FedExCup Insider: Closer look at how players accrued their FedExCup points

TORONTO, Ont. – Mackenzie Hughes was a golf-obsessed youngster in when he watched Mike Weir win the 2003 Masters, and he thought he could do that one day too. The following year, Hughes caddied in the RBC Canadian Open pro-am and was drawn into the same group as his hero. He was thrilled. The only problem that day, he recalls, is that he latched a little too tightly to the green jacket winner. “I just did a horrendous job caddying that day because I was so intrigued by just being close to Mike and trying to ask him a question here and there and just kind of hearing the stories he was telling,” said Hughes. “Then my player would be over (in) the rough and I’m like, ‘Oh sorry.’ Just nowhere near him. “But it was a really cool day.” Eighteen years later, Hughes teed it up alongside Weir – and fellow countryman Adam Hadwin – for the first two rounds of their national open. “I think that any time you get to play with Mike, it’s an honor,” said Hughes. “He’s basically my biggest golfing hero. “I know playing with Mike you draw in a few extra people. It was a really fun day.” Hughes’ opening-round 66 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club had him near the lead through most of the day. He was also the top Canadian through the majority of Thursday. There are plenty of reasons why this week is important for Hughes – who played in front of dozens of friends and family Thursday, a number that is expected to increase exponentially through the weekend – including the extended face time with Weir, who is once again an assistant captain for this year’s International Presidents Cup team. Weir said Hughes, who sits 12th on the International Team standings, “had a great day.” Corey Conners, who shot a 1-over 71, is No. 8 in the standings. Hadwin, who has played in two Presidents Cups, is 16th. Hadwin shot 1 under while Weir was 2 over. The group was greeted by a good contingent of Canadians, even at 7 a.m. and in the rain. “It was fantastic,” said Hughes, “and you felt it all the way around.” Hughes had as solid a day as he could have asked for Thursday. He birdied his opening hole and then made an eagle on the par-5 11th. “I felt like I played well enough to maybe get one or two more, which selfishly, you always want a couple more,” said Hughes, who was near the top of the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee on Thursday. “With where I drove it … I drove the ball really nicely today, and that’s not normally a strength of mine, but today it was a strength. “When I do that, I feel like I give myself a lot of chances. The day feels a little more stress-free.” Hughes is from Dundas, Ontario, about 40 miles from St. George’s and has continued to embrace teeing it up in front of the hometown crowds. He made his PGA TOUR debut at the 2012 RBC Canadian Open in Hamilton and earned Low Canadian honors in 2017. His opening 66 was just two shots off the lowest first-round total by a Canadian in tournament history. A Canadian hasn’t won the Canadian Open since 1954. The closest a Canadian has come to winning their national open in the last half-century was Weir in 2004, when he lost in a playoff to Vijay Singh. “Someone said no one’s seen someone so disappointed to win a tournament than Vijay that week,” said RBC Canadian Open defending champion Rory McIlroy, who matched Hughes’ 4-under 66 Thursday, with a laugh. Hughes was, of course, there in 2004. He had a fun memory from before the tournament began, and a sour one come Sunday night like many of his countrymen. Now he’s keen to make his own exciting memory at the RBC Canadian Open, in front of a big-time group of enthusiastic supporters – including Weir. “Obviously every week you go on the PGA TOUR, you want to play well, but playing well in front of the home fans and your friends and family, it’s hard to describe how good that feels,” said Hughes. “When you’re out there and you’re making birdies and having a good round, it just feels that much better.”

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The revamped Florida Swing kicks off with defending champ Justin Thomas and a strong field at the 7,125-yard, par-70 PGA National Resort & Spa (Champion), the hardest non-major course on the PGA TOUR. Thomas has five top-10s in seven starts this year and is one of a handful of hot players coming into The Honda Classic. Among the others in the 144-man field are Rickie Fowler, the winner here two years ago and one of at least 12 players who live within 45 minutes of the course; Gary Woodland, at No. 3 the highest-ranked player in the FedExCup; 2016 champion Adam Scott; and newly-minted Puerto Rico Open winner Martin Trainer. THE FLYOVER Positioning is crucial at PGA National, especially at the 434-yard, par-4 16th hole, the midway point at the Bear Trap, the third toughest three-hole stretch on TOUR. Like the earth itself, 16 appears to be mostly water, so there will be plenty of irons off the tee to avoid becoming a grim statistic. Last year the hole played to a 4.262 average, among the top 50 hardest holes on TOUR, after players made just 34 birdies compared to 106 bogeys, 15 double-bogeys, and 4 dreaded “others.â€�   LANDING ZONE  The 179-yard, par-3 15th hole is often overshadowed by its rowdier neighbor two holes ahead, but as the opening hole of the Bear Trap, it sets the tone for this make-or-break three-hole stretch. With a 3.391 average last year, it was the third hardest par-3 on TOUR. Players must carry the water and hold the diagonal, left-to-right green without over-cooking the tee shot and finding the back-left greenside bunker. The hole can be especially tricky in the wind. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Wade Stettner: “A relatively quiet weather pattern will set up across south Florida from Thursday through Sunday. Rain chances are minimal through the extended forecast with just a few passing showers possible at times. Temperatures will be above normal with highs in the 80s each day. Lighter winds are also expected.â€� For the latest weather news from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK The three hardest … holes that we see all year, but it’s based a lot on the wind, too, and the wind is supposed to be down this week. BY THE NUMBERS  $8,245 – Average price of a new Accord in ’82, the first year of Honda’s title sponsorship of the tournament, making it the longest-running title sponsor on the PGA TOUR. +2.3 – Field average in relation to par at PGA National (Champion) last season, making it the second-hardest course on TOUR behind only U.S. Open host Shinnecock Hills. 62 – Double-bogeys or worse at the watery, par-3 17th hole last year, the most doubles or worse on any hole all season long. With a 3.53 average, it was the toughest par-3 on TOUR. 6 – Number of top-10 finishes for Gary Woodland, who leads the TOUR in that category. SCATTERSHOTS Thomas aiming for history: Defending champion Justin Thomas has less than two months remaining to join Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Jack Nicklaus as one of the four youngest players in PGA TOUR history to reach 10 wins. Woods was the youngest to reach the milestone at 23 years, 6 months and 4 days. Should he win Sunday, Thomas, who would be 25 years, 10 months, 4 days old, would surpass Rory McIlroy, who was 25, 11, and 29 when he crossed the 10-win barrier. Reading the tea leaves: Since the start of the FedExCup era, eight of the 12 winners of The Honda Classic have made it to the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake. Opportunity knocks: Gary Woodland, who has been in the FedExCup top 10 for 13 of 15 weeks so far this season, is currently third but only 314 points behind leader Xander Schauffele. With Schauffele and No. 2 Matt Kuchar taking this week off, Woodland could take over No 1 with a win. Three’s misery: The field has averaged .671 over par at the watery 15th, 16th and 17th holes—the Bear Trap—over the last 10 years. That makes it the third toughest three-hole stretch on TOUR, of courses that have been played continuously over the last decade. Quail Hollow (16-18, +.884) has the hardest three-hole stretch, followed by Pebble Beach (8-10, +.684).

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Bubba Watson shoots a final-round 63 to come from six back and capture his third Travelers Championship (2010, ’15) by three over 54-hole leader Paul Casey (72), J.B. Holmes (67), Stewart Cink (62) and Beau Hossler (66). Welcome to the Monday Finish, where Watson, 39, became the first player to collect his third win of the season on the PGA TOUR. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1 Watson is enjoying a career year. Threes were wild for the winner, whose third victory of the season and third at TPC River Highlands moved him to third in the FedExCup. “Earlier this year I had … my third win in L.A.,â€� Watson said. “Now I just need one more in Augusta and that would be great. Get a different jacket. I like this jacket, don’t get me wrong. I love this. I’ve got a few of them. “But, yeah, there are certain places that we’ve built our schedule,â€� he continued. “Everybody builds their schedule around places they’ve seen, loved, the atmosphere, all of that comes into play. Around here there are a lot of driver holes where I can hit some drivers and shape it.â€� 2 This, after enduring one of his worst. Was it just last year that the popular, long-hitting left-hander was searching for answers? It sure doesn’t seem like it. Watson says he lost around 25 pounds with an undisclosed illness, a period in which he lost energy and mental focus, and began to feel sorry for himself. Better health and a return to familiar equipment were crucial in making his way back, but so was the purchase of a Prevost bus with which he could travel the TOUR with his wife, Angie, and their kids, Caleb and Dakota. They parked the bus next to runner-up J.B. Holmes for Travelers week, and the kids played with one of their best friends on TOUR, Holmes’ golden doodle, Ace. “Caleb and the kids love playing with Ace,â€� Watson said. “(Caleb) said, ‘I’m pulling for J.B.’ I said, ‘Because of his dog or because of J.B.?’ And he didn’t answer. But I think it’s because of his dog.â€� 3 Cink isn’t slowing down. He’s 45 and hasn’t won on TOUR since the 2009 Open Championship, but two-time Travelers winner Stewart Cink’s T2, his best result since Turnberry, was a big step in the right direction. In fact, Cink had visions of not only winning but going into the exalted sub-60 territory. “It did creep into my mind after I birdied 15,â€� Cink said. “I had three holes left to go, and I knew I needed three birdies to shoot 59. But quickly I remembered the golf tournament was on the line. And it would mean a lot more to me to win the Travelers Championship than to shoot a 59. Scores don’t matter as much as winning does. “So I thought about it,â€� he added, “and quickly gathered myself and hit it over the green and bogeyed.â€� Cink said he was surprised by how quickly his recent putting fixes have paid off, and calmed by the presence of his wife, Lisa, and his final-round playing partner, friend Charley Hoffman. “I had a really good heart of gratitude today before the round,â€� Cink said. “I just felt really calm about today.â€� 4 Casey’s solid year continues. Paul Casey, who won the Valspar Championship earlier this season, continues to enjoy a solid season despite a bittersweet ending at the Travelers. On the plus side, his T2 was his third top-five finish in his previous three starts at TPC River Highlands. It represented the 53rd top-10 finish of his career, and moved him up to 12th in the FedExCup. Also, despite waking up with a stiff neck and not feeling like himself, he remained in contention until the bitter end. On the minus side, he didn’t win, and his lost four-stroke lead entering the final round was the largest on TOUR since Dustin Johnson failed to convert a six-shot lead at the 2017 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. “There was a lot of fight in there,â€� Casey said. “I fought my golf swing all day. You can see coming down the last couple of holes, hitting the pull 8-iron on 16, and the flair right on 17 just about summed it up. Yeah, incredibly frustrating.â€� 5 Chase Seiffert is the second straight feel-good story out of Florida State. For the second straight year, Seiffert, a college teammate of U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka’s at FSU, Monday-qualified for the Travelers. And for the second straight year, Seiffert contended. The big difference: A year after he faded to a T43 finish, Seiffert fired a final-round 64 to finish T9, getting him into the A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier field in two weeks. “I was going in today and treating it like my Monday qualifier for The Greenbrier,â€� Seiffert said. “So, I went out and had a nice warm-up session, felt really calm all the way through the round, I was fortunate enough to pitch in two times on the front and keep it rolling after that. “It feels really good,â€� he added. “I feel like my game’s good enough to be out here full-time and kind of confirms that with the way I’ve been playing this week and last year here as well.â€� Seiffert becomes the fourth Monday qualifier to finish in the top-10 this season, joining Scott Strohmeyer (T4/Sanderson Farms Championship), Trey Mullinax (T8/Valspar Championship) and Julian Suri (T8/Houston Open). He also beat Koepka (65, T19). The last Monday qualifier to win was Arjun Atwal at the 2010 Wyndham Championship. FIVE INSIGHTS 1 Watson’s 24 putts in the final round was easily his best effort of the week. (He took 30 putts in the first and third rounds, and 28 in the second.) And while the 63 when he was at his best on the greens was crucial, he also won in part because he limited the damage when he was at his worst off the tee; he hit just 5 of 14 fairways but salvaged an even-par 70 in the first round. 2 Of his 11 stroke-play victories, Watson has come from behind in the final round seven times. His six-shot comeback Sunday matched his effort at the 2010 Travelers, when he picked up his first win in a playoff with Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank, and marked the 14th time in 33 chances that a TOUR winner has come from behind in the final round this season. 3 The biggest comeback at the Travelers was by Brad Faxon, who was seven back and won in 2005, while the late Billy Casper is still the gold standard overall. Buffalo Bill collected four wins, in ’63, ’65, ’68 and ’73, a mark that may be in jeopardy. Watson, at 39, would seem to have plenty of time left to tie Casper with a fourth Travelers victory, and go ahead with a fifth. 4 Cink tied his career low with a 10-birdie 62 in the final round, during which he took just 22 putts, six fewer than he did in any other round. He was making his 559th start on TOUR; only five other current players have more. He moved up to 72nd in the FedExCup. 5 The week’s biggest surprise might have been J.B. Holmes’ T2, which represented the fifth runner-up finish of his career. In five previous starts at TPC River Highlands, Holmes had finished no better than T37 (2012). He moved up to 50th in the FedExCup.

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