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RBC CANADIAN OPEN

July 19, 2011

Adam Hadwin

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

ADAM WALLACE: We would like to welcome Adam Hadwin into the RBC Canadian Open. Tell us a little bit about the course here. You have played here before. You finished T-37 in last year's event. Just tell us about the course here at Shaughnessy.
ADAM HADWIN: I think it's a great course. You know, it's a typical lower main land golf course here in B.C. It's tight, it's tree-lined. It's got thick rough. And I think with a lot of the par fours being upwards of 450, 460 and how narrow the fairways are and how thick that rough is, it's going to be a premium on driving this week. You have to get the ball on the fairways to give yourself a chance.
I only played nine holes yesterday on the back nine, and every time I hit it in the rough, I wasn't able to get it to the greens; just a premium on driving. And the greens are so small that I think the guy that hits a lot of greens this week is going to do very well. It's a premium ball-striker's golf course and I think that suits me very well this week.
ADAM WALLACE: Kind of feels like a home tournament for you; you grew up just an hour away.
ADAM HADWIN: It does. It's awesome. It's going to be lot of fun this week. I'm going to have some family out and some friends out hopefully. I am staying in a hotel, because as you said, I live an hour away, so with traffic and everything, it's too long for an early tee time. It's nice to play on home soil again.

Q. There's a group of about three or four, yourself, Eugene Wong, Nick Taylor, same age group and it's been a while since Canada produced somebody -- I know you don't think about that it, but does it factor into it: Can I be the next guy or the guy that makes a bit of a splash the way Mike Weir did it?
ADAM HADWIN: Like you said, I don't really think about those kind of things.
I think the state of Canada's future is very bright. I think there's a lot of good talent coming up. It may take two or three years to really see that international factor happen, but I don't really think about that. If I am the guy, then that's awesome, but I've just got to take care of my business and that's how it's going to unfold.

Q. If I can follow up on that, did you underestimate how difficult it is competitively, internationally, in golf now?
ADAM HADWIN: I would say a little bit. Canada is hungry for another player. We were riding Mike Weir for so long and he was our guy. He's struggling a little bit now and I'm sure he'll get it back and he'll find a way to get it done.
But I think that there's some young guys that are going to step up here pretty soon and take over and be that guy for Canada again. And it may not be just one guy. It could be three or four guys pretty soon. Hearn is playing very well this year, DeLaet is always up there, and hopefully we'll have three for more guys join them.

Q. How important is it for the game of Canada to have that role model, a guy like a Weir, someone for the young kids to shoot for?
ADAM HADWIN: I think it's very important. It just gives you someone that does the right thing, someone to follow; someone from your own country to kind of look up to and do it. Personally right now, it's DeLaet. I think he's a tremendous golfer and a person, as well. You know, I really played -- I played with him here at the PNGA Amateur the last time I played here, is when I first met him and got to talk with him last year at the Canadian Open; just a great guy in general. I hope he gets back soon.
But his approach to the game and the way he took it, that's kind of the way I'm kind of hoping to follow. So hopefully in two years I'll be out there with him.

Q. What did it meant to be the top Canadian at last year's open?
ADAM HADWIN: A lot. I believe I said in my Friday's press conference about looking at the leaderboard and seeing Ames at 5-under and knowing my par putt was to stay ahead of him and I let out a fist-pump on Friday and I'm letting out fist-pumps already. It's such a cool honor.
It would be really cool to hoist both trophies side-by-side, but it's a very special honor in your own country to be treated as a winner, basically. I came 37th and I was treated like I had won the event. It's just a cool feeling to be recognized as Canada's top golfer in the Canadian Open for that year.

Q. Did you realize even before that fist-pump exactly how much that meant to you, to be the top Canadian at that point in the tournament?
ADAM HADWIN: I guess not deep down; I wanted to be, maybe just to be the top Canadian. But it was -- I didn't realize the recognition that would follow or anything like that, but it was a pretty cool experience.

Q. A few quick ones. How many times do you think you've played here at Shaughnessy, and how many times have you played with Mike and Stephen?
ADAM HADWIN: I've never played with Mike or Steve. I've never met them actually. And I've played this golf course -- I've probably got five competitive rounds on, two stroke-play, three match-play, and then -- but it's been five or six years I think since I've played it. Those are the only rounds I've played.

Q. Two questions if I might. So you've had a little taste of the Canadian support. Some people have been a little overwhelmed; just wondered what your take was on it?
ADAM HADWIN: I guess it just depends on your approach. My approach is that if I don't play well, they are not going to support me.
I have to just do my thing, take care of my business, and all of the extra stuff is just extra stuff. It's just kind of -- like I said, if I don't play well, it's not going to be there, so just something that you deal with and something that you embrace, and keep playing well, because it's fun to have a lot of support like that.

Q. The other question I wanted to ask, growing up, everybody dreams, this is a putt to win the U.S. Open; at Ledgeview, I can think of two or three guys, anyway, who that might be very realistic for. What is it in the water at Abbotsford? Why did that produce so many good players?
ADAM HADWIN: Well, I've had that question a lot. It's just the type of course that it is. It's very hilly. It's tight, it's tree-lined and they have got very tricky greens. You have to put your ball in the right spot. You never really have a flat lie so you learn to hit different shots and with the greens, in the summer, they get firm, and a lot of undulations on them, so you have to develop a short game real quick there. I think you saw that with Nick and James. They have got incredible short games.
So you know, short, tree-lined, it's only 6,300 yards from the tips -- or I think it's only 6,100. But you just put the ball in play and get it around and you just kind of learn to score at that golf course. Because you know you have to go low to compete and so you just kind of learn to compete.

Q. Were you aware there was something special going on when you were playing with those guys growing up?
ADAM HADWIN: I didn't really think about it until people started mentioning it, and then as soon as people start putting it in your head, oh, yeah, we have had Stewart, James Lutton (ph), myself, there are some good guys coming out of the same course.

Q. The Air Canada Championship, did you ever attend any of those?
ADAM HADWIN: I didn't. I never watched. I played in a tournament opposite the Air Canada Championship one year, a Maple Leaf Junior Tour event. It was being held on the Canal Course while the ACC was on the Bridge. So it was cool just to be in that atmosphere I guess but I never watched it.

Q. As a British Columbian, was it a loss when the tournament left?
ADAM HADWIN: You know, what that was about the time that I was first getting into golf. That event there was one of my first events, so not really. I was just kind of new to the game and just kind of getting into it. So I think, you know, I don't see why Vancouver can't hold a PGA TOUR event. We have enough good courses around here.

Q. How old were you?
ADAM HADWIN: 13 or 14. Somewhere in there.
ADAM WALLACE: Thanks a lot, Adam. Best of luck this week.

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