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.
