Q. Really solid day for yourself, put yourself in contention through two. What's the part of the game that was kind of working the most?
MACKENZIE HUGHES: I'd say off the tee I put the ball in the fairway a lot. This place kind of requires that. If you're not playing from the fairway, it becomes very difficult. I think that's been the big thing for me.
I felt like today was quite solid, and I don't think I really could have shot a whole lot worse, which is nice. I feel like my game's in a good spot.
Yeah, excited for the weekend. Hopefully the leaders don't get too far out in front. Yeah, we'll see what happens.
Q. Best shot you hit today?
MACKENZIE HUGHES: I hit a really nice shot into the 8th hole. I didn't even make birdie, but I hit a really nice 8-iron in there. Had to kind of turn it around the corner and hit that to about 15 feet. I was happy with it. That was probably my favorite shot.
Q. Does this place feel like it fits your style of golf?
MACKENZIE HUGHES: I think so because, look, you have to -- as good as you can play out here, you're always going to hit some adversity. You have to hit some recovery shots, have to kind of manage your game and manage your misses and play smart.
So I think it makes you think. I'm a thinker. So this place kind of is up my alley because we play a lot of places where you just come up to the tee and you've got driver and you hit it, and you don't think too much about it. Here a lot of thought goes into what you play off the tee.
I really enjoy it. It's a really unique test to the PGA TOUR. Love coming back here every year.
Q. Getting here on an invite, does that change the way you approach it?
MACKENZIE HUGHES: I don't think it changes the way I approach it, but I'm certainly grateful for the opportunity. That's probably the resounding feeling is just that I'm very happy and thankful to be here and was thankful that RBC granted me the invite and trying to make the most of it.
Q. What have you kind of felt about your game this season? What have been takeaways or just your general overall feeling?
MACKENZIE HUGHES: I felt like I was doing a lot of good things on the West Coast, but I felt like I was just a little bit off, playing okay.
Got some good advice kind of beginning of the Florida swing, and I feel like that's where things started to go a little better for me. I wasn't getting a lot out of it, and then I felt like, starting the Florida swing after Cognizant, the game has felt much better, driving the ball a lot better.
That's kind of the name of the game for me. If I drive the ball pretty good, that kind of sets me up, and it's been an area of my game that has needed to be a little better. I'm seeing signs of that.
I'm excited that it's going in a nice direction, but I got to keep working hard at it.
Q. Is that swing advice or just a mental thing?
MACKENZIE HUGHES: Yeah, it was some swing advice. I just -- I kind of got something in my head that clicked nicely for me. Kind of seeing some results of that, which is nice.
Q. Do you mind sharing?
MACKENZIE HUGHES: It's just that -- honestly, it was just like a way that my swing was described to me that I hadn't really had before or heard before. For me, I actually think that like I've tried to hit a cut for a long time, and it's very hard for me to hit a cut.
In talking to this person, who I won't name, but he just basically said, hey, look, if this club's coming from inside a little bit, I want you to hit basically like a cover draw. It's going to feel like a cover draw, like having a cut feel, but now that I'm doing it kind of like from a more neutral position, a little more from the inside, I can still have those cut feels, but I don't get like too wipey.
On the West Coast, I felt like I was having a really hard time with left-to-right winds. Now I feel like I'm delivering the club a little more square, but I can also cover it and kind of work left post-impact.
I know that's kind of a long-winded answer. Basically, that concept and that feel to me has made a lot of sense to me, and I feel like going down that path and kind of getting a little bit of help there was really beneficial.
That's kind of what I'm working on a little bit, and it's felt pretty good so far.
Q. Were you always a drawer of the golf ball, like growing up?
MACKENZIE HUGHES: When I was younger, yes. That's probably what came natural to me. I'd say I'm hitting more shots now that go right to left than I do left to right. That's quite a bit different than what I've been trying to do for the last few years. Yeah, it feels nice.
So I'm excited. In this game, you kind of just want to have a nice direction to go and feel like the things you're working on are going up, and I felt like for a while I was kinds of just a little bit stuck in neutral with what I was working on, and I felt like I wasn't quite seeing what I wanted to see. Right now I'm seeing some good signs from what I'm working on.
Q. This would be a place that you kind of have to work it both ways, right? This would be a place that that work is kind of coming to fruition?
MACKENZIE HUGHES: Yeah. I really don't -- I don't try to cut the ball too much out here. I don't think I need to on any of those holes that might require a cut. I could just gear back with less club.
Yeah, certainly a course that requires a lot of precision. Like I said, playing from the fairway is a must. So far I've been able to do that.
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