Mackenzie Hughes fired 11 birdies in a sizzling nine-under par 63 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over Ryder Cup-bound Ben Griffin and Matt McCarty in the US PGA Tour Procore Championship

Hughes, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, admitted thoughts of a 59 “crossed my mind for a second,” but after bogeys at 14 and 15 he had to settle for the first-round lead at Silverado Resort in Napa, California.

The Canadian got to work early with birdies at the second and third and then began to “pile it on” with birdies at the fifth and sixth and three in a row at eight, nine and 10.

He was rolling with back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13, and after his miscues at 14 and 15 got back on track with birdies at 16 and 18.

“I had a nice feel with the putter, so it was really just about continuing t

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