Mackenzie Hughes' path to PGA triumph marked by hard work, watching Friends

Flying first class more often is just one of the many little luxuries that lies ahead for PGA TOUR rookie Mackenzie Hughes.

The Canadian golfer from Dundas, Ont., won the RSM Classic in Sea Island, Ga., on Monday; he was the last man standing in what began as a five-man playoff on Sunday night and due to darkness, ended with four players vying for the title early Monday morning. Hughes sealed the deal in an unexpected fashion, the only golfer of the four left to hole his par putt – an 18-footer from just off the green on the third playoff hole.

“I played four years at Kent State in Ohio, so I am pretty familiar with playing in the cold and trying to keep warm,” said Hughes of the frigid, windy conditions the players faced. “I kept telling myself: ‘You are Canadian and this is nothing compared to some of the stuff you’ve played in, so just get out there, get to work, don’t make a big deal of it, and finish this as fast as possible.’”

To say this win is a big deal is an understatement. With the victory, the 25-year-old received a US$1.08 million cheque, an invite to the 2017 Masters, PGA Championship, the Players Championship, and the Tournament of Champions. “It’s the coolest feeling in the world to know I’m going to the Masters,” he said.

Most importantly, for him, the win gives the Canadian job security. With his maiden victory, Hughes receives a two-year exemption on the PGA tour.

“That means I know where I’m playing golf the next few years,” he said. “Prior to this week, I didn’t know what was going to happen. Often, as a rookie on the PGA tour, the hardest part is keeping your card and extending your stay … to have that locked up for the next two years is a tremendous weight off my shoulders. You can’t buy that freedom and security.”

All in a week’s work for a professional golfer, right? Jokes aside, Hughes’ hard work, dedication and perseverance played a role.

“It’s all part of the journey,” he said. “There is no straight line to the top. I’ve always looked at success and climbing the ladder that there would be valleys and holes in the road, but if you can climb out of those holes you will be stronger for it. Sitting here with my first PGA tour win has been quite a journey and it’s one I’m really proud of. I’m humbled and at a loss for words at what it all means … I’m just letting it all sink in and enjoy it; it’s been a lot of fun.

“I always believed I could win out here,” he added. “No matter what people thought around me, if people thought I couldn’t do it, it only fuelled me more. To be where I am now, sooner than I expected.”

Hughes and his wife Jenna just married on Oct. 22. One month later, he’s cashing a cheque for $1 million. One wonders if that means a few more splurges on his upcoming planned honeymoon to Thailand? When Eh Game talked to Hughes after his first tournament as a full-time PGA tour member last month, where he finished tied for 13th at the Safeway Open, good for $120,000 (U.S.), he said he might splurge on a few more activities on his honeymoon and buy “a nice TV.” After his seven-figure paycheque, Hughes remained grounded, telling Golf Digest that Jenna might get a few more massages since he “put her through some stress this past weekend.”

While Hughes might have caused his new bride some extra stress, watching him play this past week, one witnessed a sense of calm and a quiet confidence that slowly built as the week wore on. The golfer admits that it’s this newfound assurance in his ability to win that he relied upon.

Watching TV — along with a little help from some of his closest companions (namely his wife, and mom Sandra) — also helped Hughes calm his nerves throughout the week.

“Having my wife and mom there helped a lot,” he says. “Every night, we had some wine, hung out, didn’t talk about golf and watched old reruns of Friends from Season 1. It was a great way to disconnect and have some laughs.”

Hughes admits, still, there were some restless nights as he went to bed each night leading a PGA tour event for the first time. But it worked to his advantage in the end. “I didn’t sleep a lot,” he said. “There was lots of tossing and turning and lots rolling through my mind, but I woke up every morning with an adrenaline rush.”

What’s up next? After the well deserved 10-day honeymoon in Thailand, a deserved break, then back to working on his game and working with his team to put together a plan for the new year of what his goals are and what his schedule will be for the rest of the 2016-17 PGA season that starts in January in Hawaii with the Tournament of Champions.

“It was just an incredible week,” Hughes concluded. “I gained 10 times the amount of experience of a regular PGA tour event in one week because of all I had to deal with. The biggest thing for me was just to embrace that whole moment and have fun with it.”