Adam Hadwin Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Hadwin always seems to fly under the radar, but he is a consistently solid option that often seems to outperform when he is priced at a value. He ranks inside the top 45 in the same metrics I have referenced for other golfers: ball striking (26th), par four scoring (14th), and approach (42nd), except Hadwin is cheaper than all of them. He hasn’t missed a cut in five cut events since the restart, which suggests that his game is in a good place. He probably doesn’t have winning upside in this loaded field, but you don’t need that at this salary.

Hadwin didn’t have the best weekend at the Workday Charity Open, but he still managed to post a top 35 finish. This was one week removed from a T4 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. In total, he’s made five of six cuts at Muirfield Village, which is impressive given the fact that he’s a better golfer now than he was five years ago. He’s gained strokes on approach and with his putter in six straight events, which is a lethal combination at any course. With a slightly bigger emphasis on hitting fairways this week, that should help Hadwin as he’s not the longest off the tee. He can typically keep it together around the green, so let’s hope the irons and putting combo continues.

I don't expect Hadwin to be low owned by any means, but I do hope he avoids becoming one of the chalk plays in the $8,000 range. His recent form doesn't look that great on paper, posting finishes of T43 and T41 since the break. In fact, he doesn't have a top 25 on the PGA Tour since last October. The good news is that he has gained strokes with his irons and with his putter in each of his last four events. If you can hit good approach shots and drop putts, you can easily find your way into contention at Detroit Golf Club. Hadwin is a great putter when you get him off of bermudagrass and he's a cut maker with upside.

Hadwin was close to making my core plays article last week, but I ultimately got away from him given the fact that he just had a baby and that he hadn't played a tournament in a couple of months. He was just fine at the Waste Management, posting a T40 finish while gaining strokes in all facets except his irons. While that's a small concern, I'll trust the larger sample with his approach game (37th in this field). He's surprisingly good off the tee and is ranked in the top 20 in strokes gained putting on Poa Annua grass. He has played here twice over the last three years, posting finishes of T18 (2019) and T39 (2017). He's a cut maker with upside, as evidenced by his four top six finishes in his last 13 events on tour. He doesn't have a major weakness in his game and he's clearly used to the pro-am format and three-course rotation for this event.

This pick isn’t totally about the statistical measures. By all accounts, Hadwin’s game has definitely lagged so far in 2019. The ball striking has still been there, but he’s been pretty hit or miss with everything else. He has alternated good and bad starts over his last four events (18th-75th-33rd-MC), but this represents a good spot for him to find some form. The weaker field is a nice bonus, as is the mid-range price tag. Hadwin has finished 1st and 12th here over the last two editions, firing eight consecutive rounds of par or better. That’s impressive around this place, and he seems to have a great feel for the short game at Innisbrook. He’s a great bounce-back candidate for GPP formats in this spot.

I didn’t expect to write up Hadwin this week. He wasn’t on my radar early in the week, but after running my model, he rates out as the top point-per-dollar play of the entire slate. Yeah, I thought that was a bit strange too. He had a bad weekend at the Genesis Open, but was in really solid form before that event. He has played here two times in his career, posting finishes of T6 and T36. Bermuda is his preferred putting surface, which is always a bonus. The two statistics that really stood out for Hadwin are his par five scoring (first in the field over the last 24 rounds) and his par three efficiency from 200-225 yards (fifth in the field). He’s currently projected with less than 10% ownership, so let’s keep this pick to ourselves.

The words just don’t feel right as I type them, but Hadwin is my favorite play of the week when you factor in salaries. He has made seven straight cuts on tour, posting three top ten finishes during that stretch. He’s driving the ball as well as he ever has, gaining nearly ten strokes off the tee in his last four tournaments alone. He has a great short game and is one of the best putters on poa in the field. The icing on the cake is his course history. He has played here four times, making the cut in all four and posting finishes of T6, T34, T16, and T22. He hit at least 70% of his greens in all four rounds last week, so if he can bring that same ball striking and putt a little better, he could easily find himself in contention on Sunday.