The most intriguing player on the PGA Tour this week? Try the 71-year-old

Reed Hughes laughs to himself. He had just finished rolling all over the yard – and that’s the funny part about it.

“I haven’t just had the stars all day like I usually do,” the funny one.

However, things soon got funnier, so to speak. The PGA Pro had also just won the 2023 Gulf States Section EZ-GO Championship, played last September at Deerfield Golf Club in Canton, Mississippi, about half an hour north of the state capital, and the winner earned a spot in the this year. Sanderson Farms Championshipa PGA Tour event that began Thursday at the Country Club of Jackson, also in Mississippi. Stubborn stuff. Earlier this week, organizers joined Hughes Kevin Doughertyfourth tallest player on tour this year; and Parker Coody, grandson of Masters champion Charles Coody, though he eventually withdrew.

And Hughes? He has played in eight tournaments, most recently in 2007, when he lost the match at the Zurich Classic. Notably, his first tour start was the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic – played in 1984. The US president then was Ronald Reagan; since then there are six. of highest grossing film 40 years ago it was “Ghostbusters” – the original.

Hughes, you see, is 71 years old.

his birthday according to the Tour’s websiteit’s August 8, 1953. He plays out of Senatobia, Mississippi, and a year ago, he bested 36 players in the Gulf States EZ-GO, shooting rounds of one-under 71 and four-under 68, for earn him Sanderson’s place alongside professionals such as Rickie Fowler AND Gary Woodland. Nationally, his story was first discovered by The Golf Channel Brentley Rominethen Golfweek’s Cameron Jourdan AND Ryan French THE Monday P the website picked it up, and on Thursday, during Sanderson’s first-round play, Hughes got some love on the Golf Channel’s coverage, including a one-on-one interview. (At one point announcer Steve Sands playfully quipped, “Are we allowed to root in the booth for a 71-year-old?” — to which analyst Sam Saunders replied, “I am. I don’t care if you’re not. That’s impressive right there .”)

His start is newsworthy, no doubt.

If he were to make the cut, he would be the oldest ever to do so on the PGA Tour – Jay Haas was 68 years old when he made the weekend at the 2022 Zurich Classic, though that was a team event, and Sam Snead was 67 when he made the cut at the FedEx St. Louis Championship. Jude 1979. Hughes could also shoot his age or better; the last player to do so was Arnold Palmerwho, in 2001, shot a 71-year-old man at age 71. (Notably, Palmer was Saunders’ grandfather.)

On Thursday, Hughes was trending towards that result.

He split the 398-yard, par-4 1st, after a 255-yard tee shot that found the rough left, a 36-yard second shot, a third that he dropped to 23 feet — and a putt of easily with a flick of the wrist. He birdied the 392-yard, par-4 2nd after hitting his approach to 11 inches. But he tripled 552 yards, par-5 11, and doubled 148 yards, par-3 13, and shot a four-over 76.

However, there is good news here in Hughes’ story.

He plays again Friday at 9:55 a.m. ET alongside Dougherty, who is 38 years his junior.

Below is a look at Hughes played Thursday, according to the Tour’s online leaderboard:

1,398-yard par-4 (par)
Shot 1: 255 yards to rough left, 139 yards to hole
Shot 2: 36 yards to the rough left, 104 yards to the hole
Shot 3: 112 yards to the left side of the green, 23 feet, 8 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

2, 392 yard par-4 (birdie)
Shot 1: 273 yards to the left side of the fairway, 123 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 123 yards to the left side of the green, 11 inches into the hole
Shot 3: In the hole

3,581 yard par-5 (par)
Shot 1: 274 yards to the right side of the fairway, 305 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 228 yards to the right side of the fairway, 80 yards to the hole
Shot 3: 88 yards to the right side of the fairway, 22 feet, 9 inches to the hole
4th shot: 33 feet, 2 inches to right side of green, 10 feet, 1 inch to hole
Shot 5: In the hole

4, 172-yards, par-3 (bogey)
Shot 1: 156 yards to the left side of the green, 60 feet, 1 inch to the hole
Shot 2: Putt 50 feet, 7 inches, 9 feet, 5 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 11 feet, 11 inches, 2 feet to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

5, 594 yard par-5 (birdie)
Shot 1: 273 yards to fairway, 314 yards to hole
Shot 2: 181 yards to right side of fairway, 133 yards to hole
Shot 3: 135 yards to the right side of the green, 5 feet, 9 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

6, 462-yard par-4 (bogey)
Shot 1: 271 yards down the middle right, 199 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 188 yards to rough left, 41 feet, 3 inches to hole
Shot 3: 19 feet to the left of the fairway, 23 feet, 1 inch from the hole
4th shot: 25 feet, 4 inches to left side of green, 3 feet, 1 inch to hole
Shot 5: In the hole

7 216-yard par-3 (par)
Shot 1: 213 yards to the left side of the green, 15 feet, 6 inches to the hole
Shot 2: Putt 14 feet, 6 inches, 12 inches into the hole
Shot 3: In the hole

8 396-yard par-4 (birdie)
Shot 1: 264 yards to the left side of the fairway, 131 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 139 yards to the right side of the fairway, 28 feet, 2 inches to the hole
Shot 3: In the hole

9, 408-yard par-4 (par)
Shot 1: 289 yards to fairway, 121 yards to hole
Shot 2: 132 yards to the left side of the green, 38 feet, 4 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 37 feet, 11 inches, 3 feet, 9 inches into the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

10, 227 yard par-3 (par)
Shot 1: 218 yards down the left, 70 feet, 8 inches to the hole
Shot 2: 70 feet, 11 inches to right side of green, 6 feet, 2 inches to hole
Shot 3: In the hole

11, 552 yard par-5 (triple bogey)
Shot 1: 265 yards to fairway, 286 yards to hole
Shot 2: 138 yards to right side of fairway, 149 yards to hole
Shot 3: 137 yards to fairway, 43 feet, 5 inches to hole
Shot 4: Penalty
Pitch to the right side of the fairway, 124 yards from the hole
Shot 5: 129 yards to the left side of the fairway, 50 feet, 11 inches to the hole
Shot 6: 42 feet, 2 inches to right side of green, 8 feet, 9 inches to hole
Shot 7: Putt 10 feet, 8 inches, 20 inches into the hole
Shot 8: In the hole

12, 428-yard par-4 (par)
Shot 1: 301 yards to right side of fairway, 127 yards to hole
Shot 2: 132 yards to the right side of the fairway, 16 feet, 1 inch to the hole
Shot 3: 15 feet, 11 inches to the right side of the green, 13 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

13, 148 yard par-3 (double bogey)
Shot 1: 150 yards to rough left, 25 feet, 7 inches to hole
Shot 2: 16 feet, 7 inches left of green, 9 feet to hole
Shot 3: Putt 13 feet, 7 inches, 4 feet, 3 inches into the hole
Shot 4: Putt 5 feet, 10 inches, 15 inches into the hole
Shot 5: In the hole

14, 572 yard par-5 (birdie)
Shot 1: 266 yards to fairway right, 308 yards to hole
Shot 2: 217 yards to the left side of the fairway, 91 yards to the hole
Shot 3: 91 yards to the right side of the green, 20 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

15 318-yard par-4 (par)
Shot 1: 274 yards to the right side of the fairway, 45 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 52 yards to the left side of the fairway, 21 feet, 2 inches to the hole
3 shot: 22 feet, 5 inches to right side of green, 12 inches to hole
Shot 4: In the hole

16th 449-yard par-4 (bogey)
Shot 1: 295 yards to right side of fairway, 157 yards to hole
Shot 2: 162 yds to right side of green, 40 feet, 5 inches to hole
Shot 3: Putt 46 feet, 5 inches, 5 feet, 8 inches into the hole
Shot 4: Putt 8 feet, 7 inches, 2 feet, 6 inches into the hole
Shot 5: In the hole

17 438-yard par-4 (par)
Shot 1: 273 yards to rough left, 166 yards to hole
Shot 2: 180 yards left fairway, 59 feet, 10 inches to the hole
3rd shot: 58 feet, 8 inches to right side of green, 4 feet, 11 inches to hole
Shot 4: In the hole

18 480-yard par-4 (par)
Shot 1: 270 yards to left side of fairway, 210 yards to hole
Shot 2: 221 yards to the right side of the green, 54 feet, 9 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 53 feet, 22 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

Nick Piastowski

Editor of Golf.com

Nick Piastowski is a senior editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash down his score. . You can reach him about any of these topics – his stories, his game or his beers – at nick.piastowski@golf.com.