Dundas golfer Hughes in the Masters
AUGUSTA, GA. — As they made their way around a blazing Augusta National Golf Course Tuesday morning, the two of them were taking everything in. The gorgeous views, some incredible shots by the world’s top players, the massive crowds.
“It was on our bucket list,” Virginia Raymond says of a trip to the Masters Tournament, with her husband, John. “But we never thought we’d get here.”
She could add a line to that quote: “We never thought we’d get here … to watch our grandson play.”
After all, who could possibly dream that big?
Yet, here the proud grandma and grandpa were, following their grandson, Mackenzie Hughes, for 18 holes as he navigated Augusta National with fellow Canadians Mike Weir and Adam Hadwin. Calling it a special day doesn’t really cut it. It was outstanding. Not just for them, either. For Hughes, this day was the one he’d been waiting for since that late afternoon in 2003 when he sat in front of the TV in the family’s Dundas home and watched Weir win the green jacket. It was at that moment he decided this is what he wanted to do. Not play just pro golf. Play golf here.
“That was the time I first thought it would be really cool to win — but even to play on this golf course,” he says. “I’ve got Step One down, playing. Now I need to get to Step Two.”
That’s what Tuesday was about. It was no coincidence that he hooked up with Weir for his prep time. For a few holes on Monday, too, before some monsoons blew in.
This course is indeed as picturesque as you’ve heard. In fact, it’s more than you’ve heard. It may be the greenest spot on Earth. But it’s also every bit as difficult to play as you’ve been told. So, tapping into a former champion’s brain is invaluable research. Asking for advice from someone who’s conquered the place is a resource you can’t ignore.
Weir was completely accommodating. He offered tips on where to aim and how greens break and the best ways to approach particular pin positions. Often standing on the green like a professor explaining stuff to Hughes and Hadwin who were sponging it all up.
“That kind of stuff you don’t get by yourself or you don’t get without playing with a guy like Mike Weir,” the Highland Secondary grad says. “That was experience you can’t buy.”
But if this was a business seminar — it absolutely was — Hughes was determined to make it fun.
There is a Practice Round tradition that on Hole 16, players stand on the edge of the pond protecting the par-3 and try to skip their ball across the water and onto the green. His first attempt succeeded, but went past the hole. So, to the delight of the big gallery, he decided to try again. He skipped it again, but it went long again.
Then he went all Tin Cup and pulled out a third ball. Which was perfect, stopping about 10 feet short of the pin and causing the crowd to erupt.
“It’s fun to get the crowd involved and hear those early Masters roars,” the 26-year-old says.
That wasn’t all. A few moments before while crossing Hogan Bridge in Amen Corner — arguably the most-familiar spot in golf — he sat. Then he lay down spreadeagle. Hamming it up for the crowds and showing a side of him that he doesn’t always show.
“It’s just such an iconic spot,” he says, breaking into a broad smile. “I’ve had people tell me to walk around and enjoy yourself. It’s such an iconic course. Appreciate where you are and soak it all in. That’s what I’m trying to do. Trying to smile a little more than I normally do.”
The point is, he could make this week thoroughly stressful and tense. He’s choosing not to do that. Yes, it’s the Masters and that’s a big deal. But being bound up won’t help his game. Nobody can be at their best when they’re tight.
If practice rounds mean anything, he might be on to something. His game looked sharp and he appeared thoroughly unfazed by the hugeness of everything.
It helps that he’s confident he belongs here, even though he admits he arrived sooner than he might’ve expected. In the span of a few months he’s earned his PGA Tour card, won a tournament, banked well over $1 million and has a chance to live his dream. On the grandest stage in the game.
It’s quite a roll he’s been on. Throw in a marriage and you’ve got a full resume.
“I like my game and my chances if I play well,” he says. “We’ll see what happens.”