Latest news with #MackenzieHughes
National Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
McCARTHY: Did RBC Canadian Open's new venue make the grade?
CALEDON, Ont. — A fan with fake abs shaved into his hairy beer belly is flexing for mobile phones as the masses prepare for another well-lubricated rendition of our national anthem. Article content The rowdiest of the Saturday afternoon crowd at TPC Toronto hang and bang on the makeshift hockey boards. The well-heeled are also in the vicinity, but kept safely above the fray in cozy corporate suites. CBS stars Amanda Balionis and Colt Knost are minutes from charging onto the tee in duelling Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers hockey sweaters. Article content Social media teams buzz about, trying to decide which part of the intentional chaos to point their cameras. In the middle of it all, Mackenzie Hughes and caddie Julien Trudeau stand on the tee box having a conversation about the wind. Article content Welcome to the RBC Canadian Open. More specifically, welcome to the Rink Hole. Article content Saw lots of new things at the rink hole this week @RBCCanadianOpen and that includes fake abs shaved into belly hair. — Jon McCarthy (@jonmccarthySUN) June 9, 2025 Article content 'It's a lot of fun. I'm very proud to be Canadian. It's a great country. I'm very proud to be from here. I can feel that pride out there for us and just for people being Canadian,' Hughes said after firing his way into contention during Saturday's third round. 'Yeah, really enjoying it. Like I said, the support's been phenomenal.' Article content The rink hole, now in its seventh iteration, has become a microcosm of the RBC Canadian Open, and of modern professional sports as a whole. Article content In a media and entertainment world fighting for the next viral moment, big events are spending plenty of time, money, and brain power on figuring out how to put all the ingredients together to create perfect bite-sized content that will find its way into your algorithm. Article content 'We're not just a golf tournament, we're a sports and entertainment property,' tournament director Ryan Paul said. 'I know we continue to try to build on the Canadiana of this event and where we can add to that.' Article content In a sea of sameness on the PGA Tour schedule, the RBC Canadian Open is showcasing its differences. Article content We might secretly cringe at listening to the 10th off-key version of O Canada belted out at the Rink Hole or at seeing Mounties used as models for a world audience, but the shame of selling out was strictly a 90s thing. When getting noticed is the end game, it's simply called leaning into your strengths. Article content Looking around TPC Toronto this week, all you see is lots of people having fun, some watching golf, some not. And if you ask around the PGA Tour, the tournament has developed a reputation, both for its vibe, and for punching above its weight as a tournament and a product. Article content 'It's become a very, very good tournament,' two-time champion Rory McIlroy said before missing the cut for the first time in five appearances. 'I think because of that, and you see guys playing each and every year, I think the field then starts to become stronger because you see your peers do something, and we're all like sort of sheep out here. Once one person does something, we all sort of try to do the same thing.'
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Manassero, Fox take third-round lead at RBC Canadian Open; Hughes low Canadian
CALEDON - Mackenzie Hughes has been here before, but he hopes to do things differently. Italy's Matteo Manassero and New Zealand's Ryan Fox both shot a 6-under 64 on Saturday to share the third-round lead at the RBC Canadian Open at 14-under overall. Hughes, from Dundas, Ont., also fired a 66 to move 13 spots up the leaderboard and become the low Canadian, two shots behind Manassero and Fox.
National Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Mackenzie Hughes in the hunt heading into final round at Canadian Open
CALEDON, Ont. — Mackenzie Hughes has dreamed of this moment. In fact, he's already been in this moment. This time, he has to believe, will be different. Article content For the second straight year, the Dundas, Ont. native heads to Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open with a chance to win his national Open. Article content Article content 'I've dreamt from a young age about doing something like this,' Hughes said after shooting a Saturday 64 to head into the final round at 12-under par, two shots back of the lead. 'I was standard-bearer back at Hamilton in '03 and volunteered at a young age and thought, 'Wow, this is really cool.' Now that I get to actually do it, I tell myself, 'Hey, you've got to lean into this. You've got to embrace it and enjoy it.'' Article content Article content He tried to embrace it last year at Hamilton Golf and Country Club. Whether it was the weight of the moment, the thought of accomplishment, or simply golf, he couldn't get it across the finish line, shooting a gut-wrenching 70 in the final round. Article content 'It was easy to kind of look forward and imagine what it would be like to win tournaments 10 minutes from my house and win the Canadian Open,' he recalled. 'It was difficult not to have that in your mind. I think it affected me.' Article content 'I think the hardest thing is to not want it too much, which is hard to turn off. It's hard to turn off something that you've thought about for years,' he said. Article content This year at TPC Toronto in Caledon, the 34-year-old Canadian will have plenty of crowd support as he tries to chase down co-leaders Ryan Fox and Matteo Manassero who head to Sunday at 14-under. Article content If Hughes is in the hunt when he reaches the rowdy par-3 Rink Hole 14th, they might be able to hear the cheers from Hamilton. Article content 'You've got to embrace it and enjoy it. A week like this, I can use them,' Hughes said of the fans. 'I can use them for energy. I can use them for momentum. We don't get that very often. If I go play anywhere else in the world and I'm playing the last round with anyone that's notable, I'm not the favourite. I'm not someone they're going to be rooting for. Here I have that going for me, and I think it's important to try and use it.' Article content Article content Article content The rather unheralded trio of Lee Hodges, Kevin Yu and Matt McCarty are tied for third, one shot back at 13-under. Hughes is tied for sixth at 12-under with Jake Knapp and Andew Putnam. Article content Article content There will be more than one Canadian trying to make history on Sunday. Canadian Open hero from two years ago Nick Taylor eagled the 18th hole on Saturday to join fellow Canucks Taylor Pendrith and Adam Hadwin at 10-under par. All three will be looking to take advantage of TPC Toronto's receptive greens and make a Sunday charge. Article content 'Certainly a low 60s is not out of the question around this place. We've seen it this week,' Hadwin said. 'I think at this point it's going to come down to whether I can get hot with the putter tomorrow.' Article content The condensed leaderboard has 15 players within three shots of the lead, and another nine players four back at 10-under, including the three Canadians, Irish star Shane Lowry, and American Sam Burns.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mackenzie Hughes in the hunt heading into final round at Canadian Open
CALEDON, Ont. — Mackenzie Hughes has dreamed of this moment. In fact, he's already been in this moment. This time, he has to believe, will be different. For the second straight year, the Dundas, Ont. native heads to Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open with a chance to win his national Open. 'I've dreamt from a young age about doing something like this,' Hughes said after shooting a Saturday 64 to head into the final round at 12-under par, two shots back of the lead. 'I was standard-bearer back at Hamilton in '03 and volunteered at a young age and thought, 'Wow, this is really cool.' Now that I get to actually do it, I tell myself, 'Hey, you've got to lean into this. You've got to embrace it and enjoy it.'' He tried to embrace it last year at Hamilton Golf and Country Club. Whether it was the weight of the moment, the thought of accomplishment, or simply golf, he couldn't get it across the finish line, shooting a gut-wrenching 70 in the final round. 'It was easy to kind of look forward and imagine what it would be like to win tournaments 10 minutes from my house and win the Canadian Open,' he recalled. 'It was difficult not to have that in your mind. I think it affected me.' 'I think the hardest thing is to not want it too much, which is hard to turn off. It's hard to turn off something that you've thought about for years,' he said. This year at TPC Toronto in Caledon, the 34-year-old Canadian will have plenty of crowd support as he tries to chase down co-leaders Ryan Fox and Matteo Manassero who head to Sunday at 14-under. If Hughes is in the hunt when he reaches the rowdy par-3 Rink Hole 14th, they might be able to hear the cheers from Hamilton. 'You've got to embrace it and enjoy it. A week like this, I can use them,' Hughes said of the fans. 'I can use them for energy. I can use them for momentum. We don't get that very often. If I go play anywhere else in the world and I'm playing the last round with anyone that's notable, I'm not the favourite. I'm not someone they're going to be rooting for. Here I have that going for me, and I think it's important to try and use it.' The rather unheralded trio of Lee Hodges, Kevin Yu and Matt McCarty are tied for third, one shot back at 13-under. Hughes is tied for sixth at 12-under with Jake Knapp and Andew Putnam. There will be more than one Canadian trying to make history on Sunday. Canadian Open hero from two years ago Nick Taylor eagled the 18th hole on Saturday to join fellow Canucks Taylor Pendrith and Adam Hadwin at 10-under par. All three will be looking to take advantage of TPC Toronto's receptive greens and make a Sunday charge. 'Certainly a low 60s is not out of the question around this place. We've seen it this week,' Hadwin said. 'I think at this point it's going to come down to whether I can get hot with the putter tomorrow.' The condensed leaderboard has 15 players within three shots of the lead, and another nine players four back at 10-under, including the three Canadians, Irish star Shane Lowry, and American Sam Burns. Hadwin expects the course could play tougher on Sunday if the expected winds kick up as the course continues to dry from a Wednesday rain storm. Adam Hadwin finally seeing hope in 'hardest period' of golf career Rory McIlroy makes brutal snowman at RBC Canadian Open, going home early 'Fairways have definitely dried out. Greens are still a little soft; they grab pretty quickly,' Hadwin said of the changing conditions. 'We're definitely starting to see some release at least downwind with mid-irons which we hadn't seen. I imagine by afternoon tomorrow, especially if the wind gets up at all, it will be a bit of a different golf course than we saw Thursday.' The 37-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C. has struggled mightily this season as he goes through a swing change, but has seen plenty of reason for optimism through 54 holes, and hopes to use this trip home to jumpstart a mid-season push back into the FedEx Cup Top-100, which is the new cut-off to retain a PGA Tour card for 2026. 'To be able to continue momentum from Thursday and on, it's been a great feeling,' he said. 'Just the fact that I can kind of set up and know where the shot is going and how it's going to come off is a great feeling, something that I felt like I've been missing for a while here.' The Canadian contenders begin action with Taylor playing with Lowry at 11:50 a.m. Hadwin is paired with Pendrith in an all-Canadian group at 12:10 p.m., and Hughes plays with Matt McCarty at 1:25 p.m. The final group of Fox and Manassero tees off at 1:45 p.m.
CBC
3 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Manassero, Fox take third-round lead at RBC Canadian Open; Hughes low Canadian
Social Sharing Italy's Matteo Manassero and New Zealand's Ryan Fox both had rounds of 6-under 64 to share the third-round lead at the RBC Canadian Open on Saturday. They're at 14-under overall, a shot ahead of a Taiwan's Kevin Yu as well as Americans Lee Hodges and Matt McCarty. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., fired a 6-under 64 to move 13 spots up the leaderboard into a tie with Americans Jake Knapp and Andrew Putnam for sixth at 12 under. WATCH | Mackenzie Hughes trails co-leaders by 2 shots heading into final round of Canadian Open: Mackenzie Hughes trails co-leaders by 2 shots heading into final round of Canadian Open 27 minutes ago Duration 1:14 Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shoots 6-under 64 in the third round of the RBC Canadian Open and is tied for sixth place heading into the final day. Italy's Matteo Manassero and Ryan Fox of New Zealand share the lead. Second-round leader Cameron Champ of the U.S. struggled, shooting a 1-over 71 to drop back into a seven-way tie for ninth at 11 under. Hughes was one of eight Canadians who made the cut at the national men's golf championship. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Vancouver's Richard T. Lee, the low Canadians after two rounds, also dropped down the leaderboard.
