We're Rooting for Mackenzie Hughes, Russell Henley & Matthew Wolff to Win the U.S. Open

Why are we rooting for Mackenzie Hughes to win the U.S. Open? Because he’s Canadian and Canadians are nice people. Plus, they rarely ever win on the PGA tour. In addition, Hughes has overcome adversity - once losing his tour card before regaining it five years ago. Outside of his own friends and family, nobody is cheering for Mac. While the last two months have not been kind to Hughes (missed cuts in five straight events) he’s played well this week and is on the verge of winning The Open.

That makes him a solid underdog and a golfer we are pulling for today.

Russell Henley is another rootable player. While he had some early success in his first year on tour - winning the Sony Open by a record margin - he has not won as often as many had predicted when he graduated from the University of Georgia ten years ago. Now a 100-1 shot to win any tournament he enters, Henley is also a guy we can get behind.

While technically not an underdog, Matthew Wolff is easy to root for because of his entertaining and unconventional golf swing. He’s also talked about his struggles with depression and anxiety.

We are definitely not rooting for Bryson DeChambeau because he is a weasel. A VERY LARGE weasel, but a weasel nonetheless.

Remember: we are all underdogs when we step on the golf course. Our golf hats instill golfers with the calm resilience they need to play well.

Epilogue: Unfortunately, Hughes, Henley, and Wolff struggled during the final round and fell out of contention. It is hard to ignore the fact that they did so while wearing PING, Titleist, and Taylor Made hats. One cannot help but wonder how they would have faired wearing our Go-Lo, On in Regulation, or Birddha hats.

Can Will Zalatoris or Justin Rose Win the 2021 Masters?

Six months ago Will Zalatoris was teeing off in the WinCo Foods Open, a Korn Ferry tour event in Portland. Today he is 1 shot off the lead at the Masters, with a very real chance to win in his first attempt - something that has only happened once in the past 90 years.

Zalatoris has five Top 10 finishes so in his last 15 events so it’s getting hard to think of him as an underdog for much longer. He’s top 20 on tour in driving distance and greens-in-regulation, so he’s destined to win, and win frequently.

Justin Rose is no stranger to the Masters, nor to golf majors. At 42 years old he’s played in over 50 golf major events. But at his age winning gets harder and harder. Throw in a balky back and Rose now qualifies as an official golf underdog.

We’ll be rooting for both of these guys this weekend. They’d likely be in an even stronger position if they were wearing our golf hats, but that’s their choice.

We did enjoy watching Billy Horschel fall on his ass while playing the 13th hole with Phil Mickelson. There’s nothing quite as enjoyable as watching someone who struggles to control their temper, slip and fall, mainly because you never know what they will do in response. Unfortunately for the viewing audience we were not treated with a classic Horschel meltdown.

The Honda Classic is FULL Of Underdogs!

There are a few tour stops every year the top players just decide to pass on. Usually they include the events like the Greenbrier Classic, the tour stop in New Orleans, and the Puerto Rico Open. The Honda Classic (PGA National in Palm Gardens, FL) is one such event. As a result, we get a full field of underdogs - players clinging to tour status, returning from injuries, as well as those who are just running out of time. Players like William McGirt, Erik Compton, Bronson Burgoon, Brandon Hagy, as well as former household names Hunter Mahan, and Camillo Villegas.

Aaron Wise, on the other hand, is in a very different position. At 24, a past winner, and currently in the Top 50 on the money list, he likely has a bright future.

However, there was a moment for Wise when he no doubt felt like a journeyman and that moment came during a very bad encounter with the 10th green during the final round. Wise, who enjoyed a 6 shot lead going into the weekend, before flopping on Saturday, had managed to play his way back into contention on Sunday.

After landing in a bunker, Wise blasted out to within 27 feet of the pin. His par putt slid 3 feet past the hole, and his tap in for bogey didn’t “tap-in.” Instead it scooted past the hole and he finally four (4) putted for a brutal triple bogey that sealed his fate.

Some advice for Aaron: before you make the turn, replace whatever hat you’ve got with this one, designed specifically for the Back 9.