PGA Tour pro Mackenzie Hughes was the victim of one of the stories of the week at the WM Phoenix Open.
Controversial streamer Jack Doherty was banned for the foreseeable future from all PGA Tour events after he paid a fan $100 dollars to shout during a player’s backswing. That player was Mackenzie Hughes, the 99th-ranked player in the world, fighting for his PGA Tour future in 2026.
Fortunately, Hughes showed incredible mental fortitude to put in a solid display. He made the cut and finished T28 for the tournament.
But the drama didn’t finish there. Doherty posted a series of social media messages after receiving his ban, some mentioning Hughes directly. After his tournament ended, Hughes took the time to respond to the streamer.
How Mackenzie Hughes responded to Jack Doherty’s social media post
When asked about Doherty’s antics during the Phoenix Open, Hughes said he wasn’t losing any sleep over it. But then the streamer took to X and posted the following:
“Honestly I should get paid for making the PGA and that McKenzie guy relevant😌”
After shrugging off Doherty and performing well in the rest of the tournament, Hughes took the time to respond. He replied on X: “Thank you. Where do I send my $100?”
Fair play to Hughes, he’s taken it really well. Some would have been rattled by frustration, as we saw at the tournament’s climax, but not the Canadian. He took it in his stride and recorded his best result of the season so far.
Unfortunately, not everyone took the fan behaviour in Phoenix so well.
Fan behavior cost Hideki Matsuyama WM Phoenix Open win
Hideki Matsuyama looked set to win his third WM Phoenix Open. He stepped onto the tee box needing a par to win the event, but a wayward drive put the Japanese player out of position.
He did have a long putt for par, but any realistic chance he had of making it was shattered because of fan behavior. Before he even drew his putter back, a fan shouted “get in the hole” from the galleries.
Matsuyama stepped off his putt, then of course missed it, and was sent to a playoff with Chris Gotterup. And on the tee box, another distraction cost him.
In terrible timing, a steward dropped a chair as Matsuyama stepped up to take his drive, forcing him to step away once again. Predictably, he hooked his shot into the water. Yes, he’d be driving it poorly all day, but this couldn’t have helped.
This was no one’s fault. Obviously, the steward didn’t mean to drop the chair. But combining this with the earlier fan distraction would be enough to rattle anyone.
Matsuyama would be right to feel hard done by, and can honestly say that the fan shouting cost him his victory.
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