Mackenzie Hughes won the 2016 RSM Classic. Wait, who?
The little-known rookie from Canada outlasted Camilo Villegas, Billy Horschel, Henrik Norlander and Blayne Barber in three playoff holes to snag his first PGA Tour victory. The playoff went into Monday after it was suspended on Sunday evening because of darkness.
Horschel was eliminated on Sunday night in the first playoff hole, but the other four golfers were tied after two. Then on the first hole on Monday, the par-3 17th at Sea Island, Hughes sank a long par putt for the big check and invite into the 2017 Masters.
Villegas had a chance to match Hughes' par and extend the playoff to a fourth hole, but he missed and the trophy belonged to Hughes. He's the first rookie to win wire-to-wire at a PGA Tour event in two decades.
"Standing there watch them all putt [on the final hole], I was way more nervous than when I was putting mine," Hughes told PGATour.com. "Because as each guy went down, it just became that much more real that it might happen."
This was just his ninth PGA Tour event ever. His best finish was a T13 at the Safeway Open a month ago. To say this was unexpected would be a wild understatement.
To think that Hughes would emerge even after shooting 61 on Thursday from amid this bunched-up group that finished at 17 under in regulation seemed far-fetched. But anything can happen in these playoffs, and Hughes is clearly a tough competitor.
Portions of this story appeared in the International.ca
The little-known rookie from Canada outlasted Camilo Villegas, Billy Horschel, Henrik Norlander and Blayne Barber in three playoff holes to snag his first PGA Tour victory. The playoff went into Monday after it was suspended on Sunday evening because of darkness.
Horschel was eliminated on Sunday night in the first playoff hole, but the other four golfers were tied after two. Then on the first hole on Monday, the par-3 17th at Sea Island, Hughes sank a long par putt for the big check and invite into the 2017 Masters.
Villegas had a chance to match Hughes' par and extend the playoff to a fourth hole, but he missed and the trophy belonged to Hughes. He's the first rookie to win wire-to-wire at a PGA Tour event in two decades.
"Standing there watch them all putt [on the final hole], I was way more nervous than when I was putting mine," Hughes told PGATour.com. "Because as each guy went down, it just became that much more real that it might happen."
This was just his ninth PGA Tour event ever. His best finish was a T13 at the Safeway Open a month ago. To say this was unexpected would be a wild understatement.
To think that Hughes would emerge even after shooting 61 on Thursday from amid this bunched-up group that finished at 17 under in regulation seemed far-fetched. But anything can happen in these playoffs, and Hughes is clearly a tough competitor.
Portions of this story appeared in the International.ca
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