Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Storylines – USA East Q-School #2
- Details
- Category: Tour
- Published: 2017-04-18
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The quest to earn Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada status resumes this week in Port St. Lucie, Florida, the fourth of five Qualifying Tournaments in California, Florida and British Columbia. 120 players will aim to earn Mackenzie Tour status for the 2017 season at PGA Golf Club’s Wannamaker Course. Below are all the details from this week along with storylines to watch for: HOW IT WORKS 120 players will compete at each qualifying tournament with hopes of earning their cards for 2017. Below is a breakdown of the status available at each site:
WHAT THEY’LL FACE PGA Village’s Wannamaker Course, a 7,123-yard par-72 layout, has hosted has previously played host to PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour Q-School as well as the PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada. Among the Mackenzie Tour players who earned status there last year include Freedom 55 Financial Championship winner Paul Barjon, who finished T10 as an amateur before concluding his college career and making his pro debut in Canada. “The par-5s are really the key holes, because you can have a lot of good chances for birdie or eagle. Besides that, it's a very fair course that rewards good shots,” says Barjon of PGA Village’s Wannamaker Course. Other players who got their card at PGA Village last year include Will Starke, Carter Jenkins, Vaita Guillaume, Scott Wolfes, Adam Webb, Hank Lebioda, Brian Dwyer and Sean Kelly, who all earned spots in the top 60 on the Order of Merit and exempt status for 2017. THE FIRST STEP ON THE PATH TO THE PGA TOUR For many players, earning Mackenzie Tour status represents the first step on the path to the PGA TOUR. From college standouts taking their first crack at the professional ranks to players in search of that big break, earning a card at Q-School is the first stop on the journey to reach the game’s highest level. Examples of players who started at Q-Schools in Florida include 2016 Player of the Year Dan McCarthy, who earned his card in 2014 and went on to have a historic season in 2016 that included four wins and the single-season earnings record with more than $156,000. Other Mackenzie Tour alumni to have earned their card at Q-Schools in Florida include PGA TOUR member Ryan Brehm and Mackenzie Tour winners Albin Choi, Drew Weaver, Chris Ross, Max Rottluff and Paul Barjon. FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH Below are five in the field to keep an eye on this week in Florida: Charlie Danielson (Osceola, Wis.) Four-time NCAA All-American at the University of Illinois, including a 1st team nod in 2016. Was named Big Ten Player of the Year in 2016 and was a semi-finalist for both the Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan Awards. Represented the U.S. in the 2016 Palmer Cup. Finished T22 at the PGA TOUR’s John Deere Classic in 2016. Jamie Sadlowski (St. Paul, Alta.) Won the RE/MAX World Long Drive Champion in 2008 and 2009. Transitioning to professional golf and will look to earn Mackenzie Tour status for the first time. Has made two cuts in four career starts on the Web.com Tour and once on the Mackenzie Tour at the 2013 Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON (T68). Chris Hemmerich (Kitchener, Ont.) Former Golf Canada National Amateur Team member played college golf at the University of Guelph and made a splash by finishing in the top-10 in each of his first two Mackenzie Tour events in 2014. Taylor Funk (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) University of Texas Junior is the son of former THE PLAYERS champion Fred Funk and helped the Longhorns to a runner-up finish at the 2016 NCAA Championship, where he dueled with Oregon’s Sulman Raza for 21 holes in the deciding match. Hugo Leon (Santiago, Chile.) Two-time Mackenzie Tour winner (2011 ATB Financial Classic, 2013 Great Waterway Classic) finished in The Five in 2013 to earn status on the Web.com Tour from 2014-15. Looks to bounce back from an injury-plagued season last year. CANADIANS IN THE FIELD (11) ALUMNI WATCH Nine Mackenzie Tour alumni are currently inside The 25 on the Web.com Tour’s season-long money list as the season resumes this week at the United Leasing Championship: 2. Ethan Tracy $127,870 For more information contact: Brian Decker |
