Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor on their way to PGA

It started years ago as when the two players at the vanguard of the next wave of Canadian golf were teenagers at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club, an ordinary little course on the edge of Abbotsford, B.C. Hadwin's father, Gerry, was the assistant professional there for years before he moved on to Morgan Creek Golf Course in Surrey, B.C.

Taylor and his older brother Josh spent summers working at Ledgeview, but mostly spent their time there with a club in their hands.

"It is a little strange how so many good players have grown up on that course and come out of it, but it's really cool," Taylor said. "It is a really good course for juniors."

When the club's former captain Tom Hall - also Taylor's high school golf coach - would arrive early for a round with his Sunday foursome, Taylor was at the range. When he made the turn after nine holes, Taylor was at the putting green. After the round was finished and Hall had enjoyed lunch at the clubhouse, Taylor would be teeing off with friends from his high school team - juniors were not allowed on the course until 1 p.m.

If Hall returned to sneak in a quick nine with his wife before sundown, Taylor would most assuredly greet him again, somewhere in the midst of completing 36 holes. So much for homework.

Taylor practically lived at Ledgeview, but Hadwin was easier to find.

"As a 16-year-old, you could hear him from two fairways over," Hall said. "We'd have to say ‘Adam, we appreciate your enthusiasm, but you have to curb the words you're using.' "

It was not abnormal for juniors to get fired up on the fairways at Ledgeview - the club has a "culture of trying to beat other people," Hall said.

Under Hall, the stoic Taylor was the "cornerstone" on a Yale Secondary School team that won three British Columbia high school championships in his four years there. The fiery Hadwin competed for a Robert Bateman Secondary School team that had less success at the provincial level.

In those days, Hadwin was often "in the shadow" of Taylor, whose reputation preceded him, Hall said. Taylor was the Canadian junior champion at 18 and the Canadian men's amateur champion at 19. At the University of Washington, Taylor was a three-time all-American and the 2010 college player of the year.

But Hadwin has finally caught up because of his impressive 2011 campaign, in which he earned more than US$440,000 in just five events on the PGA Tour. He began the season on the Canadian Tour but played his way into the U.S. Open, where he finished 39th. At the Canadian Open, he announced himself by playing in the final group on Sunday and finishing fourth. He played a couple of Fall Series events that included a seventh-place finish at the Frys.com Open.

Hadwin is now ranked 243rd in the world, second among Canadians behind only David Hearn. Taylor is ranked 1,230th.

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