CALEDON, Ont. – Mackenzie Hughes has always embraced the special atmosphere at the RBC Canadian Open, starting in 2019 when he rocked a Kyle Lowry jersey on the course through the Toronto Raptors’ championship run, and telling the crowd to get loud. He’s always encouraged the support to be always-on at his national championship.
Adam Hadwin, meanwhile, just started to lean into the whole of the pageantry of the Canadian Open this year – and it’s been working pretty darn well. He even putted with a Team Canada hockey jersey on The Rink hole Saturday.
“I tend to shy away from it a little bit,” Hadwin admitted after a third-round 65 that has him tied for 16th heading into Sunday’s finale at TPC Toronto. “Just leaning into it and kind of having a little bit more bravado a little bit out there and just having some fun with it.”
Hughes is the low Canadian through 54 holes at the Canadian Open, just two shots back of the lead and tied for sixth.
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Hadwin, Taylor Pendrith, and Nick Taylor are amongst the group tied for 16th.
This is a similar position for Hughes as a year ago at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, where he was firmly in the mix through three days but couldn’t get anything going on Sunday en route to an even-par 70. He finished six back of Bob MacIntyre’s winning total last year and didn’t even finish as the Low Canadian (that honour went to Corey Conners).
Hughes has learned plenty, he said, despite continuing to chase a lifelong dream.
“Last year I got off to a great start (and) it was easy to kind of look forward and imagine what it would be like to win (a tournament) ten minutes from my house and win the Canadian Open. It was difficult not to have that in your mind. I think it affected me,” Hughes said.
Hughes has managed to put together a solid tee-to-green effort so far at TPC Toronto, sitting ninth in strokes gained: approach. He also had an incredible turnaround on the greens. Hughes started the week 150th in strokes gained: putting, but got up to fourth for Friday’s second round.
The biggest change this week versus Hughes’ 2025 season, however, has been with the driver. Hughes is 138th in strokes gained: off the tee for the year, but is up more than 100 spots in that stat for this week.
“I’ve been putting the ball in play quite a bit, driving it pretty nice. I feel like that’s taken some pressure off the putter and the short game. It’s a big key around here,” Hughes said. “You start driving it well, you can attack and be aggressive. I was able to do that today for the most part. Posted a low one. It kind of gets me somewhere in the mix there tomorrow.”
For Hadwin, this has been a week of positive building blocks. He has just one top-10 finish on the season, at the WM Phoenix Open but even then, he admitted, he was “faking” it around a bit. He also has one other top-15 result, but that came at the team event (the Zurich Classic of New Orleans) alongside Taylor.
This week, it’s all Hadwin – and it’s been very solid. He’s topped his countryman, Hughes, in strokes gained: approach, sitting seventh for the week (and second in that stat on Saturday).
“To be able to continue momentum from Thursday and on, it’s been a great feeling,” Hadwin said. “Just the fact that I can set up and know the shot, or, known where the shot is going and how it’s going to come off is a great feeling, and it’s something that I felt like I’ve been missing for a while here.”
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Now, both Hughes and Hadwin will need to put up a low number Sunday if they want to follow in the footsteps of Taylor as a Canadian Open winner. They know this. The crowd will, of course, be firmly on their side on Sunday. Hughes’ playing partner Saturday, Lee Hodges (who is from Huntsville, Alabama) said with a smile he thinks he heard the national anthem about “77 times.”
Hodges is tied for third, just one back of the co-leaders Matteo Manassero and Ryan Fox.
“You don’t have to be Canadian to get chill bumps out there when they’re singing the National Anthem to (Hughes),” Hodges said. “You could see how much it meant to (Hughes). He’s got his hat off, covering his heart. It was really cool.”
It’ll take some serious heart to make up some ground on the leaders Sunday at the Canadian Open, but even without a win there’s lots to play for. Hadwin, for example, is 120th in the FedExCup standings and only the top 100 will earn Tour cards again for next season. And, the Canadian Open is once again part of the Open Championship Qualifying Series, so the top-three golfers from the Canadian Open leaderboard not already in the field at Royal Portrush will punch their ticket across the pond.
Plenty on the line on Sunday, but plenty of support for the Canadian contingent as well – with eight having made the weekend for the third year in row, tied for the most since 1983.
“I’ve tried to embrace it. Don’t get to do it very often where I’m a bit of a favourite, or a crowd favourite, so it’s been enjoyable this week,” Hughes said. “(Sunday) I’m going to need to do a good job of really staying present and being where my feet are. If I do that, I’ll have a good chance.”
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