Mackenzie Hughes is feeling right at home at Royal Montreal.
Even though he wasn’t selected to play in Thursday’s four-ball matches to open the Presidents Cup in Quebec, Hughes didn’t hesitate to try and hype up the Canadian crowd.
Hughes, who is one of three Canadians playing on the International Team this week, opened the tournament with a classic first tee beer chug.
Hughes has won twice on the PGA Tour in his career, most recently at the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship. He was selected as a captain’s pick for the International Team, along with fellow Canadians Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith for the country’s second time hosting the Presidents Cup in history.
Hughes isn’t the only International player embracing the Presidents Cup this week. On Wednesday, in front of just a handful of people in the crowd, Sungjae Im whipped out a perfect “Gangnam Style.”
Im, also a two-time Tour winner, went out with Tom Kim on Thursday. The two fell into an early hole in their match against Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley, however.
It’s going to take more than a Stella and a dance to lift the International Team to an upset win this week after years of American dominance in the Presidents Cup, but the vibes are high for Mike Weir’s group early on. That has to count for something.