LA QUINTA, Calif. — The final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament is not for the feint of heart, given its proclivity for inducing heartburn. Or heartbreak.
Adam Hadwin, a native of suburban Vancouver and a Canadian Tour player, proved his ability to compete at the game’s highest level, the PGA Tour, by virtue of his tie for fourth in the Canadian Open and tie for seventh in the Frys.com Open. He also tied for 39th in the U.S. Open and earned $432,753 in four PGA Tour starts.
He was impressive enough that the PGA Tour granted him an exemption into the final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament at PGA West here. He only needs to finish in the top 25 to earn his PGA Tour membership for 2012.
Through three rounds, Hadwin was tied for 19th, but what followed is why the tournament better known as …