There are a variety of reasons for a player to withdraw after an opening 76 but Mackenzie Hughes’ was fairly unexpected.
The Canadian, who was playing in this week’s Travelers Championship and coming off the back of a T49 at LA Country Club, somehow made it through 18 holes before revealing on social media the reason for those two letters ‘WD’ next to his name.
“On our charter flight from the US Open to the Travelers Monday morning I felt a bit of discomfort in my lower right back. Once we took off though, the pain was unbearable. I went to the front of the plane and laid down on the floor but nothing was helping.
“The pain was so bad it made me nauseous and I started to throw up. I laid on the floor for the entirety of the 5 hour flight in pretty severe pain and throwing up. But I had no idea what it was.”
The original reason for Hughes’ withdrawal was ‘illness’ which is putting things very mildly.
“The people from Travelers, also Stuart Love were very helpful in getting me through the flight,” he continued. “Once we landed, I went by ambulance to a nearby hospital. After a CT scan it turned out that I had kidney stones which explains the intense pain I was having. I had a 4mm stone which the doctor said I would likely pass so it was just pain meds and rest the last few days as I tried to pass it.
“Unfortunately I haven’t passed it yet and I’m still dealing with lots of discomfort. I hate to WD from one of my favourite tournaments of the year but I look forward to getting healthy and getting back soon. Thanks for the support.”
How he made it though the opening round is anybody’s guess. In it there was a bogey, a double and a treble but also 15 pars but, in the end, the pain was too much.
The fact that this week is a designated event probably had a lot/everything to do with his decision to play on – the Canadian is currently 35th on the FedEx standings, mainly due to his win at the back end of last year at the Sanderson Farms – but enough was finally enough and he will likely be back when nature has taken its course.
