WATCH: Mackenzie Hughes holes impressive eagle at Irish Open
Canadian golfer Mackenzie Hughes is in action at the ongoing 2024 ProCore Championship in Napa, California. The second round of the tournament is currently underway.
Hughes was previously seen at the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind. He missed the cut to qualify for the BMW Championship by placing 58th. However, in a remarkable fight for redemption, the 33-years-old has put himself in contention for the 2024 ProCore Championship title.
At the par-4 4th hole, Mackenzie Hughes, hit a spectacular 148-yard eagle in round 2. He celebrated it by throwing both his hands in the air. That shot helped him move up to T3 at the time.
Hughes had hit 5-under 67 during round 1. In round 2 his score is 7-under.
Mackenzie Hughes to feature in Presidents Cup for the first time
Canadian golfer Mackenzie Hughes will be making his Presidents Cup debut this year. He is all set to represent the International team on his homeground at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada.
The Ontario native had missed the cut to be an automatic qualifier by ranking outside of the top six. The chances of him being the captain's pick also seemed slim as he was stood 15th in points before the selection. However, International team captain Mike Weir picked him as a wildcard.
This year, the International team will feature four Canadian golfers, including Weir himself. Mackenzie Hughes,Taylor Pendrith and Corey Connors were the captain's picks. Hughes was ecstatic about getting the call from Weir. He said via TSN:
"Yeah, the whole thing is a bit of a fairy tale. I've had this one in my mind for quite a while, a long time with Mike [Weir] being a captain, playing in Canada. There was a huge emphasis on being here. Obviously, I had to rely on a pick, and to get that call. Even when the phone rings, you're not sure what it's going to be. To kind of sit on eggshells those few days, was really tough. Then to get the news was just pure elation,"
Apart from the Canadians, Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa, Si Woo Kim of South Korea and Min Woo Lee of Australia, completed the wildcards list. The six captain's picks join the automatic qualifiers, Adam Scott and Jason Day of Australia, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, and Byeong-Hun An, Tom Kim and Sungjae Im of South Korea.
There is a stark difference in the pattern of selection made by the International and the US sides for this year's Presidents Cup. While US team captain, Jim Furyk, chose the next six players in points as his picks, International team captain, Mike Weir, went with an unconventional approach. This aided in Mackenzie Hughes getting selected into the International team.
The side has always been the clear underdog in the history of the Presidents Cup, having won it just once in 1988 and tying in 2003.