Jason Logan: Two in a row? Mackenzie Hughes has put himself in a spot to follow Nick Taylor at the RBC Canadian Open

Source: The Star
Author: Jason Logan

ANCASTER, Ont. -- Ever the thoughtful fellow, Mackenzie Hughes was ready for the inevitable question that came his way Wednesday at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

Does Nick Taylor ending Canada's long drought at the RBC Canadian Open last year take the pressure off other Canadians who had long been trying to do the same?

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"As far as the overall weight, I think that's been lessened by Nick's win, but I show up here with my own personal expectations and desires to do well, so I don't think that I'm going to be out there thinking (that), because Nick won, there's no pressure on me anymore," Hughes said.

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"I really enjoy playing well in front of the home crowd and so, while we're not answering the question of who will be the next Canadian to win since Pat Fletcher, I still think that when we come here we're all pretty eager to do well close to home."

Hughes is home, more or less, having grown up in neighbouring Dundas. He is also in an excellent position to repeat Taylor's feat. He is tied for second at 10-under par, four shots back of leader Robert MacIntyre, and will play in the penultimate group Sunday.

"Go Canada Go For Two In A Row," reads the sign of a fan who is omnipresent here at Hamilton. After nearly seven decades of a Canadian not winning -- and more than 100 years since a born-and-raised Canadian had done so (Karl Keffer, 1914) -- that just might be the case.

Hughes is having the time of his life. From the start of his round to its finish, Hughes got the royal treatment, with fans chanting his name -- "Mac! Mac! Mac!" -- and locals dropping every Hamilton-area reference they could think of, "Oskee Wee Wee" being the most popular.

When the 33-year-old reached the Rink Hole, he motioned for the crowd to yell louder. And that was after making a sloppy bogey on the short par-4 12th hole.

"I want them to be really loud and get boisterous and cheer me on and, you know, if I can play to that crowd a little bit and use it to my advantage then I will," Hughes said.

He has always loved the chaos, he said. As a PGA Tour rookie, Hughes donned an Auston Matthews Maple Leafs jersey while playing the WM Phoenix Open's wild par-3 16th hole. One of those days he made a birdie and played to the crowd.

"Now, I think I've learned over the last eight years being on tour how to manage myself in those moments a little better," Hughes said. "But I think that's a cool and fun aspect of golf, and getting the crowd involved and getting them loud, especially here in Canada, is kind of fun to do."

Hughes carded a 3-under 67 Saturday, though his round ended on a sour note when he bogeyed the tough 18th hole, which came after he slid an eagle putt by the cup on the par-5 17th. He is tied with unheralded American Ben Griffin and New Zealander Ryan Fox, with whom he'll play Sunday. Beyond them are a slew of big names: Tommy Fleetwood, last year's runner-up, is at 9 under alongside RBC ambassador Sam Burns and Netflix star Joel Dahmen. Two strokes behind them is Rory McIlroy, who will surely do his best to make an early charge and put a scare into those on top of the leaderboard.

But MacIntrye is proving to be a great story this week. After sacking his caddy last week -- the latest in a long line of loopers he has gone through -- the Scotsman called his father Dougie in from overseas. Dougie taught his son the game and was his lone instructor up until the time he was 15.

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Despite MacIntyre working with a proper coach now, his dad is the first one he sends a video of his swing if something goes awry. More than anything, MacIntyre said, his dad has helped him with his attitude. To wit, the old man had a "wee go" at him after MacIntrye was one over through his first nine holes Saturday.

"Look, he was a sporting guy, he knows how to win, knows how to lose, he's been through it all," MacIntyre said of his dad, a renowned shinty (similar to field hockey) player in Scotland.

"He could see my head going a little bit and he's like, 'What have you been working on for the last eight weeks, 10 weeks,' whatever I've been doing, when I realized what was the problem. I kind of flipped into that mode and tried to find the positive in everything."

It worked. MacIntrye birdied his 10th hole and, after a bogey on the 13th, he finished his round birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle-par to take control of the tournament at 14 under.

He said as a left-hander in a country that has many of them, he has felt plenty of support from the crowds, though he knows he won't be the people's champion Sunday with Hughes on his tail.

"Obviously they're going to be rooting for their guy," MacIntyre said. "I'm going to go out there and try and play my best and give the crowd something to hopefully cheer about and see where we end up."