Mackenzie Hughes believed he figured out the formula for quickly what he termed as “sobering up” from the hangover that stemmed from the International Team’s loss in the Presidents Cup.
Hughes didn’t want to miss the 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship.
The first two days of the week for the golfer from Hamilton Canada, were spent resting and traveling to Jackson. No golf, but time to recover from it. Hughes said all this was followed by a calm Pro-Am event on Wednesday that helped him feel out the course at The Country Club of Jackson before his tee time on Thursday.
“I felt like, by Wednesday evening, I kind of caught my breath and was ready to come out here today,” Hughes said Thursday. “Obviously, it’s a big high to come off of from last week, but my job is still here, and I was ready to go.”
It’s been a long, grueling PGA Tour season, and Hughes felt competitively tested throughout. Hughes has made the cut in 19 of 23 events, including four top-10 finishes. It’s earned him $3,213,408 this season.
Hughes was selected as one of the 15 International Team members for the Presidents Cup. The United States won 18½-11½ with Hughes earning 1.86 points.
The 33-year-old Hughes said the Sanderson Farms stop was an event circled on his calendar all season, but with the Presidents Cup getting thrown in the mix he had to wait a little longer to take a much-needed break from playing.
With Hughes’ last win on PGA Tour at the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship, he didn’t want to miss the chance to return to a course he heavily favors from the landscape to the community.
“I just love coming here,” he said. “I love the golf course, the people are great.”
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Hughes now plans to take a month-long break from golf after he leaves Jackson.
“While I’m still warm, I’ll come here, get a start under my belt, and then take a bit of a break,” he said. “I’m not sure when I’ll play next, but I knew in the next call it five weeks that I wasn’t going to play. This was one I wanted to come to, and obviously, as past champion, love coming here.”
Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mackenzie Hughes’ reason to play Sanderson Farms after Presidents Cup
