Mackenzie Hughes says he figured out a 'formula' to 'sober up' and play at Sanderson Farms Championship after Presidents Cup

Mackenzie Hughes "sobered up" for competing at the Sanderson Farms Championship after playing in the biennial Presidents Cup. The 2024 edition is being held at the Country Club of Jackson in Mississippi from Thursday, October 3 to Sunday, October 6.

The Canadian player is paired with defending champion Luke List and Patton Kizzire and scored 7-under 65 in the first round. He is tied for fifth with Kizzire, Bill Haas, Chandler Philips, Paul Barjon, Beau Hossler, Lucas Grover, Daniel Berger, and Jacob Bridgeman.

Hughes was asked about the transition from the Presidents Cup in Canada in the post-round press conference.

"I think I had the formula figured out pretty good. Monday was basically sober-up, Tuesday recovery and rest, travel here. Wednesday was just a light day with the pro-am and a bit of practice," Mackenzie Hughes said.

"Felt like Wednesday evening I had caught my breath and was really to come out here today. Obviously it's a big high to come off from last week, but my job is still here and I was ready to go."

Mackenzie Hughes won one of the four matches he played at the Presidents Cup. His only win came in the foursomes when he was paired with Corey Conners. The duo defeated Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau. They won by a big margin of 6 & 5.

Hughes was bogey-free in the first round at the Sanderson Farms Championship and scored seven birdies. He scored three consecutive birdies on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th holes while four on the 11th, 13th, 15th, and 16th on the back nine.

Assessing his performance in the round, Hughes said:

"Yeah, it was quite good. I felt like when I was in a little bit of trouble I got myself out of it and was able to make a few nice up-and-downs. And then, yeah, my good shots were great and I hit a few nice shots on the par-5s, which made for a few easy birdies."

"Yeah, overall, pretty happy with it. You know, couple shots I want to have back, but for the most part, really happy with the start," Mackenzie Hughes added.

David Skinns is on the top of the leaderboard with 12-under 60 in the first round. Michael Thorbjornsen is three shots behind with a score of 9-under 63.

Mackenzie Hughes will tee off at 1:45 p.m. ET along with Patton Kizzire and Luke List in the second round on Friday, October 4, 2024.

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A look at Mackenzie Hughes's performance in 2024

Mackenzie Hughes has had a decent 2024 season. In 23 starts on the PGA Tour, he has had four top-10 finishes and eight top-25 finishes. He finished 52nd in the FedExCup standings after the playoffs. His best performances include a T3 at the Valspar Championship, a T6 at the Wells Fargo Championship, a T7 at the RBC Canadian Open, and a T4 at the Procore Championship. His other notable finishes include a T14 at the Texas Children's Houston Open, a T16 at The Open Championship, and a T19 at the 3M Open. He also has four missed cuts in 23 starts.

Here's a look at Hughes's performances in the 2024 PGA Tour tournaments:

• The Sentry: T25 (68-70-70-64, 272, -20)
• Farmers Insurance Open: T64 (70-67-78-73, 288, E)
• AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: T71 (76-70-70, 216, E)
• The Genesis Invitational: T31 (69-65-72-74, 280, -4)
• Mexico Open at Vidanta: Missed Cut (77-73, 150, +8)
• Arnold Palmer Invitational pres. by Mastercard: T30 (75-71-71-72, 289, +1)
• THE PLAYERS Championship: T26 (70-73-69-68, 280, -8)
• Valspar Championship: T3 (68-68-69-70, 275, -9)
• Texas Children's Houston Open: T14 (66-72-69-65, 272, -8)
• RBC Heritage: T39 (66-66-75-71, 278, -6)
• THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson: T41 (71-64-72-64, 271, -13)
• Wells Fargo Championship: T6 (73-71-69-66, 279, -5)
• PGA Championship: Missed Cut (74-70, 144, +2)
• RBC Canadian Open: T7 (69-64-67-70, 270, -10)
• the Memorial Tournament pres. by Workday: Missed Cut (78-71, 149, +5)
• U.S. Open: Missed Cut (72-82, 154, +14)
• Travelers Championship: T36 (65-72-69-65, 271, -9)
• Genesis Scottish Open: T46 (66-66-69-72, 273, -7)
• The Open: T16 (69-74-75-68, 286, +2)
• 3M Open: T19 (64-72-70-68, 274, -10)
• Wyndham Championship: T28 (67-69-69-66, 271, -9)
• FedEx St. Jude Championship: 58 (70-71-70-69, 280, E)
• Procore Championship: T4 (70-67-66-72, 275, -13)