HOUSTON — Even before coming to Houston, Mackenzie Hughes knew he’d be watching fellow Canadians on TV next week when the first fall Masters takes place.
Unlike in previous years, when a win meant a quick trip to Augusta National, the pandemic’s reshuffling meant any exemptions that went along with a Vivint Houston Open victory would be extended to next spring’s Masters.
Still, Hughes didn’t want to enter into a short vacation on a sour note. So although he entered the final round at even par — nine shots off the lead — the former Kent State star and 2016 RSM Classic champ got his motor rolling, firing a scintillating 63 that pulled him into the top 10 for the tournament.
“It was really a bunch of everything. I hit the ball really nicely. Kind of got off to a medium start, I made a nice par on 1 and then hit one close on 2 and kind of got me going. Then yeah, I was hitting my irons close and felt good over the putter. I made one kind of 20-footer, ” Hughes said.
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“Besides that, everything I made was kind of inside 10 feet, which my M.O. isn’t usually to stuff my irons and ball-strike my way around, but it really felt like a relatively stress-free 63, which you can almost never say. It’s pretty rare to say that.
“I left a few putts out there that would have been really nice to make. Just really thrilled with the round.”
Hughes’ Sunday showing didn’t just feel good, it was two strokes better than any previous number posted this week (although Talor Gooch later came in with a 63 as well). Hughes made birdies on Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 6 to make the turn at 31, but while many others have fallen victim to the back nine at Memorial Park, the Hamilton, Ontario, native maintained his momentum.
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“Yeah, I really didn’t see a round like that out there, to be honest,” he admitted. “I’ve been playing the front nine really well this week and I kind of got off to a good start and I thought, well, if I can just figure out this back nine once and for all. I think I was 8 under on the front going into today, so I was getting off to good starts and then just needed to finish it off and luckily I was able do that.”
As for next week, he’s excited to see what his countrymates can do, even if he can’t be on hand.
“I like all their chances. My buddy Corey Conners is playing great, Mike (Weir) has been playing great on the Champions Tour, so it will be really exciting,” Hughes said. “It’s Nick (Taylor)’s first time, Adam (Hadwin) seems to always play pretty well there. I look for one of them to make some noise or hopefully more.”
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