Adam Hadwin of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan has earned the 10th spot for the International Team at the 2017 Presidents Cup in golf in Jersey City, New Jersey from September 28 to October 1. The fascinating four day event has the top 12 players from the United States face the top 12 players born outside the United States and Europe.
On Monday, at the conclusion of the Dell Technologies Championship in Boston, Hadwin had a strong enough finish to crack the top 10 in the official world golf ranking. (The 11th and 12th players on both teams will be chosen by their team’s captain. For the United States, it is Steve Stricker and on the international team it is three-time major champion Nick Price of Zimbabwe).
Hadwin had 2.60 Official World Golf Ranking points. He had 0.22 more points than Emiliano Grillo of Argentina, who had 2.38 points and finished in 11th place. Joining Hadwin, are Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, Jason Day, Marc Leishman and Adam Scott of Australia, Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace of South Africa, Players Champion Kim Si-Woo of South Korea and Canadian Open champion Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela.
Hadwin’s biggest accomplishment in 2017 was winning his first PGA Tour event. He won the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida in March by a stroke over Patrick Cantlay.
Hadwin becomes the the third Canadian to participate in the Presidents Cup. Mike Weir of Sarnia, Ontario represented Canada at five straight Presidents Cups from 2000 to 2009 and beat Tiger Woods in a great Canadian sports moment when the tournament was held in Montreal in 2005. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Saskatchewan was the last Canadian to represent the International Team in 2013.
