VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 23, 2024

Mackenzie Hughes

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. You hung in there all day, 69, three rounds in the 60s here. You got to be pretty happy, despite the bogey on the last, right?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Yeah, I think again if you told me I would be in this position at the start of the week I would have taken it. Yeah, I got a few things to kind of iron out. I'll good to the range and get a few swings in. I lost a few to the right today. But, all in all, again, start of the day, if you told me I would shoot 69, I probably would have taken it.

Q. Seeing you on television, each time I looked up you were rolling putts in for birdies ands pars, but the putt on the last looked like it was tracking. What did you think from your point of view?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Yeah, I mean, super hard putt that, if you had said, Hey, you're going to 2-putt this and walk away, I would have been pretty pleased. Obviously I'm trying to get it as close as possible, and when it started to kind of crest that ridge and turn towards the hole I thought, man, I might have stolen one. But, yeah, it wasn't to be. I was out of position from the start and 5 wasn't the worst score.

Q. Can you talk about that second shot, it looked like you had a restricted swing or something funky with the lie.

MACKENZIE HUGHES: The shot itself wasn't that hard, but it was, in the back of my mind, that tree, when I had done a couple rehearsals I hit the top of that tree with my back swing, like into the bark, and I was, like, kind of trying to limit my back swing and then focus on where I was trying to hit it. Obviously there was a lot going on there and, yeah, I just didn't hit a great shot. But if the ball was just a hair further back and I don't have that back swing issue I feel like it would have been a much easier shot. But yeah, so, tough shot, and 5 again wasn't the worst score from over there.

Q. It was an exciting back nine for everyone. A lot going on out there. What was it like to be in the middle of that?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: I thought the atmosphere out there was great. To be in the mix was a lot of fun. Yeah, no, it was great. I love being in these positions, and when you're in the hunt and the fans are excited and the weather's nice, it's a fun afternoon. So I really enjoyed myself, it was fun out there, and look forward to the battle tomorrow.

Q. The only guy in front of you finishes, what, 3, 2, 2. What do you make of that?

MACKENZIE HUGHES: Oh, he holed out on 18? Wow. I mean, that's awesome. That's stealing a few shots right there. Yeah, one guy ahead of me, I mean, again, I think with how jammed the leaderboard is, it's just another one of those days where you kind of just go take care of your own business and kind of see where that puts you. So, obviously, Keith is playing well and he'll be tough to beat.