A decade after making his PGA Tour debut on home soil at the 2012 RBC Canadian Open, Mackenzie Hughes is in contention at this week’s event in Toronto and looking to become the first Canadian to win the Canadian Open since 1954.
If he doesn’t shank the win away, that is.
Full-field scores from RBC Canadian Open
Hughes started strong with an opening-round 66 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club that had him leading most of Thursday. Fast forward to Friday: after starting the round at 4 under and T-5, he’s fluctuated to as high as 1 under due in large part to a nasty toe shank on the par-4 fourth.
One over through the first three holes, Hughes’ tee shot on the fourth went 255 yards, landing just off the fairway in St. George’s thick rough, with 212 yards to go to the hole.
The 31-year-old seemed to set up his next shot nicely, but when he initiated his backswing, he seemed to lose track of the ball. Instead of hitting green, Hughes moved his club closer to him as he swung and made contact with the toe of the iron, resulting in a shank 47 yards directly to the right and deeper into the rough.
It would ultimately take Hughes notching a double bogey to finish the hole.
While it doesn’t make up for the cringeworthy shot, he did birdie the next hole to earn one of those strokes back.
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