Editor’s note: This story is part one of four in our “future famous” series, where we profile students who will have an impact in the years to come.

Mackenzie Hughes did not need a babysitter as a child.

Instead, his parents brought him with them when they went to play golf. Hughes would hit the ball off the tee, pick it up, run down to the green and putt it in.

It started when he was 6 years old, but he said, “I was just hooked.”

Growing up in Ontario, Canada, Hughes had to play in junior tournaments to make a name for himself and catch the attention of college scouts.

“I started to branch out when I was about 16 years old and played in front of American coaches,” Hughes said. “I competed well at the national level, got picked up by Kent State and (Kent State head coach) Herb Page, and the rest is history.”

When the recruiting process began, Page said Hughes definitely caught his eye.

“I was recruiting someone else up in Ontario, and there was Mackenzie,” Page said with a laugh. “He was just 15. He hit a terrible golf shot. We still laugh about when I first saw his first shot.”

But Hughes’ athletic ability and sound shots made him a sure candidate for the Kent State men’s golf team years later. Page returned to recruit Hughes for the Flashes during the Ontario Junior Championships when he was 17 years old.

“He has what we call speed,” Page said. “That means he’s very athletic, has a lot of club head speed and can hit the ball very hard.”

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