MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 4, 2022

Mackenzie Hughes

Quick Quotes

Q. I've seen you the last couple days, you've been working hard a lot on your putting. It's a strength of your game; do you think it's something you can take advantage of out here?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Yeah, I think that this place more than some others actually I think identifies the best putters. Feel and creativity -- you get putts that you don't get a lot of places, whether it be super fast from short range with lots of break, and so to see those putts going in with a very light pace but breaking a lot, I think there's a lot of art to that, and I think it's something I do quite well. Definitely an advantage.

But this place has gotten very long over the years, and you have to hit your ball quite well also.

Q. You were working on the putting green this morning. Anything kind of bugging you?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: You know, just honestly was just kind of working a little bit on start line and trying to not focus so much on, I guess, where the ball was going in practice, and then when I'm on the course, though, just trying to be instinctual, so if I get to a putt and I've got 20 feet, trying to go with kind of my first read and not put too much thought into it. I putt my best when I trust my instincts, kind of my first instincts. But I've been putting, I think, fairly well, not quite the way I would like to but close.

Q. Is it a key for success here, trusting yourself, trusting the line, everything?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Not only that, but today we were facing with -- we were faced with a lot of wind that was swirling, and so there was a lot of holes where we had the wind wrong or -- like on 12, we thought the wind was a little bit in, and so I hit 9-iron, and it was perfect, but it went like a full -- it went the full number. I hit it 157 and I hit my 9 about that, so the wind was -- it felt like it was in but it really wasn't, and then Corey hit 8 and flew it over everything into the back bunker. It's weird because sometimes you feel things that aren't actually there, and the wind kind of bounces around in the trees. It's very difficult to get that wind right on a day like today.

Yeah, it's a test that every part of your game is tested this week.

Q. You're having success on the greens here; what's the best recipe for that?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: To keep it simple, to not think too much. Like I said, if I trust my instincts on the greens, I've got good feel, I've got good touch and good imagination. I think those things bode well for putting around here.

Q. On the range you were trying two different drivers, right?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: No.

Q. It was the same?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Same driver.

Q. When you guys were on 9, Tiger was on 1, you probably saw or heard.

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Yeah.

Q. I know that you were at his Hall of Fame ceremony. At that time did you think it was possible that he'd play in this tournament and what are your thoughts so far?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: So I think originally I thought that he was -- when I saw him play the Father-Son, I thought he was going to play the Masters, just the way he looked then. Now, I knew he was riding in cart and he has to walk Augusta National, but I just thought that he had that in his mind probably that that would be a pretty cool way to come back.

The fact that he's here playing right now is unbelievable. I can't believe that he's here. But I also did think he was for a while, but then I also went through a phase where at the Hall of Fame he kind of limped up on stage and I thought, this guy doesn't look like he's ready to play. But he's gotten himself ready, and we're obviously excited to have him here.

Q. Talk about the atmosphere; did it take a while to get into the frame of mind that this was a tournament while you soak in everything about it?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Yeah, I think that my caddie and I have talked about it a couple times where this tournament feels like no other tournament. There's not a tournament on the schedule, majors included, that feel like this one. Yeah, you kind of sometimes get caught looking around. Just look right here, you look at this place and you think this place can't be real, and sure enough, it is. We played golf today, and it was fabulous.

But yeah, we have a golf tournament to play, and a pretty big one.

Q. Playing with the Canadian guys, Corey and Mike, how was the day? Any sort of tips from Mike that you picked up?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: You know, I think playing here for -- this is my third time and I've been playing with Mike now a handful of times, I think that I've kind of exhausted all those tips. I've asked him enough questions. I've been in his ear a lot. I think once you get a feel for the golf course -- we've started to see the course the same way, and when I say, hey, you play this shot like this, and he goes, yep, 100 percent, so we're kind of seeing the course the same way now, and I think being around here a few times now has given me that knowledge of where to miss. The angles around Augusta are so important, and so that's really the main thing is kind of -- I think the biggest thing is where to miss shots. Certain flags you have to be aware of what that good miss is.

But yeah, I've learned a lot from Mike, and those Canadian days are pretty fun. You get a lot of support from people just saying, "go Canada," or whatever it is out there. It's fun to be with those guys and to be here is even more special.

Q. Is he asking questions to you or --

MACKENZIE HUGHES: You know, I think that he would ask questions about I guess how we're playing or how the year has been, just might say, hey, you're swinging it great, go have a great week. I don't think at this point in his career he's looking to me for advice. He's done okay for himself.

But we're all trying to do something like he did. If you had a career like Mike had, it would be pretty incredible. Yeah, we're always looking up to him.

Q. Back on Tiger, how difficult is this course to walk?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: I told Mike walking up 18, I mean, I've got two very good legs, and I said, I feel like I've walked a long way today. You're walking up 18, you're thinking, this is a walk. I mean, every time I'm here I think that. I walk off 18 going like -- my feet, I want to put my feet up and relax because it's a good walk.

For him to walk this place for as many days as he's going to have to in a row, I hope it holds up for him. I hope his leg feels okay. But it's hard.

If I was him I wouldn't be playing very many holes Monday through Wednesday. If he played nine one day and nine another day, I think that would be plenty of golf for him. I wouldn't even play that many if I was him. But it is a really hard walk.

Q. What hole is the toughest to climb?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: 18 is brutal because 18 is at the end of your day so you've already walked -- 9 is pretty good, too, but 18 is a steady climb the whole way and you're already pretty gassed, so I'd go with 18.