Who Is Mackenzie Hughes' Caddie?

Canadian PGA Tour golfer Mackenzie Hughes has had fellow countryman Julien Trudeau on the bag since November 2023

Julien Trudeau and Mackenzie Hughes at the 2024 Genesis Invitational
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A member of the PGA Tour since 2016, Mackenzie Hughes has won twice on the PGA Tour - at the 2016 RSM Classic and the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship.

Who Caddies For Mackenzie Hughes?

Hughes has previously reached a career-high world ranking of 39th and used his childhood best friend Keith Dynes as a caddie in a Web.com Tour event before moving on to Derell Aton for a few years and - temporarily - Bill Bath at the 2019 Canadian Open.

Between 2020 and November 2023, Hughes had Jace Walker on the bag. The pair worked together for three years and won once at the aforementioned Sanderson Farms Championship in 2022.

However, after a poor run in the summer of 2023, including missing the cut when defending his title in Mississippi, Hughes decided to make a switch. 

Explaining the decision, he said: “I just felt like I had just not really a great year and I was kind of looking (for) something fresh. It's no fun doing that. 

Mackenzie Hughes talks with his caddie, Jace Walker during Friday's round at The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday at Muirfield Village Country Club on June 2, 2023

Mackenzie Hughes previously had Jace Walker on the bag

(Image credit: Getty Images)

"My old caddie and I were really close and it's a tough decision to make but it just kind of felt like that was something I needed.”

Now, the Canadian remains in search of his third win alongside current caddie and fellow Ontarian, Julien Trudeau.

Trudeau has been a professional caddie since 2014 and in that time has worked with several high-profile PGA Tour players, including Adam Long, Graham DeLaet, Russell Knox, Colt Knost and Joel Dahmen.

Prior to becoming a caddie, the Canadian pursued a career as a professional golfer in his own right. As a student at Chaparral High School, he was part of the school's golf team that won the 1998 Arizona State High School Championship. In 2010, he competed on the Nationwide Tour but made the cut just twice in 18 events. 

Julien Trudeau in Korn Ferry Tour action at the 2010 Pacific Rubiales Bogota Open

Julien Trudeau in Nationwide Tour action at the 2010 Pacific Rubiales Bogota Open

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Trudeau and Hughes began working together in November 2023 at the Worldwide Technology Championship, registering a T7 finish in their first event together.

In their very next start, at The RSM Classic, Hughes finished second - four strokes behind Ludvig Aberg as the Swede collected his first PGA Tour title.

The duo's first full season together featured three highlight weeks - a T3 at the Valspar Championship, a T6 at the Wells Fargo Championship, and a T7 at the Canadian Open.

From Trudeau's point of view, he almost enjoyed his own standout moment at the 2023 Players Championship. Having struck his tee shot on the 17th to 10 feet, he was temporarily leading the 'Closest To The Pin' competition, only to eventually be usurped by Harry Hall's caddie, Phil Reedy.

Hughes might have been secretly pleased at the time, given no player has ever gone on to win after caddie success there.

Hughes ended T26 at TPC Sawgrass anyway before limping into the FedEx Cup Playoffs later in the season and consequently missing out on the BMW Championship by just a handful of points.

Jonny Leighfield
Staff Writer

Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and is hoping to reach his Handicap goal of 18 at some stage. He attended both the 150th and 151st Open Championships and dreams of attending The Masters one day.

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