By CNN
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Golfer Adam Hadwin had built a superb reputation for staying dry at The Players Championship. On Thursday, the water took its long-awaited revenge by claiming two of his balls – and even a club.
Across more than four decades, hundreds of the PGA Tour’s finest players have watched in horror as their tee shot splashed into the lake at TPC Sawgrass’ iconic par-three 17th hole.
Yet on all of his 28 previous visits to the penultimate tee at the ‘fifth major’, Canada’s Hadwin had safely found the island green.
The 36-year-old had arrived at the fabled hole with momentum too, thanks to a birdie at the 16th, only for his subsequent under-hit tee shot to plop into the lake short of the green.
The end to his flawless run was compounded when Hadwin’s 14-foot putt agonizingly trickled an inch wide of the cup, leaving the exasperated world No. 46 to tap in for a double-bogey.
Frustration would turn to fury mere moments later, when Hadwin – having narrowly avoided sending his tee shot into the water running along the left of the fairway – saw his subsequent approach take an awkward bounce before speeding over the 18th green and into the drink.
His ball quickly found itself in a race to the bottom of the lake with his club, as an incensed Hadwin sent his 8-iron careening into the water with an emphatic throw. The technique was not lost on his wife Jessica.
After initially missing “a little moment on 18 where the club joined its bestie the ball”, she posted on X: “If I’m going simply on the aesthetic of the toss … 10/10.”
Hadwin holed out for bogey to sign off with a three-over 75 overall, leaving him 10 shots adrift of day one leaders Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele, and Rory McIlroy – the latter of whom also endured some aquatic anguish during the first round.
Yet the Canadian, chasing his second win on the PGA Tour, looked to have cooled off by the evening, thanks in no small part to some therapeutic cookie decorating with his young daughter Maddox.
“It won’t bring back the club, but it will help ease the pain of all the water balls,” Jessica added in a shared photo of the duo.
Club makers Callaway sent out a replacement 8-iron to reach Hadwin before his afternoon tee off Friday, according to Golf Digest.
It’s not the first time Hadwin’s wife has poked fun at his misfortune. After the golfer was mistakenly leveled by a security guard while celebrating his friend Nick Taylor’s win at the Canadian Open last year, she joked that her husband was “still among the land of the living.”
During Friday’s second round, American golfer Beau Hossler achieved the unwanted milestone of hitting the 1000th ball into the water at the 17th hole since ShotLink tracking began in 2003.
Ten players had found the lake from the tee during the first round, though New Zealand’s Ryan Fox aced the hole, becoming the 14th golfer in Players history to do so.
