I just stayed really patient and kept hitting good shot after good shot
On the sun-warmed fairways of Myrtle Beach, Mark Hubbard finds himself one shot from a dream 274 starts in the making — not through dominance, but through the quieter victory of learning to stay patient with himself. His late surge on Saturday placed him atop the Myrtle Beach Classic leaderboard, one stroke ahead of Aaron Rai, with a crowded and hungry field waiting behind him. What unfolds Sunday will test not just his ball-striking, but the hard-won composure he has spent years cultivating.
- Hubbard was unremarkable through 13 holes before erupting with four birdies in his final five to seize the lead — momentum arriving late, but arriving decisively.
- Eight players sit within five shots, making Sunday's final round less a coronation than a collision waiting to happen.
- Brooks Koepka, back on the PGA Tour after his LIV Golf stint, shot 64 and is five back — close enough that a hot putter could rewrite the story entirely.
- A win would end Hubbard's 274-start search for his first PGA Tour title and punch his ticket to next week's PGA Championship at Aronimink.
- Hubbard's own assessment of the day centered not on the birdies but on his mind — crediting patience as the thing that kept a potential 68 from swallowing his 64.
Mark Hubbard was playing steady but unremarkable golf through 13 holes at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club on Saturday. Then the back nine caught fire. Four birdies in his final five holes completed a 7-under 64 and lifted him to 16-under for the tournament — one shot clear of Aaron Rai heading into Sunday's final round of the Myrtle Beach Classic.
The leaderboard is tightly packed and full of storylines. Aaron Rai birdied four straight holes on the back nine before closing with five pars for a 66, leaving him one shot back. Brooks Koepka, returning to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf, shot 64 and sits five behind — close enough to matter if his putter warms up. Brandt Snedeker, 45 years old and serving as Presidents Cup captain, posted a 67 and remains at 13-under alongside Mac Meissner and Beau Hossler, who both fired 64s. Even 18-year-old Blades Brown, four months removed from high school graduation, made noise with a 66.
For Hubbard, the stakes extend well beyond a single Sunday. A victory would be his first on the PGA Tour after 274 starts — his best previous finish a runner-up at the 2019 Houston Open — and would secure a place in next week's PGA Championship at Aronimink. But what seemed to matter most to him after Saturday's round was something interior. He spoke of leaving chances on the table in the middle of the round, then choosing patience over frustration. "I think Mark a couple of weeks ago would have gotten pretty frustrated and turned a 64 into a 68," he said.
Hubbard has held a 54-hole lead before — at the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship — and knows how Sunday pressure reshapes a round. He is under no illusions about what awaits him. "Someone could come out and shoot 60 tomorrow," he acknowledged. That acceptance of what he cannot control, and his focus on what he can — clean iron play, a quiet mind — may be the clearest sign of how much he has changed.
Mark Hubbard arrived at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club on Saturday afternoon with something to prove. Through 13 holes, he was playing solid golf but nothing extraordinary. Then, over the final five holes, he caught fire. Four birdies in his last five holes—a 7-under 64—lifted him to 16-under for the tournament and into the lead of the Myrtle Beach Classic, one shot clear of Aaron Rai heading into Sunday's final round.
It was the kind of finish that changes a tournament's shape. Hubbard's surge capped a day of aggressive scoring across the field. Eight players finished within five shots of the lead, a tightly bunched leaderboard that promised drama on Sunday. Among them: Brooks Koepka, fresh off his return to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf, who shot 64 and sits five back. Brandt Snedeker, the 45-year-old Presidents Cup captain, posted a 67 and remains very much in the hunt at 13-under. Kevin Roy trails by two. The field is crowded, hungry, and close.
For Hubbard, this moment carries weight beyond a single tournament. A win would be his first on the PGA Tour—a milestone he's chased across 274 starts. His best finish to date came in 2019 at the Houston Open, where he was runner-up. More immediately, victory here would secure his spot in next week's PGA Championship at Aronimink. The stakes are real. Yet what struck Hubbard most about Saturday wasn't the shots themselves but his own mind. "I felt like I had some of the best ball control I've had all season, maybe my whole career," he said afterward. But he acknowledged leaving opportunities on the table in the middle of the round. The difference between this version of himself and an earlier one, he explained, was patience. "I think Mark a couple of weeks ago would have gotten pretty frustrated and turned a 64 into a 68. I just stayed really patient."
Aaron Rai, his closest pursuer, had his own hot stretch. He birdied four consecutive holes to open the back nine, then closed with five straight pars for a 66. He sits one shot back at 15-under. Koepka's position is more precarious but not without hope. He began Saturday outside the top 20 and clawed his way into contention through disciplined ball-striking. "If I can continue to do what I did today as far as ball-striking, which I feel like I've done over the past three months, it's just a matter of getting that putter heated up," he said. He's already qualified for the PGA Championship, as has Rai. For Koepka, this week represents his best chance at a win since returning to the PGA Tour.
The supporting cast is deep. Mac Meissner and Beau Hossler both shot 64 and sit at 13-under alongside Snedeker. Hossler's round was particularly explosive early—six birdies in his first seven holes—before he cooled considerably. Even Blades Brown, an 18-year-old who graduated high school just four months ago, made noise with a 66 to sit seven shots back.
Hubbard has been here before. In 2022, he held at least a share of the 54-hole lead at the Sanderson Farms Championship and finished tied for fifth. He knows the weight of expectation, the pressure of a final round when the field is watching. On Sunday, he'll need to replicate what worked Saturday: iron play that's as clean as it's been in years, and the mental composure to stay patient when things don't fall immediately. "I just have to keep doing what I've been doing all week, which is hitting really good iron shot after really good iron shot," he said. "I can't control it. Someone could come out and shoot 60 tomorrow." That acceptance—that surrender to the only thing he can control—may be the truest measure of how much he's grown.
Citações Notáveis
I felt like I had some of the best ball control I've had all season, maybe my whole career today, but I felt like I was kind of leaving a few out there in the middle of the round.— Mark Hubbard
If I can continue to do what I did today as far as ball-striking, which I feel like I've done over the past three months, it's just a matter of getting that putter heated up.— Brooks Koepka
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
What changed for Hubbard between the middle of his round and those last five holes?
He says it was patience. He was hitting the ball well all day but wasn't converting chances early. Instead of pressing, he stayed composed and kept executing. The putts came later.
Is this his best chance at a PGA Tour win?
It's certainly significant. This is his 274th start. He's been close before—runner-up at Houston in 2019—but never won. And the PGA Championship spot hanging over it adds real stakes.
How vulnerable is his one-shot lead?
Very. Eight players are within five shots. Koepka is five back and striking it beautifully. Rai is one back and just as capable. A hot final round from any of them could bury him.
What did Hubbard say about his mental state?
He credited a shift in attitude. He acknowledged that an earlier version of himself would have gotten frustrated and turned a good round into a mediocre one. This time he stayed patient and let the round come to him.
Does Koepka have a real shot?
He thinks so. He's been striking the ball as well as he ever has since returning from LIV Golf. He just needs the putter to cooperate. Five shots is manageable if he plays clean golf.
What's the story with Blades Brown?
He's 18, graduated high school in January, and he's already competitive on the PGA Tour. He shot 66 and is seven back. That's remarkable for someone that young in that environment.