Tag: Mackenzie Hughes

U.S. Open: Propelled by Tiger-like eagle, Mackenzie Hughes vaults into final group at Torrey Pines

Propelled by a 63-foot eagle putt, Mackenzie Hughes shot 68 to earn a spot in the final group at the 121st U.S. Open.

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SAN DIEGO – It lacked the fist-pumping reaction of Tiger Woods, but everything else about Mackenzie Hughes’ 63-foot eagle bomb at the par-5 13th was shades of Tiger on Saturday at the 2008 U.S. Open.

“I know Tiger was further right (in 2008), this putt was going right to left…the charge through your body when the ball goes into the hole and the crowd goes wild is kind of why we play,” Hughes told NBC’s Steve Sands after the round. “I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.”

That wasn’t the only goosebump-inducing moment for Hughes. The 30-year-old Canadian rode a back-nine 32 at Torrey Pines’ South Course to a share of the 54-hole U.S. Open lead with Russell Henley and Louis Oosthuizen. Hughes has missed the cut in six of his eight previous appearances in majors and has never finished better than T-40. Doesn’t matter – he’s got a tee time in the final group on Sunday at the 121st U.S. Open.

“You get goosebumps thinking about it, so I know I’m going to be nervous tomorrow,” he said. “I essentially played today around the lead all day. I think I was only ever a few back the entire day, so it felt – I think it’ll feel different tomorrow being in that last group, but you do the same things. You mentally tell yourself the same things, and I’ll be referencing my yardage book and my notes a lot. But yeah, I’m going to try and enjoy it lots, and yeah, embrace the moment.”

Hughes has one victory to his credit on the PGA Tour, and enjoyed his best season in 2019 when he finished in the top-30 in the FedEx Cup standings. His recent form has paled in comparison. He entered the week having missed his last five cuts.

“You kind of wonder when you’re going to get it back on track, going the right way, and so I got to Saturday, today, and just felt like, OK, the hard work is kind of done for me. I’m going to go have some fun and play golf.”

What else does he attribute his turnaround to this week? He moved his ball position forward and started hitting predominantly a cut. That and a couple of mental keys that he didn’t care to divulge have righted the ship and lifted his spirits.

“It’s really easy to get down and to be negative and to pout and feel bad for yourself, but I’ve been trying to do the hard thing, which is to be positive, glass half full, optimistic, looking for the progress, and that’s kind of a little bit what I’ve been working on,” he said.

It has finally paid dividends this week. Hughes signed for a 3-under 68 after getting up-and-down for birdie from a greenside bunker on the par-5 18th.

Is there any better slump-buster than winning a major? On Sunday, Hughes will have the chance of a lifetime.

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Three tied for U.S. Open lead, with Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau lurking two shots back

Russell Henley managed Saturday on the top of the U.S. Open leaderboard beautifully, even as others surged to meet him there.

SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Open bills itself as the toughest tournament in golf, a pressure-filled cauldron designed to push players to the limit and identify the strongest one. As the new marketing campaign goes, “From many, one.”

But there seemed to be a lid on that cauldron for most of Saturday afternoon at Torrey Pines Golf Course for one of the overnight co-leaders, Russell Henley. While England’s Richard Bland slowly slid down the leaderboard while shooting 77, Henley never reached higher than 6 under or lower than 5 under where he started.

The even-par 71 was a classic, grind-it-out U.S. Open round for the 32-year-old former All-American at the University of Georgia. With 18 holes to go, he is now tied for the lead with Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen at 5 under.

“I think I learned I can do it,” Henley said after signing his card. “(It) definitely wasn’t a perfect back nine, but (I) hit a lot of good shots, a lot of good recovery shots. Felt like I was thinking well. Just a little better execution. (I’m) definitely capable of playing better, and I think I can do it, and we’ll see.”

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Hughes, whose lone victory on the PGA Tour came at the 2017 RSM Classic, was plodding along through much of the day like Henley, waffling between 1- and 2-under par. Then, from the back of the 13th green, the Canadian did a Tiger Woods impression and holed a 63-foot eagle putt. It vaulted him to 4 under, a shot behind Henley. But a birdie on the par-5 18th pushed Hughes into a tie atop the leaderboard at 5 under.

“I don’t think I’m ever surprised when I play well,” Hughes said. “I wouldn’t say I necessarily expected to be in the last group this week, but I know that my game is good enough to win on the PGA Tour. I’ve done it before. This is a bigger stage, but again, it’s the same. You do the same things.”

Oosthuizen, who finished second to Phil Mickelson at last month’s PGA Championship, was 2 over on the day before he birdied 16 and then drained a 51-foot eagle putt on the 18th to join Hughes and Henley at 5 under.

“I think a year ago that would have been a very boring eagle with a few people going nuts,” Oosthuizen said. “But that was nice to see everyone back, having fans back, and those reactions don’t happen all the time, and it’s great to hear the crowds.”

Meanwhile, a pair of former U.S. Open champions who play the modern power game made their move Saturday.

Rory McIlroy, the 2011 U.S. Open winner at Congressional Country Club, shot 67 to reach 3 under par, two shots behind the leaders.

“It’s definitely the best that I’ve played this week,” Rory said. “I felt like I played well on Thursday, and 70 felt like the worst I could have shot. A little scrappy yesterday, but then today, I hit a lot of fairways starting out, hit a lot of greens, gave myself a lot of birdie chances. (I) didn’t actually make that many, but I just stayed really patient knowing that, if you’re not making bogeys out there, you’re not losing ground.”

Rory McIlroy reacts with caddie Harry Diamond after putting out on the 17th hole during the third round of the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

McIlroy, in fact, made up quite a bit of round on Henley Saturday, going from six shots behind the overnight co-leader to just two shots behind with 18 more holes to play.

The 2020 U.S. Open winner, Bryson DeChambeau, shot 68 to join McIlroy at 3 under.

“I’ve always thought that in order to win big, big tournaments you’ve got to be able to hit it dead down the middle of the fairway, make a lot of great swings into the middle of greens and make putts,” DeChambeau said Saturday. “You can definitely do it that way, but for the way the courses that have been set up recently, there is a way to win others. Hitting it as far as you can, sometimes hitting in the fairway, sometimes not, and hopefully get lucky lies out of it and you can get clear shots to the green. If you can miss it in the right spots, you can contend in major championships doing that. Depending on the course.”

Three more power players will start Sunday’s round at 2 under. Scottie Scheffler (70), Jon Rahm (72) and Mathew Wolff (73) all still have a realistic chance to win their first major championship.

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Mackenzie Hughes’ Sunday showing was the week’s best at Vivint Houston Open

Mackenzie Hughes fired a scintillating 63 that pulled him into the top 10 for the PGA Tour’s Vivint Houston Open.

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.

Houston Open: Leaderboard | Photos

“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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PGA Tour at players react to latest racial injustice

The PGA Tour released a statement prior to Thursday’s round and afterwards, several players shared their thoughts on the matter.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs continued on Thursday at Olympia Fields near Chicago, the second of three playoff events on the PGA Tour but a discussion point throughout the day was the ongoing racial divisions in the U.S.

Before the first tee shot was struck, the Tour, in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, issued a statement, which pledged support for athletes of other pro sports leagues using “their respective platforms to bring about the urgent need for change in our country. There have been a number of efforts in the past to send a message that the current climate is unacceptable, and these teams, leagues and players now taking this step will help draw further attention to the issues that really matter. The PGA Tour supports them – and any of our own members – standing up for issues they believe in.”

Cameron Champ
The Nike golf shoes worn by Cameron Champ with messages written in support of Black Lives Matter at the 2020 BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club. Photo by Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Several players spoke after their rounds.

Cameron Champ

“I have Papa Champ on my sneakers, Black Lives Matter and Breonna Taylor. Obviously there are some very important reasons why that’s on my shoes. For my grandfather, if anyone knows my story, he grew up in the South, Jim Crow, all those eras through the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s and obviously Breonna Taylor, which is another ongoing issue. For me again that’s kind of where I stand with this. I just want to show my love and support and obviously with my hat, as well.

“Black Lives Matter means all lives matter. When people say all lives matter, yes, all lives matter, but so do Black lives. It’s a situation where, again, as a country, as a whole we’ve kind of dug ourselves a hole. Now with media and people videotaping and seeing things, it’s starting to come alive. People are starting to talk about it, which is the good thing. Without dialogue, without talking about it, nothing is going to happen. And so I think this is — it’s a decent start, but obviously there’s still a lot of stuff going on that quite frankly should not be happening at all. And even with Jacob Blake, it’s the same thing. I get criticized for doing something, but then when you look at the facts, he’s still a human being. Regardless if he has a criminal record, regardless of any of that, he’s still a human being, and for me just to watch that video — again, regardless of what he’s done in his past or people saying he had an arrest warrant or he had this, he had that, he’s a human being. It just has to end.”

Tony Finau

“Anyone that’s willing to have the uncomfortable conversation about systemic racism and just that in general in our country I think is a healthy thing for all of us,” said Finau. “We continue to learn from each other in a positive way I think is the most important thing, and we all have different perspectives as we go through our life. Listening to each other I think is a big deal, so they took a stand for what they think is the right thing, and as a society I think it’s our responsibility to just listen and pay attention to what’s going on around us, and if we’re willing to have those uncomfortable conversations, I think our country can continue to move forward.”

BMW Championship
Mackenzie Hughes hits his tee shot on the 16th hole hole during the first round of the BMW Championship golf tournament at Olympia Fields Country Club – North. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Mackenzie Hughes

“It’s a very difficult topic. I think there’s no question that there’s a problem, and I hear both sides of it. I do a good job of trying to listen to both sides and hear both sides. We need to come to a solution for sure. There’s no reason for that much force to be used in that kind of situation. I think we can all agree on that. Yeah, it’s just unfortunate that we’re dealing with this in this day and age. … I think things need to change. There needs to be discussion to continuing, and yeah, I’m willing to talk to anyone about it and keep it going.”

Tiger Woods

“I talked to the commissioner (Jay Monahan). Obviously he released his statement, and all the guys were on board. So no, obviously there was talk about it (not playing on Thursday) because of obviously what happened, but we’re all on board, on the same page.”

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How low can they go? Players score early and often in Travelers Championship first round

Golfweek’s David Dusek recaps the first round of play at TPC River Highlands for the Travelers Championship.

Golfweek’s David Dusek recaps the first round of play at TPC River Highlands for the Travelers Championship.

Mackenzie Hughes celebrates 54-foot birdie putt in epic style before finishing runner-up

Mackenzie Hughes holed a dramatic 54-foot putt for birdie on No. 17 at the Honda Classic on his way to a runner-up finish.

Mackenzie Hughes’ late lead would be short lived, but the way in which he temporarily tied Sungjae Im on Sunday couldn’t have been more dramatic – and his celebratory fist bump was epic.

After making the cut on the number, Hughes shot a 66 Saturday to get into contention, jumping from T-59 to T-8 after 54 holes.

On Sunday, his birdie putt from 53 feet, 8 inches on the 148-yard 17th hole got him into a temporary share of the lead. Unfortunately, the celebratory mood didn’t last long. Moments later Im rolled in his own downhill birdie putt from 8 feet to regain the one-shot advantage. Then Hughes’ approach on the 18th flew left and into the grandstands. He took a drop and a birdie attempt from 21 feet slipped 5 feet past the hole.

But Hughes, who finished solo second and one shot ahead of Tommy Fleetwood, shared a sweet moment with his infant son after the round.

“Are you still proud of me?” he asked his baby boy, Kenton, according to the PGA Tour.

Proud? With his second straight 66, Hughes took home the second-place check for $763,000.

Hughes’ sole career PGA Tour title came at the 2017 RSM Classic. Until he reached South Florida, his 2019-20 results had been bleak. In 11 previous Tour starts, Hughes has missed nine cuts. He had missed the cut in all five starts in 2020, but this week he found magic.

Perhaps the Honda will be the start of a resurgence.

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Sungjae Im drives off with his maiden PGA Tour title at Honda Classic

The 21-year-old Im fired a 4-under 66 and edged Canadian Mackenzie Hughes by one stroke at PGA National.

Sungjae Im finally backed up his reputation as one of the emerging stars of the PGA Tour by earning his maiden victory at the Honda Classic.

Im, the 21-year-old reigning Tour rookie of the year, played the infamous Bear Trap, three consecutive water-laden holes beginning at 15 at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Champion course at PGA National Resort and Spa, in 2 under en route to shooting a final-round 4-under 66. Im had to scramble for par at the par-5 18 to finish at 6-under 274, and edged Canadian Mackenzie Hughes by one stroke.

“I’ve been in this spot many times. I just felt like the experiences really helped, especially on the last few holes. I just wanted to get a little more aggressive [on the last four holes]. I was just happy to finish the way that I did,” Im said through his caddie, Albin Choi, who served as an interpreter.

Im, who turned pro at age 17, played a Tour-high 35 tournaments last season, recording seven top-10 finishes and was the only rookie to qualify for the 30-man Tour Championship last season. His teammates at the Presidents Cup called him “The Weapon,” and his swing has been compared to the USGA ball-testing robot Iron Byron because it is so repeatable. The South Korean, who entered the week ranked No. 34 in the world, also doesn’t have a permanent residence and lives week-to-week at hotels with his parents joining him in a separate room and helping him in his U.S. adventure.

On a wild day where no less than four golfers held or shared the lead, Im birdied four of the five first holes to cut into the lead of 54-hole leader Tommy Fleetwood. Im took just 11 putts in his first 10 holes before back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 12 and 13 temporarily slowed his march to victory.

Hughes, 29, nearly went from the cutline to the winner’s circle. After making the cut on the number at 3 over, Hughes shot 66, the low round of the day on Saturday, to improve 51 spots. Playing alongside Im, Hughes holed a bunker shot at 13 on Sunday and played his first 15 holes without a bogey to join the trophy chase.

Fleetwood, No. 12 in the world has won five times on the European Tour but he’s the only player in the top 20 of the world ranking without a victory on the PGA Tour. Fleetwood, runner up at the 2018 U.S. Open and 2019 British Open, raced to a three-stroke lead with birdies on the first two holes, but failed to make another birdie until 17 and hit his second shot at 18 in the water to blow another chance to put an end to the questions of when he will win on the PGA Tour. Fleetwood finished alone in third after a 1-over 71.

Im seized the moment at 15, where water guards both the front and right sides of the green, and a large bunker to the left is a magnet for those who bail out. Im stuck a 5-iron to 8 feet and canned the putt for birdie, and knocked his tee shot to 8 feet again at 17 and rolled the downhill putt in moments after Hughes poured in a 54-foot birdie putt to momentarily tie for the lead. But Hughes, who had missed five cuts in a row and hadn’t recorded a top-10 finish since the Charles Schwab Challenge in May, hooked his second shot into the stands at 18 and failed to make birdie. He finished with a second straight 66.

Im was the 36-hole leader at Honda a year ago, but the moment proved to be too big for him and he ballooned to a Saturday 77 and finished T-51. Not this time. Im became the youngest champion of the Honda Classic and the 14th international player to win the title in the last 27 years.

“Even after winning Rookie of the Year and having a few chances to win, I really wanted to get that win,” Im said. “Had a few good chances that slipped away, but I’m also still very grateful that I could win at such a young age, and to have it happen as fast as it did, I’m very happy and satisfied.”

Sony Open odds, predictions, picks and PGA Tour best bets

Analyzing the 2020 Sony Open in Hawaii, with PGA Tour betting odds, picks, predictions and best bets.

This week’s Sony Open in Hawaii sees the PGA Tour’s first full-field event since the RSM Classic in late November. The 7,044-yard, par-70 Waialae Country Club hosts the tournament yet again in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The key stats for this week are:

  • Strokes Gained: Approach
  • Bogey Avoidance
  • Good Drives Gained
  • Eagles Gained
  • Strokes Gained: Par 4s

My model at Fantasy National is set to the most recent 36 rounds for each golfer in the field played on par-70 courses under 7,200 yards in length and featuring Bermuda grass greens.

Sony Open – Tier 1

(Photo Credit: Adam Hagy – USA TODAY Sports)

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 8:45 a.m. ET.

Webb Simpson (+1200)

Simpson leads my stat model and is the best in the field in both SG: Approach and SG: Par 4s. He’s third in the field with an Official World Golf Ranking of No. 12, and he shares the second-best odds with Patrick Reed. The five-time PGA Tour champ didn’t play here last year, but he was T-4 in 2018 and T-13 each of the three previous three years.

Marc Leishman (+4500)

Leishman tied for third here a year ago, and he hasn’t finished worse than T-47 in any of his last five tries. He ranks seventh in the field by the OWGR measure, but he’s 13th by the odds at BetMGM. He’s a good value pick following last year’s top finish and a solo third at the Safeway Open in September early in his 2019-20 campaign.

Sony Open – Tier 2

(Photo Credit: Kyle Terada – USA TODAY Sports)

J.T. Poston (+5000)

Poston is coming off a T-11 finish in the 30-man field at last week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions. He has missed just one cut in nine events since vaulting into the top 100 of the OWGR with his first career win at last season’s Wyndham Championship. He leads the field in Bogey Avoidance, and he ranks seventh in Good Drives Gained and fourth in SG: Par 4s.

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Rory Sabbatini (+8000)

Sabbatini is one of many in the field returning to competitive play for the first time since the RSM Classic. He’s coming off a 2019 calendar year in which he had six top 10s against just four missed cuts for his most successful season since his last PGA Tour win in 2011 at The Honda Classic. This is a similarly short venue, and he’s made the cut in four of his last five appearances with a T-6 result in 2015.

Sony Open – Longshots

(Photo Credit: John David Mercer – USA TODAY Sports)

Luke List (+15000)

List didn’t play this event last year following a missed cut in 2018, but he did finish T-13 in 2017. He enters the week ranked 145th in the world following three missed cuts to start his 2019-20 season, but he did have two runners-up last year. He also finished second at the 2018 Honda Classic amid a stronger field.

Mackenzie Hughes (+25000)

Hughes isn’t much of a course fit (49th in Eagles Gained and 57th in SG: Approach), but this number is far too high for a former PGA Tour champ. A $1 sprinkle at these odds returns a profit of $250.

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RSM Classic odds, predictions, picks and PGA Tour best bets

Analyzing the 2019 RSM Classic and which golfers are the best options for the event. Who will win at Sea Island GC?

The PGA Tour’s final full-field event on the 2019 calendar takes place this week in Glynn County, Ga., at Sea Island Golf Club with the RSM Classic.

The key stats for this week via historical data from Fantasy National are:

  • Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green
  • Strokes Gained: Approach
  • Strokes Gained: Short Game
  • Strokes Gained: Scrambling
  • Par 4 Efficiency: 400-450 Yards

My model looks at the most recent 50 rounds for each golfer in the field.

RSM Classic – Tier 1

Photo Credit: Adam Hagy – USA TODAY Sports

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET.

Webb Simpson +900

Simpson is the top golfer in the field with a rank of 12th by the Official World Golf Ranking. He finished solo third here last season and finished T-7 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in his most recent event. He leads the stat model with top-five ranks in four of the five key stats.

Kevin Kisner +2200

Kisner won at Sea Island in 2015. After missing the cut the following year, he was T-4 in 2017 and T-7 last season. Ranked No. 34 in the world, he’s third in the field in par-4 efficiency from the key distance. He has gained more strokes per round at this venue than anyone other than Simpson (minimum 20 rounds played) since 2010, according to Data Golf.

RSM Classic – Tier 2

Photo Credit: Mark Konezny – USA TODAY Sports

J.T. Poston +5000

Poston missed the cut here each of the last three years, but he’s coming off of a T-24 at the HSBC Champions and T-27 at the Zozo Championship in far stronger fields.

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Brian Stuard +8000

Stuard ranks third by my stat model this week with a top rank of 11th in the field in SG: Around-the-Green. He finished T-23 last week at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and tied for fourth at the Shriners earlier this year.

RSM Classic – Longshots

Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez – USA TODAY Sports

Luke List +10000

List finished in a tie for fourth last season and tied for 13th in the fall of 2016.

Mackenzie Hughes +15000

The 2016 champion missed the cut each of the last two years, but he’s priced near the bottom of the board with a $10 bet returning a profit of $1500. He missed the cut at the OHL Classic the week before his 2016 victory so his current poor form isn’t a huge concern.

2019-20 winners: Joaquin Niemann – A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier (+2800)

Get some action on this tournament by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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