If you expected to find Reed Hughes playing only on a senior tour, think again! With an undying passion for golf, Hughes has made it to the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship. This will mark his 8th PGA Tour appearance and his first in nearly 2 decades. And it’s no sponsor exemption either! The golfer ‘earned’ his way to the 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship after winning the 2023 Gulf States E-Z-GO Section Championship at Deerfield Golf Club last September in Canton, Mississippi.

Following his impressive win last year, Hughes said, “It’s never over until it’s over.” And that perhaps entirely sums up his zeal. At 71, Hughes has the zealous heart of a perhaps 17-year-old. His dedication and confidence are things that we all look forward to in our lives. And despite the ups and downs, his unwavering spirit has led to an inspiring story.  

Reed Hughes’ professional journey so far

Reed Hughes’ age screams experience. The golfer has been on the field for decades, and his understanding of the sport is reflected well in his journey as a golfer. To date, he has played in eight Tour events, beginning with his first at the 1984 Danny Thomas Memphis Classic. His most recent before the Sanderson Farms event was at the 2007 Zurich Classic (17 years ago).

Interestingly, Huges is yet to make a cut on the Tour. But of course, it’s never too late as Hughes keeps aiming to prove. And a win at 70 and a PGA Tour event at 71 is certainly helping his cause. Regardless of whether the veteran makes the cut at the event, he’s going to keep pushing. If he does go through to play the weekend, though, he would become the oldest player to do so on the PGA Tour. The last player who made a cut at 71 was the legendary Arnold Palmer!

Notably, though, his aim isn’t even a cut or a win. “I hope I keep inspiring them to keep playing. Golf is something you play for your lifetime. It’s been fun, all my students I’ve had in the past, wishing me luck, that’s pretty good.”

Reed Hughes Defies the Norm of Age

The maxim “age is just a number” resonates very strongly with Reed Hughes. Compared to the first time he played on the Tour, this time, a lot has changed. Wars began and ended. 7 Presidents have been in and out of the White House. Coming to golf, 25 people have moved up and down from the world no 1 spot, countless rules have been changed, and we could go on and on. The point is throughout all of this Hughes’s love for golf has remained strong. And because of it, his goal to inspire is being fulfilled.

At the Sanderson Farms Championship, he’s impressed many. The 71-year-old is competing alongside pros half his age. And in Nick Dunlap’s (20) case nearly a quarter! Yet he has some rooting for him. During the first round, where he carded a 76, play at the Country Club of Jackson, Steve Sands, who was on the mic, quipped, “Are we allowed to root in the booth for a 71-year-old?”

It’s no doubt a sentiment many shared, including his co-anchor Sam Saunders, who responded, “I am. I don’t care if you’re not. That’s impressive right there!”

There you have it, Reed Hughes is 71 and thriving. Maybe not traditionally, but thriving nonetheless!