rocket Classic and missed the cut in three consecutive tournaments, the John Deere Classic, the Isco Championship, and the Barracuda Championship, with the latter two losses coming by just one shot and one point, respectively. Unfortunately, if I was going to make a push to qualify for the playoffs, it should have started four or five weeks ago, and it didn’t happen. Hadwin reflects. Much of the year has felt repetitive. Things seem to be going well, but I don’t see the results I want, which leads to discouragement. Clearly, this year hasn’t unfolded as I had hoped. I’ve played more golf than I typically would, but I’ve been in a position where I had to keep playing and push through. Hadwin is not the only player this week who needs a strong finish at the regular season finale. Competitors ranked beyond number 81 in the current standings are expected to require at least a top five finish to have a chance at the FedEx Cup playoffs, while those ranked beyond number 95 will need to secure at least a top two finish. The stage is set for potential breakthroughs at the Windham Championship and Hadwin can look to the success of fellow Canadians for inspiration. In 2018, Nick Taylor was outside the top 125, the cutoff for postseason eligibility, but managed to shoot his best round of the season on Sunday in Greensboro, propelling him to number 119. Similarly, Roger Sloan, also from British Columbia, lost in a playoff in 2021, moving from number 131 to number 92. Just last week, Kurt Kittyama’s victory at the 3M Open propelled him nearly 50 spots in the FedEx Cup standings. Adding to the pressure, the threshold for full PGA Tour status for 2026 has been reduced to number one, 100 from number 125. The final standings won’t be confirmed until the conclusion of the FedEx Cup fall at the RSM Classic in November, meaning Hadwin still has ample opportunities ahead. If he doesn’t secure a win this week, he will have August to regroup and devise a strategy for the upcoming fall events. As he prepares for Sedgefield, Hadwin must maintain a focused mindset. Although he missed the cut at the Windom Championship in 2023, he previously finished tied for 28th last year and tied for 10th in 2021. It’s a course he enjoys playing. However, Hadwin acknowledges that the most challenging aspect may be if the best case scenario unfolds. What if he finds himself in contention over the weekend? What if he’s in the final group on Sunday? You can get so caught up in the moment that it becomes overwhelming, especially since I haven’t been in that position for a long time. That can be one of the toughest challenges to navigate while dealing with struggles. Hadwin explains, “I haven’t faced that situation all year, so I’m unsure if I’m prepared for it. I’m just hoping to play well enough to put myself in that position.” It’s a daunting challenge ahead, but it’s also a chance for Hadwin to finally create his favorite golfing moment of the
