Fantasy Lookahead: Adam Hadwin to continue upward trend following short break
Adam Hadwin had been playing some of the best golf of his PGA Tour career prior to the U.S. Open. While he ultimately failed to qualify for the second major of the season, he entered his week-long hiatus with seven consecutive made cuts, and he suspended the stretch with an 11th-place result at the Memorial Tournament.
It was his second-best finish of the season, and his best since a sixth at the CareerBuilder Challenge in January.
The seven made cuts was the longest streak of Hadwin's professional career, and with roughly half the PGA season remaining, he's less than $100,000 short of a career high in single-season earnings. He could very well set a new career mark with a quality finish at this week's Quicken Loans National at Congressional Country Club.
Course History
While Hadwin came 21st at this event in 2015, it's important to note last year's tournament was played at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, instead of the usual home at Congressional. There's still something to be gained from this finish, as the strength of field was similar with the event being scheduled as one of the final tuneups in advance of The Open Championship.
He entered the week with two preceding top-20 finishes and a seventh at the RBC Canadian Open.
His lone career appearance at Congressional came in the 2011 U.S. Open, when he placed 39th in what was his first career major tournament and just his second PGA Tour event. He had a strong finish with a final-round score of 3-under par, but he couldn't overcome his opening round of 75.
Statistical Breakdown
Per FantasyInsiders, the following stats have been strengths of previous winners at Congressional Country Club:
Driving Distance (DD)
Par 4 Scoring Average (P4S)
Proximity to Hole from 200-plus Yards (PROX)
Here's how Hadwin has fared in the selected statistics so far this year:
| DD | P4S | PROX |
|---|---|---|
| 107 | 68 | 83 |
While Hadwin is among the shorter drivers on tour, the old adage "drive for show, putt for dough" is exactly what Hadwin has been doing this season.
He ranks fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting and in Total Putting. His 1.723 putts per hole rank seventh on tour, and his 1.61 percent 3-putt percentage ranks fourth. He had the longest streak without a 3-putt of the season, at 314 holes.
Though he struggles on Par 4s, his Birdie or Better percentage of 19.06 percent on Par 3s leads the tour.
Daily Fantasy
Hadwin comes with a moderate salary this week, making him a staple for cash-game lineups. The fact he has just one top-10 result despite his recent upward trend makes him a strong contrarian selection for GPPs. His 60.5 DFS fantasy points per week ranks in the upper half of the field.
He hasn't demonstrated much upside, but was trending in the right direction and has had an extra week to make additional corrections to his game. His ownership percentage will be low but a few more strong results will likely push him to the forefront. Buy low now; this might be the last chance to do so.
Season-Long Fantasy
Hadwin ranks near the top of a thinner B-List this week, with many of the most-used golfers being absent from the field. Owners should have all or most of their starts remaining with Hadwin and there's no special dates for which to be saving him.
He's tee off shortly after noon Thursday, Giving no discernible advantage to his average early or late scores, which are separated by less than half a stroke. Rounds two and one have been his best rounds this year, making him a candidate to be in lineups for the beginning of the tournament. Sub him out on the weekend if necessary.