Hughes withdraws from Travelers Championship following opening round

Canadian Mackenzie Hughes has withdrawn from the Travelers Championship following Thursday's opening round due to an illness. 

The 32-year-old native of Hamilton, Ont., shot a 6-over 76 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut on Thursday. 

Later Thursday, Hughes made an announcement on Twitter, revealing that he started to experience lower back pain and nausea during his flight from the U.S. Open before finding out that he had kidney stones upon his arrival to the Travelers.

"On our charter from the U.S. Open to the Travelers Monday morning, I felt a bit of discomfort in my lower back. Once we took off though, the pain was unbearable. I went to the front of the plane and laid down on the floor, but nothing was helping," Hughes said in the statement. "The pain was so bad it made me nauseous and I started to throw up. I laid on the floor for the entirety of the five hour flight in pretty severe pain and throwing up. But I had no idea what it was.

"The people from Travelers and also Stuart Love were very helpful in getting me through the flight. Once we landed, I went by ambulance to a nearby hospital. After a CT scan it turned out that I had kidney stones, which explains the intense pain I was having. I had a 4 mm stone which the doctor said I would likely pass, so it was just pain meds and rest the last few days as I tried to pass it. Unfortunately I haven't passed it yet and I'm still dealing with lots of discomfort. I hate to WD from one of my favourite tournaments of the year, but I look forward to get healthy and getting back soon. Thanks for the support." 

Hughes is currently ranked 68th in the world and 35th on the FedEx Cup standings, winning the Sanderson Farms Championship in October.