Adam Hadwin arrived at the US Open early Saturday with one hole to play. Shoot a birdie, and he'd get to play 36 more.
The 22-year-old from British Columbia was about to tee off at No. 9 Friday evening when the horn sounded, suspending play for the day. He was at 5 over, one stroke below the cut line.
''I was in the clubhouse and I checked the scores and I knew that 4 was going to be the number, so I needed birdie,'' Hadwin said. ''It was a late night, early morning.''
Teeing off at 8:15 a.m. at the long par 5, Hadwin put his drive in the rough, got his second shot to 98 yards and nailed his approach within six inches. Easy birdie putt. Cut made. His trip to Congressional will come with a paycheck.
''You've got to splurge a little bit here,'' said Hadwin, whose Saturday evening plans included a trip into Washington, D.C., to see the sights. ''This is my first Open, and so I'm going to treat myself well and enjoy, and obviously making the cut helps.''
The birdie came with another, more important payoff. Hadwin's brother was recently hospitalized with Crohn's disease, so the two of them created a campaign to solicit pledges for every birdie Hadwin makes at the championship.
After making the cut, Hadwin showered, ate breakfast, then teed off in the third round with the first group at 10 a.m. He shot a 73 despite the quick turnaround and snagged three more birdies, giving him nine for the tournament and a total of about $10,000 raised for his cause.
''Tomorrow's just going to be about having fun and making birdies,'' he said.
