One of the more intriguing storylines at the Dean & DeLuca Invitational is the inclusion of Canada’s Jamie Sadlowski in the field.

Sadlowski is famous for his incredible success in long-driving competitions, which he retired from last year to pursue a career as a Tour professional.

 
He has been playing on the Web.com and MacKenzie Tours, but was given his first entry into a PGA Tour event as a “champion’s choice,” a Colonial tradition where the past champions decide on two players to give a special exemption to.

Sadlowski was 3-over in his first round, which left him in a tie for 75^th.

Bullets

• Sadlowski showed off his long-driving prowess at Colonial, which actually has a reputation for requiring great iron play over long drives.
• His first drive went 365 yards, and he finished third in the field in driving distance (297.5), trailing only Jon Rahm (304.3) and Jonattan Vegas (298.8).
• While Rahm is near the lead, Vegas did not get much of an advantage from the longer drives, shooting a 12-over 82, the worst round in the field.
• The 28-year-old Sadlowski had three birdies and six bogeys in the first round.
• Sadlowski has twice won the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, the biggest event on the long-drive circuit.

Quotable

“I look at this as I’m trying to start a new career and I’m working hard at it. At the end of the day, I want to prove myself I can play out here.”
–Jamie Sadlowski

This post appeared originally as part of the Daily Rundown.