Hadwin living the Q School nightmare

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 Q School is capable of turning a good year into bad year. Hadwin, 23, had rounds of 76 and 75, the latter including a bogey, bogey finish on Sunday that left him demoralized and facing an uncertain future.

"If I continue to bring this game I'm not going to have any status next year," he said. Hadwin is now tied for 92nd with a one round remaining, on the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West here.

"If i want any chance of playing on the PGA Tour next year I have to shoot low 60s," he said. "I don't know how far off I am from a Nationwide Tour card, but after this round today that's pretty much all I've got."

Another poor round would limit his Nationwide Tour status and relegate him to more time on the Canadian Tour. What are his chances of avoiding that? Probably not good, given his response to a question as to how he might put Sunday's round behind him.

"Get drunk?" he said. "I don't know. I've been trying to find it all week. I haven't had anything all week, really. Besides good finishes each of the first few days i've played like (expletive) this week."

-- John Strege