Sanderson Farm Championships 2022 standings, divisions: Mackenzie Hughes beats Sepp Straka in extra holes
Mackenzie Hughes went above and beyond her own consistency to win the 2022 Sanderson Farms championship in a two-hole playoff with a birdie walk against Sepp Straka. Hughes pulled an article 69 in the regulation that ended with a nasty bounce on the 72nd hole to enter the playoffs, which he conceded with an early punch that proved to be correct. The win, Hughes’ second on the Tour, ended a drought of 155 professional starts between wins.
When I say Hughes has risen above his own constancy, this is what I mean: The Canadians are yours. Prototype Medium PGA Tour Player. He makes a lot of cuts, ticks a lot of the top 30s and top 40s, but he rarely wins because he rarely has the weeks of deviation needed to win the PGA Tour. Interestingly, he had one of those last year when he hit 12 strokes (a winning number at many events) at the RSM Classic but failed.
That is not the case this time. Hughes took advantage of some great tee-to-greens (he finished first on the field this week with strokes from tee-to-green) and closed an elusive win. start.
“I kept telling myself all week that I was going to do it,” Hughes said. “That’s the only thing I see in my mind. Those propositions help relieve stress, just try to put the ball in the hole. I’d say that describes my game a little bit as grit and persistence. The second feels harder than the first, that’s for sure.”
The saves are pretty amazing. The shot on the 72nd hole was tough, but he had an equally great up and down shot from a beachside bunker on the first hole of the playoffs.
Hughes almost never finished outside the top 75 in the FedEx Cup, but he also rarely finished in the top 25. He was just a good player who rarely got a taste of victory. There were plenty of them on the PGA Tour, but Hughes seemed more focused on winning than most. Just existing as a casual PGA Tour player doesn’t have to be taxing, but Hughes should be applauded for doing what very few seem to want to do: put himself in the running to win and take shots hit (and hit the ball) to really succeed.
The one he beat, Straka, has now lost two playoffs in his last four PGA Tour starts. He’s been stellar all week – he’s fired all four rounds in the 60s – and could be ready for a breakout year. The greasy Austrian tennis player looks exactly like someone who will have a career year culminating in a 3-0-1 record at next year’s Ryder Cup in Rome just before Luke Donald pours his beloved Diet Coke from the Ryder Cup straight to the back of Straka’s throat.
However, we are getting ahead of ourselves. This is the 2nd event of 47 of the PGA Tour season, and although it lacks the chaotic ending of the first event – when Danny Willett kicks out Max Homa – it still provides some context. Good scene for the rest of the season. Straka, as a breakout European, and Hughes as a person who, as some would say when the football season is in full swing, could have that dog in person. Grade (for both): A +
Here are the rest of our scores for the 2022 Sanderson Farm Championships.
Mark Hubbard (T5): It was not a Sunday to remember for Hubbard, who topped 54 holes. He shot past 2 points in the final round – being the only player in the top 12 to shoot over the frame – and couldn’t earn the good lead he had built in the first three days. Hubbard is an exceptionally easy-to-root player and is always fun to have him in contention. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have his best when it comes to what will lead to his first PGA Tour win. Grade A-
Davis Riley (T19): After day one, I think we could get a Sam Burns tournament, with Riley starting his season with an early win and some whispers about whether he can make it to the top. United States Cup Ryder team next year or not. Instead, he’s lacked over the past three days with rounds 71-70-71. Riley tried a lot on the tee shot. Normal is not his weak point – and as a result he let a group of players looking at him after 18 holes overtake him in 54 finals. Grade B
Sam Burns (T30): Burns is the top-ranked player in the field this week, so his T30 must have been a disappointment – especially after a strong President’s Cup week and at a golf course he’s played at. won just a year ago. Burns played great at tee, but he struggled elsewhere and couldn’t find his iron game (he finished second on approach shots a year ago and 49th in this week). This says nothing about his long-term ability or what I expect of him this season, but it is likely not the start of the season he envisions. Class B-
