Mackenzie Hughes motivated by family, hope of representing Canada

Motivated by his family and a desire to represent his native country, Mackenzie Hughes is focused and eager for what the next few weeks on the PGA Tour may bring.

Hughes and his college sweetheart Jenna welcomed their first child, Kenton, in October of last year (It’s "the best thing that’s ever happened," Hughes said early this week from his home in North Carolina.) And although the start of this PGA Tour season hasn’t been exactly what he hoped for, the fact that he’s already a winner on tour - something not many of his contemporaries can say - is something he reflects on often, buoying his confidence in tough times.

Hughes, 27, captured the 2016 RSM Classic in just his fifth start as an official member of the tour. That win was in the middle of a whirlwind stretch in his life, after getting married in October of that year (the win came in November), then buying a house in July 2017 and becoming a father three months later.

As Hughes looks inward to his family for motivation, along with outward to some big goals too - like representing Canada at the Olympics or the Presidents Cup - he feels it’s just a matter of time before he returns to form.

"I definitely have been thinking about it," Hughes said of some of the big opportunities to represent his home country, just a few days after Canada captured its most-ever medals at the Winter Olympics.

"Presidents Cup would be awesome. Olympics would be amazing. Both of those things I’m working towards. It starts next week ... trying to put four good rounds together. A lot of things could happen by then, but we’ll see. I definitely will work hard towards those goals."

Hughes sniffed the lead at the Honda Classic last week after the first round but fell back over the weekend. Still, it was his best finish of the 2017-18 campaign. Thanks to his victory last season, he was eligible for the World Golf Championship event in late 2017 along with another no-cut event, the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges - both in Asia - but passed on them to be by Jenna’s side as her due date was too close for Hughes to be halfway around the world.

Already a professional golfer’s weekly to-dos are different than someone who may work in an office, and Hughes says his routines have been adjusted as the season gets underway. This is not unlike what any first-time parent goes through, he says.

"There are things that I’m learning, from a golf standpoint, every week now with him out there with us. It’s been great, but there have been challenges. There have been hard days for sure, but starting to get the hang of it now.

"We have a pretty good routine down now ... and it’s the most fun ever."

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

It’s rare to equate diaper changing with golf, but as his confidence has grown on the changing table, it’s grown on the course as well.

"I’m confident with all situations that can be thrown at you," he said with a laugh - about changing diapers, not golf, although it could work either way. "That’s probably been the strongest part of my game so far this year ... my diaper game."

Hughes knows there is a lot of golf left in this season. He reminds himself that he is in a unique position unlike many other second-year tour pros, with that victory under his belt.

"I try to remind myself of that kind of frequently," he says. "It’s one thing to say you could (win), but it’s another thing to have actually done it. The fact I have that in my back pocket is really cool, and something I’ll always have for the rest of my life. It’s really big."

Hughes says he’s been working on all aspects of his game of late, not unlike the rest of the guys on the PGA Tour. He admits he’s frustrated that the results aren’t coming because his game is feeling fairly normal, and nothing is glaringly off. He’s happy, though, to notice he’s been able to keep a more positive mind of late, and that, he says, will be the key moving forward.

Once he gets better at keeping things positive between the ropes, he knows he can turn the results around pretty quickly - because his game is there.

"It requires a huge amount of focus for me to stay in that good place," he says. "But if I can be a bit more patient and let the rounds come to me a little bit better, I’ll be fine."

Hughes saw flashes of this last week at the Honda Classic. He chipped in on the par-4 first (his 10th of the day) and would go on to birdie six of his next seven holes in the first round. He called it a nice stretch, and says he was just undone by the final three holes - dubbed the Bear Trap at PGA National - all week long, otherwise it was a very solid result.

"Tons of positive signs from the week as a whole," says Hughes. "I’m feeling good about things. I’m working on the right things now, and I have a pretty clear mind, which is a pretty good thing in golf."

Adam Stanley has written about golf since 2011 for PGATOUR.com, LPGA.com, and the Canadian Press, among other organizations. He is a frequent contributor to The Globe and Mail and is a graduate of Carleton University’s School of Journalism. Find him on Twitter @adam_stanley.