Hughes hopes to rekindle Honda magic

TSN Senior Reporter

Follow| Archive

Two years ago, in the first round of the Honda Classic, Mackenzie Hughes was walking down the 10th hole sitting at one over par after a scrambly opening nine.

In the back of his mind, he was trying to stay positive but that was hard considering his recent form. He’d missed the cut in nine of his previous 11 starts and the past five consecutively. He appeared headed for yet another weekend off. That’s when his caddie, Jace Walker, stepped up and offered some words of encouragement.

“He could tell my frame of mind and he just said one thing to kept me focused,” related Hughes. “He knew I needed some confidence.”

Hughes played the next nine holes in one-under to post a score of 71. The next day he added a 72 to make the cut on the number.

What happened over the next 36 holes changed Hughes’ year and, in many ways, the direction of his career. Back-to-back rounds of 66, buttressed by some remarkable putting, left him one shot back of winner Sung Jae Im. He went from 287th in the Official World Golf Ranking to 158th.

As he prepares for this year’s edition of the tournament at PGA Resort and Spa’s Champion course, Hughes reflected on that finish and how it was a turning point for him, even if it took a while for that year to play out.

“I tried to use that as momentum,” he said. “Unfortunately, we had the next three months off.”

That edition of the Honda Classic turned out to be the final tournament before COVID-19 shut down the PGA Tour for three months. But when play resumed, Hughes kept up his hot hand.

He’s since logged 13 finishes inside the top 15 and missed 13 cuts, seven less than he had the previous two years. More importantly, he’s had good finishes in big events. He made it into