Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada USA West Q-School Rd. 1

First-Round Leaders…

Weather: Mostly cloudy with highs near 70. Light WSW wind 5-10 mph.

SANTEE, CA – SPORTS – Alistair Docherty (Vancouver, WA) opened with a 6-under-par 66 to take the first-round lead at the first of five qualifying tournaments for the 2018 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada at Carlton Oaks Country Club. The Chico State product was making his second start in this event after earning conditional status on the Mackenzie Tour a year ago following a T27 finish here.

“I mostly stuck to my game plan for the most part and think I missed just one fairway today which really helps out here. The greens were in pretty good shape and I kept myself below the hole for the most part and gave myself a lot of opportunities,” Docherty said.

One of the keys in his round came on number six when he missed the green right and proceeded to chip in for a birdie.

“I was trying to miss the green short right so it was a fairly easy chip. I had 158 to the pin and it was a decision between an 8 or 9-iron and I chose the eight because being short on that hole was not a very difficult chip. I executed the chip pretty well.”

The only blemish in his round came on number nine when he made a bogey-six.

“For me this week it’s just sticking to my game plan,” Docherty added. “Being here last year and the things I learned has helped me better prepare for this week. I know what I’m capable of and I think I’ll be alright if I stick to my game plan.”

Some Notes About the Leader…

After finishing T27 in this event a year ago, Docherty tried six Monday qualifiers on the Mackenzie Tour but did not advance to any of the six tournaments, missing by one or two strokes in five of the six.

As a collegian, he was one of five finalists for the NCAA Division II Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award in 2016 while competing at Chico State in California.

Was the Co-Player of the Year in the California Collegiate Athletics Association in 2016 and was also the CCAA Male Athlete of the Year and an All-American.

Represented the United States in the 2016 Arnold Palmer Cup in England.

One of the coaches he works with is Brian Henninger, a member of PGA TOUR Champions and a two-time winner on the PGA TOUR.

Notes from Round One of the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Q-School

Carlton Oaks Country Club is hosting this event for the third consecutive year. The club was also the site of the 1974 NCAA Division I Championship with medalist honors going to World Golf Hall of Famer Curtis Strange. His stellar play helped his Wake Forest squad claim the team championship that year, the first of two consecutive national titles for the Demon Deacons.

One of the participants this week at Carlton Oaks Country Club is former MLB all-star reliever Shigetoshi Hasegawa. He played in the 2003 MLB All-Star game and had a nine-year career playing for the Anaheim Angels and the Seattle Mariners. Hasegawa’s best season came in 2003 when he had an impressive 1.48 ERA for the Mariners. Although he did not start playing golf until he was 22, Hasegawa honed his game well enough to qualify for the 2017 U.S. Amateur at age 49. Hasegawa shot a 5-over-par 77 on Tuesday.

While the 132 players competing in this week’s qualifier each have a story of their own, one player that certainly brings a diverse background to the event is 38-year-old Isileli Tuanaki. A native of Tonga, Tuanaki was a college football player at Northern Arizona University, lettering in 2001 and 2002. Since graduating from college, Tuanaki has worked as a real estate agent, a drilling rig hand and an executive assistant. He is now a stay-at-home husband/dad with two young children.

A total of 17 amateurs are among the 132 players in this week’s field. In addition to entries from the U.S. and Canada, the field includes competitors from Wales, Australia, Sweden, South Korea, Tonga, England, Japan, New Caledonia and Germany.

The low Canadian in the field in the opening round was Eric Hawerchuk (even-par 72) and is T23. He is the son of former NHL star Dale Hawerchuk.

Brett Smith posted his fifth career hole-in-one and first in competition when he aced No. 2 in the opening round. Smith used a 7-iron from 181 yards. He shot a 4-under-par 68 and is T2.

Sam Fidone, who is currently T2 after a 4-under-par 68, owns a victory on PGA TOUR LatinoAmerica at the 2016 Honduras Open presented by Indura Beach and Golf Resort.

HOW IT WORKS…

A total of 132 players are competing this week with hopes of earning their cards for the 2018 season. Below is a breakdown of the status available at each of the five sites: