One of season's greatest stories is taking shape in the PGA Tour's 'other' event on Sunday

Some of the most thrilling and emotional wins on the PGA Tour come in weeks like these, when there is an alternate event being played while the biggest stars compete in what are now dubbed signature events. In a practice that began with the existence of the World Golf Championships, the tour gives its rank-and-file members—no slouches, we might add—something to play for. More often than not, somebody seizes the chance for a life-changing victory. (Even if a Masters invite doesn’t come with it.)

It’s an impressive list of those who have scored their first tour victory in the “other” tournaments held in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and Myrtle Beach and Lake Tahoe and Kentucky. Among them are Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau, Collin Morikawa and the late Grayson Murray. Joel Dahmen notched his lone tour victory in the 2021 Corales Puntacana Championship, and Akshay Bhatia prevailed in a playoff over the still-winless Patrick Rodgers in the now-defunct Barracuda Championship.

Given the stature of the signature events, some big victories have been buried or lost in the rabble. It doesn’t happen every time, and this week, there are two rookies—Alex Fitzpatrick and Kristoffer Reitan—being chased closely by Cam Young in the $20 million Truist Championship at Quail Hollow. Certainly, that’s a compelling scenario.

And yet with three 20-somethings fighting for that $3.6 million first-place check, it makes the contrast all the more striking with what’s going down in the Oneflight Myrtle Beach Classic.

Mark Hubbard is the leader after shooting seven-under-par 64 on Saturday and, at 16 under, he leads by one over Englishman Aaron Rai. Hubbard is 38 years old and is making his 274th tour appearance. And he’s never lifted a trophy, owning the second-longest active dry streak beyond Rodgers’ 326 starts without a win.

He’s earned a tidy $12 million in his career but might be the poster guy for imposter syndrome at the pro golf level. Hubbard once said on his tour bio that “playing golf for a living is the dumbest thing I do, and that's saying something.”

“I'm kind of a goof ball off the course,” Hubbard admitted on Saturday, “and don't always make the best decisions, so I thought it was fitting.”

Hubbard is affable and self-deprecating, but he’s also been quick to beat himself up, and he truly believes his best chance to win would be if he could get out of his own darned way.

While praising his own ball striking on Saturday as some of the best he’s executed in his career, Hubbard said, “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 and just tried and kept hitting good shot after good shot and eventually the putts started going in.”