Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes holds a slight lead at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic after starting out with an 8-under-par 63 on Thursday at Dunes Golf and Beach Club in South Carolina.
Hughes finished strong with five birdies over his final six holes, including each of the last four. He stuck his approach at the par-4 16th to 6 feet of the pin and put his tee shot at the par-3 17th inside 8 feet.
Then came the par-4 18th, when Hughes dialed up an approach from 159 yards away and rolled it to 2 1/2 feet of the cup to set up his final birdie.
Hughes credited his team for getting him on a new putting method where he isn’t overthinking his shots.
“Honestly I kind of just made the decision coming here driving down from Charlotte on Monday,” Hughes said. “My caddie and my mental game guy, we just kind of said, âHey, look, we’re going to free it up.’ It’s kind of mentally freed me up too. Yeah, it was nice to see it pay off right away.”
Hughes played with Irishman Seamus Power, who was one of three players tied one stroke behind him at 7-under 64. Will Chandler and Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen also posted 64.
Power turned in a bogey-free round, highlighted by an eagle 2 at No. 8. From 162 yards out, Power landed his approach on the green and watched it make a beeline for the hole.
“It was a funny one. It was right between clubs,” Power said. “With the greens being firm and that pin once you got past it, it’s just not going to stop. I just tried to lean on a 9-iron and came out perfectly. It landed right where I wanted it, and obviously it was very lucky to go in.”
Hughes has won a pair of fall events on the PGA Tour in 2016 and 2022, while Power is also hunting for his third title after wins at the 2021 Barbasol Championship and the 2022 Bermuda Championship.
Tied for fifth at 6-under 65 were Andrew Putnam, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti and Cristobal Del Solar of Chile.
Blades Brown, 17, opened with a 66, tied for the second-best round of his young PGA Tour career. Brown made his tour debut at the Myrtle Beach Classic last year and has since turned pro.
“It was awesome. I didn’t have to take all these extra notes for the golf course,” Brown said. “Just having almost that home course advantage, if you know what I mean. … It’s nice to be able to look at a golf ball and be, like, âOh, I’ve played a tournament course like this before.’ I was really happy to be back here in Myrtle Beach.”
Defending champion Chris Gotterup opened with a 4-under 67.
The Myrtle Beach Classic is an alternate event opposite the signature Truist Championship outside Philadelphia.
