PGA Tour star Adam Hadwin had a peculiar reaction after being tackled by security at an event, hoping to avoid a repeat of the incident as this weekend’s Travelers Championship comes to a close
Adam Hadwin was lauded for response to being tackled by security, a theme that popped up at last year’s Travelers Championship(Image: TSN Sports)
Canadian golf star Adam Hadwin had the right response when it came to dealing with protestors at last year’s Travelers Championship. And anyone looking for advice on the matter should turn to him in case more trouble emerges in Sunday’s final round at TPC River Highlands.
The 2024 edition of the Travelers Championship was interrupted when Extinction Rebellion activists invaded the 18th green as the tournament reached its crescendo. Protestors pelted the green with what appeared to be a chalk-like substance while wearing t-shirts that bore the message, ‘No golf on a dead planet’.
The incident took place just as Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim were preparing to wrap up the competition in a play-off finale. And it was Scheffler, 28, who held his nerve to edge the title by the slimmest of margins.
Hadwin, 37, shot 11 under par to finish tied for 27th. He watched the action from afar as it unfolded, but he couldn’t help but feel some commonality following his own viral moment one year prior.
He was on home soil in Toronto when he himself was tackled by a security guard in the closing moments of the 2023 Canadian Open. Hadwin, who won the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2023, stormed the 18th to congratulate compatriot Nick Taylor, who had just become the first Canadian in almost 70 years to win the title.
What started out as a simple plan to soak his buddy in champagne swiftly turned into a career highlight for all the wrong reasons. Hadwin was thumped to the ground just as he reached his friend, but his laid-back response summed up the PGA Tour star’s character.
Canadian Hadwin took a light approach over the incident(Image: AP)
“The moment itself and what Nick accomplished was amazing,” he said after the tournament. “I definitely did not want to be a part of what transpired after that, but it has been a lot of fun reading through and seeing what people had to say.”
He went on to say he had very little memory of the incident after he “blacked out” and gave the security guard a pass for the confusion: “At the time there was so much adrenaline running through, I don’t think I would feel anything. I’m glad everything worked out. We can have a good laugh about it now. Just a big misunderstanding.”
Hadwin then couldn’t help but respond to video showing the protestors storming the green before being mobbed by security at the Travelers. And he was certain he fared a lot better in his viral moment than those trying to make a point in Connecticut.
“I’d like to point out that when I was tackled, I held onto the bottle,” wrote the Saskatchewan-born star. “Unlike this guy.”
Hadwin will hope Sunday’s crescendo in Connecticut passes without incident(Image: David Cannon/Getty Images)
That’s what many would call having one’s priorities right. Not only did Hadwin take the situation in stride and refuse to apportion blame, but he also had his eyes firmly on the prize of preserving as much champagne as possible.
If he can’t have a reason to celebrate himself come Sunday, he’ll hope another fellow Canadian might. However, it may take some stopping to prevent an in-form Scheffler getting his hands on the title once more.
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