Mackenzie Hughes set to defend Sanderson Farms title with hopes of earning Presidents Cup spot

From a masterful green jacket to a jug players dream of drinking out of, golf has a collection of prestigious trophies as synonymous with the sport as the clubs in bags. For Mackenzie Hughes, the defending Sanderson Farms Championship winner, the collection is a bit more eccentric.

“When my oldest son asked me to win a trophy, he didn't have that one in mind,” Hughes said Tuesday.

The Sanderson Farms Championship, which tees off Thursday at the Country Club of Jackson, features a rooster planted on top of a pedestal. Between that and a bear head he won at an amateur tournament when he was 20, the trophy shelf at the Hughes household is different from most.

But as Hughes − who won consecutive Canadian Amateur Championship in 2011 and 2012 − looks to become the first PGA golfer to win back-to-back titles in Mississippi since Dwight Nevil in 1973 and 1974, Hughes isn’t complaining about the hardware.

“I told (my son) I really can't be too specific or too selective with trophies,” said the 32-year-old father of three who makes his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Whenever they come, we're going to take them when they come.”

Hughes reliving the glory of 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship

As he played the back nine of Tuesday’s practice round, the memories began to roll in. Hughes was reminded of the shots he hit in high-pressure situations which led to a playoff victory against Sepp Straka.

He saved four pars in a seven hole stretch and capped it off by sinking an eight-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. Those are memories Hughes will never forget.

“It was just nice to relive those things,” Hughes said. “It's a feeling that you want to have more often. … I just want to play some good golf and get myself in position to feel those things again because that's what we all love to do the most is to compete for trophies and try and win tournaments. Yeah, definitely motivated to try and recapture those feelings from last year.”

Hughes has only one other top 10 finish this season, and he has one top 30 finish since the AT&T Byron Nelson in mid-May.

Returning to a course he knows he’s succeeded on before could help turn things around for a Canadian with plenty to play for.

“I've hit some important shots under a lot of pressure and pulled them off,” Hughes said. “You have those forever to draw back on. If I'm in a similar spot this week, like I said, coming back to last year or drawing back on my first victory, I know in those moments, those scenarios, that I can do what's needed to be done. That's reassuring.”

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Hughes shooting for Presidents Cup

Hughes, who is No. 51 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, would secure a spot in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational if he can finish in the top 60 by the end of the RSM Classic in mid-November.

It won’t “make or break” his year if he qualifies for both events. However, it’s apparent playing in the Presidents Cup holds high priority for him.

The event, which takes place every two years with USA facing an international squad excluding Europe, will be held at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada next year. As one of four Canadians to win on the PGA Tour this season, Hughes is in the running for a spot.

“My focus will actually be to not try too hard,” Hughes said. “I think Justin Thomas alluded to this a little bit in the summer when he felt like he wasn't playing very well … he wanted the Ryder Cup so bad that it almost felt like a hindrance to him. I know I'm similar in that sense, that I would want the Presidents Cup probably too badly to a fault. I need to keep that in check because, while I do want to be a part of that team, it is not life or death. But it would be one of the thrills of my career.”

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Presidents Cups hopeful Mackenzie Hughes set to defend Sanderson Farms