Mac Hughes dallies with 59, shoots his way into the Sunday final pairing..full scoreboard

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Consider the up and down year for Canadian Mac Hughes playing out an uninspired 2023 season, who was the Saturday story of the PGA Tour Fall Series with what all the players die for, a -12 60 with a putt for 59 at the 18th to move into 3rd place at -18

“I’m thrilled,” said Hughes, who also shot 60 in the first round of the Travelers Championship in 2020. “But you can’t help but feel a little bit disappointed. You don’t get the opportunity to shoot 59 very often. You have a putt like that, you want to bury it more than anything.”

As for players who say they aren’t aware of a chance to shoot 59, Hughes is not one of them.“ When I eagled 15, I thought if I can run the table, that would be 59,” he said. “I was kind of licking my chops down 18. But unfortunately, it didn’t work out.”

He sure gave it a run, following the eagle with a pair of birdie putts from the 12-foot range and having a good look just outside 15 feet on the 18th. Hughes thought the putt would break slightly back toward the left, but it stayed right and he removed his cap in disbelief.

Ludvig Åberg ran off four birdies and an eagle over a five-hole stretch on the back nine Saturday, not so much to pull away but just to keep pace. He had a 9-under 61 for a one-shot lead at -20 on an extraordinary day of low scoring in The RSM Classic.

“I’m thrilled,” said Hughes, who also shot 60 in the first round of the Travelers Championship in 2020. “But you can’t help but feel a little bit disappointed. You don’t get the opportunity to shoot 59 very often. You have a putt like that, you want to bury it more than anything.”

He begins Sunday 68 66 60 -18 in the final pairing at 11.10am with Ludvig Aberg 67 64 61 -20 and Eric Cole 66 66 61 -19

9.42  Adam Svensson 68 66 67 -11, Fred Biondi, Kelly Kraft

9.10  10th  Corey Conners 72 65 66 -9, Wesley Bryan,  Stephan Jaeger

Bryan Angus