PGA Tour star repeats Rory McIlroy’s embarrassing schoolboy error at Scottish Open

PGA Tour star Mackenzie Hughes committed a significant error on Saturday by arriving late for his tee time at the Scottish Open. Hughes was in a promising position at eight-under-par, just four shots behind the leader, Ludvig Aberg, heading into the weekend at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick. Scheduled to tee off at 2:45 PM alongside Nicolai Hojgaard, Hughes was informed by officials that he was late, resulting in a two-shot penalty. Although he parred the first hole, the penalty turned it into a double-bogey six on his scorecard.

Sky Sports reported the news, with former PGA Championship winner Rich Beem expressing surprise at Hughes’ tardiness, especially given the close proximity of the practice green to the first tee. Hughes managed to regain his composure quickly, scoring birdies on the third, sixth, and tenth holes to move under par for the day. However, he lost a shot on the twelfth hole, dropping back to eight-under. He completed his round one-under for the day and nine-under for the tournament, seven shots behind Aberg.

Hughes’ blunder may have not only affected his title chances but also his potential earnings. Currently tied for 19th, he is poised to earn around £60,000, but a higher position on the leaderboard could have seen him earn over £80,000.

Hughes joins a group of golfers who have faced similar issues with tee times. Rory McIlroy famously needed a police escort to make it to his tee time at the 2012 Ryder Cup after a timezone mix-up, yet he managed to secure a vital point for Europe in what became known as “The Miracle at Medinah.” Earlier this year, Tom Kim narrowly avoided a late penalty at The Genesis Invitational. Losing track of time while practicing putts, Kim had to sprint through fans to make it to the tee on time, finishing the final round two-under-par and tying for 24th place. Reflecting on his close call, Kim emphasized the importance of punctuality and vowed never to be late again.