Chesson Hadley hopes Rex Hospital Open will help him get back to the PGA Tour

Just two years ago, Chesson Hadley had a chance to win the Players Championship on the PGA Tour.

After a third-round 66 at TPC Sawgrass, the Raleigh native was three shots out of the lead, snapping his fingers after birdies – a Hadley trademark – and having some serious fun. Among those also tied at 7-under-par after 54 holes was Rickie Fowler.

Fowler, with a late surge, shot a 67 on Sunday and then won a playoff against Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner, earning the biggest victory of his career. Hadley shot 74 and tied for 24th, earning an $81,000 paycheck that offered some consolation but could have been bigger.

But so much can change so quickly. On Wednesday, with the PGA Tour pros getting in their final practice swings for The Players at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Hadley was at TPC Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh for the Rex Hospital Open media day, talking of how he hopes to soon be back out on the big tour with Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Garcia and the best players in the world.

“The game of golf is brutal,” Hadley said. “It kicks you when you’re up and kicks you when you’re down. But it can go just as much the other way, and you try to ride that huge wave of momentum.”

Hadley, born at UNC Rex Hospital, won the Web.com Tour event in 2013, riding that wave, thrilling his family and a host of friends with his “hometown” victory in the Rex. He charged down the stretch on Sunday at Wakefield, making birdies, nailing his final approach shot to a foot at the 18th hole to clinch it.

“It was awesome,” he said. “That’s the most special thing I’ve done in my career to this point.”

The former Georgia Tech All-America was on the PGA Tour in 2014, winning the Puerto Rico Open and more than $1.7 million, and was named the tour’s rookie of the year. With a two-year exemption on tour, Hadley banked more than $1.1 million in 2015, with two top-10 finishes and his run at The Players.

But he earned a little more than $500,000 last year, good wages for most people but not enough to keep his PGA Tour card.

Hadley has conditional status on the PGA Tour as a former winner but intends to spend much of this year on the Web.com Tour, where the top 25 money-winners secure PGA Tour cards for the next year. That’s what he did in 2013, when he also won Web.com Tour Championship.

“The last year, year and a half, it’s been difficult to be motivated,” Hadley said. “You work hard to get out there and have this good attitude on the golf course, so you can give yourself the opportunity to play well. It’s been a hard road, and it’s really hard to be motivated when you’re struggling like that for so long. You just get negative.”

Hadley, 29, hoped things would change last week. He was competing in the Wells Fargo Championship in Wilmington and received some good early week attention when he showed up at a Bojangles’ restaurant at 7 a.m. to help make biscuits.

Hadley said Bojangles’ is one of his sponsors and he enjoyed being in the kitchen that morning with the dough. But golf is his day job, and he didn’t like the rounds of 77 and 76 that followed or missing the cut in the PGA Tour event.

In four PGA Tour appearances in 2016-17, Hadley has made two cuts, tying for 45th in the RSM Classic in Sea Island, Ga., in November. He opened 65-66-67 to get into contention but had a final-round 77.

Some would say going the Web.com Tour route again is a bit humbling, but Hadley said it’s a matter of perspective. When he was playing in the eGolf Tour, he said, his goal was to one day make it to the Web.com Tour and then play his way on to the big tour.

“I still have a phenomenal opportunity in front of me,” he said.

So he will work on his swing. He will work on his putting and short game. He will be back June 1-4 when the Rex Hospital Open is played, looking for another sweet Sunday at home.

“I truly believe I’m trending, I’m headed in the right direction,” Hadley said. “I’m excited about the next couple of weeks. It’s been tough, but when when I get going again, and I get my mojo back …”

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Chesson Hadley hopes Rex Hospital Open will help him get back to the PGA Tour."