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What Mackenzie Hughes said after winning Sanderson Farms Championship, ending 6-year drought

langston newsome, mississippi clarion ledger
·4 min read
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Mackenzie Hughes needs to feel the pressure of sudden-death playoff golf. The 31-year-old hasn’t won a PGA Tour event any other way.

The Sanderson Farms Championship came down to the second playoff hole between Hughes and Sepp Straka, with Hughes claiming the victory with an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 18 as darkness threatened to suspend the event until Monday.

Hughes' fist pump as the putt sank to the bottom of the hole said it all. He knew it was going in off the putter.

“I’m over the moon,” Hughes said. “I had some moments today where I was tested and was able to pull through. It’s kind of my MO a little bit, to scramble and save some pars. I had to do that.

“(I) did everything I possibly could. Just grinded my butt off and luckily it was good enough.”

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The victory came 2,141 days after his first PGA Tour victory at the RSM Classic on Nov. 21, 2016. Hughes was tangled in a five-man playoff at the RSM Classic to secure the victory. It was his fifth tournament on the tour. Hughes has 17 top-10 finishes to go along with two third-place finishes and three runner-ups since then.

“It’s been a while,” Hughes said. “I’ve had some close calls. Finishing second, while it’s still great, it kind of stings when you’re that close. I just wasn’t going to accept that today. Somehow I was able to pull through and it definitely feels a little sweeter than the first one.”

Mackenzie Hughes blasts out of the sand on the 18th green during the first of two playoff holes on the final day of the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson on Sunday, October 2, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. Hughes would save his par and win on the second playoff hole with a birdie.
Mackenzie Hughes blasts out of the sand on the 18th green during the first of two playoff holes on the final day of the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson on Sunday, October 2, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. Hughes would save his par and win on the second playoff hole with a birdie.

Hughes carded a 3-under-par 69 on Sunday to get to 17 under for the tournament. The nine-year pro went into the final day in second, trailing Mark Hubbard at 14 under. Straka was tied for third before finishing with a 67.

Hughes and Straka held off Garrick Higgo (16 under) and Dean Burmester (15 under) on the back nine to force the playoff, and Hughes hopes it leads to more wins sooner than later this season.

“Winning gives you a lot of confidence,” Hughes said. “It validates a lot of work I’ve been putting in. It’s just really hard to win. I know this gets said a lot but I’ve been close a lot in the last five years and to finally get the monkey off my back for the second one is just the greatest feeling in the world.”

Mackenzie Hughes watches his approach shot on the 1st hole on the final day of the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson on Sunday, October 2, 2022, in Jackson, Miss.
Mackenzie Hughes watches his approach shot on the 1st hole on the final day of the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson on Sunday, October 2, 2022, in Jackson, Miss.

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The feeling is closely followed by having another PGA Tour trophy to proudly display for his son, Kenton. The Sanderson Farms Championship trophy — a chicken statue befitting the Wayne-Sanderson Farms poultry company — will spend some time in Kenton's room. His family being in Jackson to witness it all meant everything to Hughes.

“It’s probably the coolest part of the whole deal,” Hughes said. “I put in long hours and I haul my family across the country a lot and they put up with the silly hours and the travel and all that stuff for me. To have a cool moment like this with them, to see them run on the green. Words can't describe how good that feels because I love them so much, and my family is growing, which is incredible.”

Hughes was even after eight holes and recorded three birdies and no bogeys in his final 10 holes. Straka’s round included birdies on four of his final five holes on the front nine.

On the first playoff hole, Straka found the green while Hughes’ ball came up in a bunker short of the green. He was able to get up and down from the sand, and Straka’s birdie missed just to the right of the cup.

Hughes hit a clutch par putt on the 16th hole to remain at 17 under. Moments later, Straka had a birdie putt on the 18th come up short. Hughes missed a birdie putt on the 17th hole and got up and down for par on 18 to force the playoff.

It’s the second time in the past three months Straka has lost in a playoff, including to Will Zalatoris on the third playoff hole at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first 2022 FedEx Cup Playoff event.

Golfweek's Cameron Jourdan contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mackenzie Hughes wins Sanderson Farms Championship, ends 6-year drought