No shoes, no problem. At least that’s the rule PGA Tour pro Mackenzie Hughes was following during a bizarre sequence of events during the 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta.
Hughes played Thursday’s opening round alongside defending champion Tony Finau and rising star Nicolai Højgaard, and he failed to impress his esteemed company.
The 33-year-old Canadian pro, who has two PGA Tour victories in his career, opened his round with a bogey at the 10th hole and added two double bogeys on his second nine for a disappointing score of 77.
But things got really interesting at the par-5 6th hole. Hughes powered his second shot all the way to the green, but it was slightly offline, landing on a cart path then settling in a storm drain.
Needing to get up-and-down for a much-needed birdie, Hughes was well within his rights to take a free drop away from the drain. But that’s not what he did.
Instead, Hughes removed his shoes and carefully placed them behind him on the cart path. He then addressed his ball, wedge in hand, standing on the path in only his socks. Hughes didn’t speak about the decision afterward, so we can only speculate as to his reasoning.
Whatever it may be, it turned out to be a good decision, as he proceeded to clip a beautiful chip off the drain that skipped on the green and settled 10 feet away from the cup. Check it out below.
Unfortunately, Hughes was unable to sink his birdie try, and failed to make up any shots he’d lost earlier.
Following a 73 in the second round, Hughes missed the cut and headed home empty-handed. But at least he made one shot in his brief trip to Mexico that he won’t soon forget.
