The first event of the 2015 PGA Tour, the Frys.com Open, wasn’t the door-crashing success that Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor were hoping for, but Hadwin at least came away with a result to build on.
The tournament was held over the weekend at the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif., and brought veterans and rookies alike into a new season of professional tour action.
Hadwin came out firing with a cumulative -5 through two rounds, driving him deep into the top 15, but couldn’t hold it together down the stretch. His four round total of 286 strokes (70, 69, 72, 75) left him tied for 53 overall with a -2 stroke finish. Bae Sang-Moon finished at -15 to win the event by two strokes and claim the $1,080,000 winner’s share.
Hadwin earned $13,890 with his placing, which is the most he’s made at the PGA level since his fourth-place finish at the RBC Canadian Open in 2011.
Taylor didn’t make the cut after finishing the first round at par (72) and then completing a second at two-over (74).
Both players won their PGA tour cards playing on the 2014 Web.com tour, cementing their status in the final playoff tournament in September. Hadwin finished first on the money list by virtue of his playoff exploits, granting him fully exempt status for the entirety of the 2015 tour.
Taylor squeaked in the back door with a phenomenal final round of the final playoff tournament, but, because he lacks Hadwin’s exempt status, will only play select PGA events this season.