Adam Hadwin fights for the PGA Tour card and leads in windy Bermuda

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda – Adam Hadwin got the start he needed in his bid to retain full PGA Tour playing privileges, shooting a 6-under 65 in windy conditions Thursday in the first round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, which was not completed because of darkness.

Hadwin started the week ranked No. 147 in the FedExCup standings; the top 100 after next week’s RSM Classic will keep their Tour cards next year. He led Takumi Kanaya by one shot. Braden Thornberry was also 5 under with two holes to play at Port Royal.

The 38-year-old Hadwin, a two-time Presidents Cup player from Canada, had never missed the FedExCup playoffs in a decade on Tour before this year.

“A bit of a shock to the ego, I’m not going to lie,” Hadwin said. “It may have hindered me a little bit during the season because I kept struggling a little bit. I reached a point, although probably too late, probably in July and August, where I kind of accepted where I was, I just had to keep fighting.”

“I truly believe my best golf is yet to come. I have a lot more in me and I will be a better player when I get through this. It was just a matter of when I got through this and today is a good start.”

Kanaya and Thornberry also started the week outside the top 100. Ryo Hisatsune, Alex Smalley and Isaiah Salinda each shot 67, and Frankie Capan III was 4 under with two holes to play.