SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 2, 2022

Mackenzie Hughes

Country Club of Jackson

Quick Quotes

Q. It was a while for the second one, but boy, the short game and the putting came through for you this week. What are you feeling right now?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Yeah, I'm over the moon. I had some moments today where I was tested and was able to pull through. It's kind of my MO a little bit is to scramble and save some pars. I had to do that a little bit today on the back nine.

Yeah, did everything I possibly could, just grinded my butt off, and luckily it was good enough.

Q. You count the first playoff hole you were 23 of 25 in scrambling. In that final hole in regulation, that shot you hit was unbelievable. What was going through your mind right there?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Yeah, that putt, you just don't practice putts that long. It was super fast. I just kept telling myself that I was going to two-putt that putt. I was going to get down there and I was going to make it.

My mental demeanor, my outlook has been so much better. I've been trying to be really positive. I've been trying to tell myself that I'm really good, and I think it's easy in this game to go the other way and to beat yourself up sometimes.

I was pretty relentless in my ability to tell myself that you're really good and to go trust it.

Q. Your first win was in a playoff in the fall. Your second win was in a playoff in the fall. You've got two kids, one on the way. I'm guessing your third win is not too far off.

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Yeah, you know, winning gives you a lot of confidence. It validates a lot of work I've been putting in. It's just really hard to win. I know this gets said a lot, but I've been close a lot in the last five years, and to finally get one and get that monkey off my back for the second one is just the greatest feeling in the world.

Q. Just talk about the day. There was a lot of grinding out there, some great par saves on the back, kind of how you saw the day play out.

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Yeah, I felt like I hit a lot of really great shots, and kind of missed one on 13 that would have given me a little boost. Made a mess of the par-5 but actually made a great save to make 5, and that kind of felt like a bit of a birdie to me.

Yeah, the rest of the way in was a mixed bag. It was like I had a great save on 16 but then 17 I had a great look to get one ahead and missed it. Then 18 made a great save.

It was a bit of a mixed bag, and I was just kind of fighting like hell to stay in it.

Q. When you made that putt on the second playoff hole and you had the nice reaction, what did you release there a little bit?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: You know, honestly, probably a little bit of a relief. It's been a while. I've had some close calls. Finishing second, while it's still great, it kind of stings when you're that close. I just wasn't going to accept that today.

Somehow was able to pull through, and it definitely feels a little sweeter than the first one.

Q. Players tell us all the time, it's hard to win the first one but validating it with a second one is tough. All the hard work you put in, how do you put into words what it's been like the last five years since that first win?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Yeah, a lot of great stuff, a lot of good golf. I've been a fairly consistent performer over the last five years, but my goal is to win more. This is the kind of stuff I feel like I should be doing and I want to be doing. It's what makes you feel alive. I couldn't feel better right now. It's a feeling that you crave and you want to have more of, and it'll motivate me to just keep working hard.

Q. How special was it to have your family here today?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: It's probably the coolest part of the whole deal. I put in long hours, and I haul my family across the country a lot, and they put up with the silly hours and the travel and all that stuff for me. To have a cool moment like this with them, to see them run on the green, to see me -- words can't describe how good that feels because I love them so much, and my family is growing, which is incredible. Yeah, so that was probably the coolest feeling of anything that happened today.