Huskey Wins Playoff For Mackenzie Tour Medalist Honours

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Category: Inside Golf

Published: 2021-03-15

DOTHAN, Alabama — Tied with Steven Fisk for first after 72 holes, Keenan Huskey eagled the first playoff hole to earn medalist honours at RTJ Golf Trail at Highland Oaks during the Mackenzie Tour Qualifying Tournament.

Huskey, who shot a 4-under 68 Friday, and Fisk, who carded 6-under 66 to match the low round of the tournament, tied for the top spot at 11-under 277. The pair went to a sudden-death playoff on the par-5 ninth to determine who would get exempt membership for the 2021 season.

After a good drive, Huskey hit 5-iron into the green from 229 yards and drained the 30-footer for eagle to top Fisk.

“I thought (going back to No. 9 for the playoff) was good for me because of my length,” Huskey said. “I can usually take advantage of par-5s. For whatever reason, I had a good line on that putt. I had a good feeling when I hit it, and it happened to go in.”

Huskey previously earned fully exempt status for the first half of the 2019 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season. After tying for 11th at the Qualifying Tournament, Huskey played in five events, with his top finish a tie for 39th at the 2019 Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist.

“There’s a lot I learned from 2019 going up there,” Huskey said. “It was just such a different experience being up there. I’m looking forward to going back.”

Fisk, who earns exempt status through the halfway-point reshuffle, shot 35 on the front nine Friday before a bogey-free 31 on the back nine put him in a tie for first.

“I got some putts to fall,” Fisk said. “I continued to drive it well. The first few days, I kept hitting 80- and 120-yard wedges to 15 feet. Today, I was able to get some inside six or eight feet and make some birdies.”

The rest of the players who finished between second and sixth place at RTJ Golf Trail also earn exempt status through the reshuffle. They are Ryan Grider, who finished solo third, at 10-under 278. The senior from Baylor University was the top amateur in Dothan.

Bennett Baker and Jonathan Hardee each tied for fourth at 8-under 280 to tie for fourth.

Playing in a four-for-one playoff for the sixth spot, amateur Logan Lockwood won on the fourth extra hole, edging Calum Masters, Otto Black and fellow amateur Samuel Anderson. The players who finished between seventh and 25th this week earn conditional membership for the 2021 season.

The fourth Mackenzie Tour Qualifying Tournament is set for March 23-26 at Soboba Springs Golf Course in San Jacinto, California.

Did you know Keenan Huskey finished his collegiate career at South Carolina ranked second on the career scoring average list (71.66) and tied for second in career wins (four) in the program’s history?

Key Information

How the Tournament Worked
One-hundred-one players entered this tournament, and there were 95 who played all 72 holes. Below is a breakdown of the various Mackenzie Tour membership statuses players earned this week.

• This was a 72-hole, no-cut event and two playoffs determined the medalist and sixth spots.

• Keenan Huskey, who played collegiately at South Carolina, from 2014 to 2018, was an honourable-mention All-American by Golfweek in 2017. His other accolades from that season include second-team All-Southeastern Conference honours and a place on the Ping All-Southeast Region team, which he also earned in 2016.

• Steven Fisk, who played college golf at Georgia Southern (2015-19), won nine tournaments during his college career, including six as a senior. One of three finalists for the Haskins Award during his senior season, Fisk finished runner-up in the individual portion of the 2019 NCAA Championships, losing to Oklahoma State’s Matthew Wolff. Fisk was a first-team All-American by Ping and Golfweek. The two-time Sun Belt Conference Golfer of the Year posted a 69.03 stroke average as a senior, the sixth-lowest in NCAA Division I history.

• Ryan Grider was the top amateur with a solo third-place finish. He was one of four amateurs to finish in the top 10. Grider, a senior at Baylor, was one of 20 players named to the Haskins Award Watch List for the 2020-21 season.

• Thirty-six-hole leader Bennett Baker played collegiately at Florida State University, his eligibility ending in 2019. His best finish was a victory at the 2018 USA Individual Tournament as a junior.

• Jonathan Hardee played collegiately at Alabama, from 2014 to 2018. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team during his first year with the Crimson Tide.

• Logan Lockwood is a senior on the Texas State University men’s golf team. During the 2018-19 season, Lockwood earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt Conference second team.

• Samuel Anderson, a senior on the Wisconsin men’s golf team, won the 2020 St. Augustine Amateur in Florida.

Quotable

“It feels awesome. That’s going to take a lot of stress off me for this year.” -Keenan Huskey

“I played pretty solid today. I got off to a pretty hot start. I played good on the back side, too. I just couldn’t get any putts to go in. But overall, it was a really good round.” -Keenan Huskey

“I know it played a little easier yesterday with some tees being moved up. I’d say today was really similar to the rest of the days.” -Steven Fisk

“I thought (my round) was really solid. I drove it really well and had a lot of opportunities. I didn’t make as many as I could have, but all in all, I thought it was a solid day. I did what I wanted to do.” -Bennett Baker

“I played solid. I hit it solid. It was really consistent ball-striking. I had that tough day on Wednesday that really kind of hurt, but I’m proud of myself for fighting back after 78 to give myself back in it going into today.” -Calum Masters

“I got off to kind of a slow start, I guess. Starting on the Highlands nine, those first four holes aren’t ones you’re expecting to go out and just blitz.” -Calum Masters

Final-Round Weather: Sunny, with a high of 79. Wind WSW at 5-8 mph.

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