MONTREAL—Mackenzie Hughes stood upon the large dais in the Presidents Cup interview room Wednesday at Royal Montreal Golf Club attempting to do some quick math.
He’d been asked how many times he’s partnered with fellow Ontarian and Kent State University alum Corey Conners in Tuesday money games on the PGA Tour through the years.
“Well, let’s see: Corey and I have been on tour, him seven (years), me eight, 25-ish tournaments a year. We play basically every week together. I’m going to say well into the hundreds — 150, 175 times on Tuesday where we’ve played somebody in some fashion,†Hughes calculated.
The followup was obvious: What is your winning percentage?
“Well, him and I are usually playing someone on the west coast,†Hughes answered, referring to B.C. boys and frequent opponents Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor. “I’d say we win a lot. Eighty per cent.â€
But no victory bigger that Friday’s.
Plenty of trouble lurks down the stretch at Royal Montreal’s Blue Course, which makes it a
Perhaps 24 hours later than most here would have wanted, Hughes and Conners partnered in the most meaningful match of their lives and delivered a phenomenal performance, dusting Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau 6-and-5. It was a conquering that concluded when Conners hit his tee shot on the 211-yard par-3 13th hole to five feet. Hughes rolled the ball in for the pair’s seventh birdie of the day and, as he’d done from the start, cupped his right ear with his hand and prompted the fans to roar even louder.
Between them, Conners and Hughes hardly missed a shot. And while it would be unfair to say they sparked Friday’s big International team comeback given they were in the fourth match, theirs was the one that seemed to matter most.
“My first start, my first session, playing with Corey, to play like we did, it was beyond what I had envisioned,†said Hughes, a Presidents Cup rookie. “Obviously I’ve waited a long time for that first opportunity and it exceeded my expectations by a long way.â€
It was the biggest highlight of a banner day for the Internationals, who responded to the United States sweeping Thursday’s session with a 5-0 beat down of their own. A board full of gold after Thursday’s sea of red and a counterpunch few saw coming. In the process, their play generated the kind of hostile atmosphere captain Mike Weir hoped the U.S. would encounter. Whereas this place was peaceful and unpopulated in places on Thursday, Friday’s crowds were vast and raucous and even obnoxious. Royal Montreal became a hard place for the opponent to play.
“The atmosphere was a lot different ... there were a lot more people, which just brought energy to the event today compared to yesterday,†said Finau. “From an environment standpoint, there’s no question that there was more energy on the International side, and the Canadian fans definitely showed up today.â€
Said Weir: “I said — I think on Golf Channel — I thought maybe half of Montreal took the day off of work. The crowds were that big out there and really energized from the get-go, from the first hole. It was fantastic. I certainly hope it’s just as loud this weekend. I believe it will be. We’re really hoping they come out loud and strong like they did today.â€
In the first match, Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im shocked all with a thorough throttling of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. They won 7-and-6, making eight birdies in all and seven straight to finish. It was the largest margin of victory in Presidents Cup history and left the vaunted American duo stunned. Behind them, Adam Scott and Taylor Pendrith powered their way to a 5-and-4 win over Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa. Next, Jason Day and Christiaan Bezuidenhout hung on for a 1-up win over Max Homa and Brian Harman, with Day hitting a sensational flop shot on the 18th hole to seal the deal. In the last match, which featured world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler with Russell Henley, it was Si Woo Kim and Byeong Hun An who surprised with their own 1-up victory.
Fans watching this year’s Presidents Cup, starting Thursday at Royal Montreal, are surely pining
Scott, who looked so disconsolate Thursday, beamed with pride in his post-round interview.
“I think we all came out here today playing for our own pride, really, and I think that started it off the right way. And the crowd carried us through the day, which was incredible,†the 11-time Presidents Cupper said. “Hearing those cheers, knowing it was for our team on other holes across the golf course, that’s got to be motivation for us for the rest of the week.â€
With two sessions in the books, both captains have moved form to the forefront of their decision-making and thus it’s no surprise Weir will go with three of the same groups as today in Saturday’s four-ball session, which begins at 7:02 a.m. Scott and Pendrith will start, with Conners and Hughes right behind them. Three Canadians and the most seasoned of the International side out early, in an attempt to keep the train rolling. Matsuyama and Im in the anchor position, with the two Kims — Tom and Si Woo — out third.
“I think right now we’ve got a bit of momentum going, for sure,†said Scott. “If we can get off to a great start tomorrow and get the crowd on our side again with some good play, then hopefully we can keep it rolling. But they’re going to want to do what we did today. So we’re going to have to be on it, be focused, and keep our levels high because that team’s no joke.â€
And neither is this competition. It appeared so after the opening day, but no more. Now it’s all square, and it’s game on again.
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