Canadian Mackenzie Hughes enters final round of U.S. Open with a share of the lead and a chance for his own Mike Weir moment

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This article was published 19/06/2021 (1905 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Before Mackenzie Hughes travelled to California for this year’s U.S. Open he described the major as the “ultimate” challenge because of how difficult it was.

“I do think I have all the tools to play well and have a good week,” Hughes told the Star.

So far, so good.

Hughes, after a 3-under 68 on Saturday, is tied for the lead heading into the final round at Torrey Pines Golf Course. The last time a Canadian was in the final group on Sunday at a major was Mike Weir at the 2003 Masters – and sports fans across the country know what happened that day.

The 30-year-old Hughes, whose best finish at a major championship is a tie for 40th — at the Masters in April — and who came into the week having missed five straight cuts on the PGA Tour, looked calm and collected on Saturday. He was 1-over through nine holes but rallied with two birdies and an eagle on the back nine.

“I’m excited,” said Hughes. “You get goosebumps thinking about it, so I know I’m going to be nervous (Sunday).”

The eagle, on the par-5 13th, was sealed with a putt from more than 63 feet away and drew immediate comparisons to Tiger Woods, who drained his own long eagle putt on 13 at Torrey Pines at the 2008 U.S. Open he went on to win. Hughes is tied with fellow PGA Tour winner Russell Henley and major winner Louis Oosthuizen at 5-under. He’ll be paired with Oosthuizen in the final group.

He said that he was a stringent leaderboard-watcher in the third round, sneaking a peek at the board whenever there was one around, just to check where everyone else was at. That, he said, got him settled in mentally.

“Kind of gives you a bit of a barometer, too,” said Hughes. “I know I dropped a shot on the ninth hole but seemed like no one was really tearing it up, so I thought, ‘OK, hang in there and stay patient, it’s going to be tough on the back nine,’ and luckily I got a few.”

Almost 4,000 kilometres from San Diego in Hughes’ hometown of Dundas, Ont. was his mother, Sandra, watching excitedly as her son climbed the leaderboard at a major championship.

“I was trying to get a line into Justin Trudeau to see if I could borrow his jet to San Diego. I’m just saying. But I’m not sure he’s taking calls,” Sandra Hughes told the Star. “That’s how excited I am.”

Sandra, a nurse at the Hamilton General Hospital, has been upset that she hasn’t been able to travel to see Hughes, his wife Jenna, and their two sons so far this year.

“I’m missing that family connection,” said Sandra, who was on site for Hughes’ first PGA Tour win in 2016. “Part of it is wanting to be there to share it and encourage and just be present and in the moment with him but obviously I’ll be watching from home.”

Hughes himself is trying to not get overly excited heading into Sunday’s finale at Torrey Pines.

Inside the top-10 through 54 holes are a handful of proven major winners like Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa, plus hungry golfers looking for their first major triumph like Jon Rahm and Matthew Wolff.

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McIlroy said he’s had the same chicken-and-avocado sandwich the last five nights, and Hughes laughed and said he’s had pizza two nights in a row – so it’ll be pizza again tonight.

“I’m not that superstitious, but I’m a little superstitious,” Hughes said with a smile.

Whatever the preparation or the night-before meal may be, Hughes knows he has a game good enough to win on Sunday.

“This is a bigger stage, but again, it’s the same — you do the same things,” said Hughes. “It’s an 18-hole golf course and 72 holes (in the tournament), so I just need to do a lot of the same things I did to win that tournament, and I’ll draw back on some of those experiences. But yeah, I’m excited for where I’m at and for the round (Sunday).”

Adam Stanley is an Ottawa-based contributor to the Star’s Sports section and the host of golf podcast Next Round’s On Me. Follow him on Twitter: @adam_stanley