Winner's Bag
The clubs Mackenzie Hughes used to win the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship
Raj Mehta
Mackenzie Hughes displayed a steady resiliency (along with a sporty short game) to win the Sanderson Farms Championship in playoff over Sepp Straka, taking the title with a birdie on the second extra hole after a fabulous iron shot from 164 yards at the Country Club of Jackson.
Despite the overtime heroics, it was Hughes’ short game that was the difference-maker. Consider that he was ranked 81st for the week in driving accuracy, 40th in distance and 45th in greens in regulation—not exactly the kind of performance that wins on the PGA Tour. Hughes, however, picked up nearly four shots on the field on the greens and another four in strokes gained/around-the-green. In fact, of his four birdies during a Sunday 69, none of them were from outside 10 feet.
It was from just off the green, however, where Hughes excelled, getting up and down a remarkable 22 of 24 times for a 91.67 percentage, easily the best in the field.
Hughes carries a trio of Ping Glide 2.0 wedges including two with a dark finish, while the 60-degree wedge has a chrome finish. Each of his wedges have True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts and Golf Pride’s multicompound black/blue 60R grips with three extra wraps of tape under the right hand and two extra wraps of tape under the left hand to achieve the feel he likes in his grip.
Hughes’ other win also came in overtime at the 2016 RSM Classic where Hughes emerged from a five-way playoff. This time around the competition wasn’t as crowded but the win was just as rewarding.
G425 MAX/G425 SFT/G425 LST
WHAT IT DOES: Ping’s design philosophy since its founding six decades ago has been all about managing mis-hits, and this large, perimeter-weighted driver maintains some of the highest stability on off-center hits in the industry. However, drivers that pursue large dimensions and maximum stability fight a center of gravity that drifts higher as it moves toward the back. That can cause shots to spin too much and lose distance. The G425 models use ultra-thin, web-like ribs on the underside of the crown to reduce thickness (barely three bills thick) to save weight that keeps the CG low.
What Mackenzie Hughes had in the bag at the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Ping G425 LST (Graphite Design DI 7X), 9 degrees
5-wood: Ping G425 Max, 17.5 degrees
7-wood: Ping G425 Max, 20.5 degrees
Irons (4-6): Ping i210; (7-PW): Ping S55
Wedges: Ping Glide 2.0 (52, 56, 60 degrees)
Putter: Ping Scottsdale TR Piper C