PHOENIX AZ – SPORTS – This week, 132 players will take their first steps on the path toward the PGA TOUR, at The Wigwam in Phoenix, Arizona, as they battle for Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada status. Below are details on the third of five Mackenzie Tour Qualifying Tournaments this season, along with storylines to follow this week from the desert.
HOW IT WORKS
Players will compete at each of the five qualifying tournaments with hopes of earning their cards for 2018. Below is a breakdown of the status available at each site:
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Finish Position
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Status
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Medalist
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Exempt for 2018 season
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2nd through 5th (no ties)
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Exempt for first eight events and subject to second re-shuffle
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6th through 16th (no ties)
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Exempt for first four events and subject to first re-shuffle
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17th through 40th (plus ties)
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Conditional status
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THE COURSE
Established in the 1920s as a pure desert golf experience, The Wigwam offers three courses, two created by legendary designer Robert Trent Jones, Sr., including the Gold Course, which will host the Qualifying Tournament this week. The course has previously hosted qualifying tournaments for the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur. This week’s Qualifying Tournament represents the first time Mackenzie Tour qualifying has been held in Arizona.
FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS WEEK
Jamie Sadlowski (St. Paul, Alta.) – The two-time World Long Drive Champion made his first full foray into professional golf last year and proved he could compete, making the cut six times in 10 starts, with three top-30 Mackenzie Tour finishes.
Zach Wright (Stuart, Fla.) – While competing at Louisiana State University, Wright built a standout resume that included a second-team All-American nod in 2016 and a spot on the 2016 Arnold Palmer Cup team along with a 3-0 record while helping the Tigers to the 2015 national championship. Wright currently leads the money list on the Arizona-based Dreamchasers Tour.
Bobby Wyatt (St. Simon’s Island, Ga.) – Twice named a first-team All-American during a stellar career at the University of Alabama, Wyatt finished fourth at the 2016 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which earned him a spot in the Web.com Tour Finals and eventually a PGA TOUR card later that year. Wyatt struggled in 2017-18, making just four of 20 cuts on the PGA TOUR. He once shot a 57 in the 2010 Alabama Boys’ State Championship.
Blair Hamilton (Burlington, Ont.) – A former member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team and an NCAA All-American at the University of Houston, Hamilton posted three top-25 finishes on the Mackenzie Tour during his first season as a professional, in 2017.
Derek Bard (New Hartford, N.Y.) – Bard finished runner-up to Bryson DeChambeau at the 2015 U.S. Amateur, earning invitations to The Masters and the U.S. Open. Bard won the prestigious Monroe Invitational last year and represented the United States at the Arnold Palmer Cup in 2016.
THE SYSTEM
The Mackenzie Tour provides players with the opportunity to make the first step on the path to the PGA TOUR by rewarding high finishers on the Order of Merit with steps toward and status on the Web.com Tour. The Order of Merit winner following the 2018 season will be fully exempt on the 2019 Web.com Tour, while finishers 2-5 earn conditional status and an exemption into the Final Stage of Q-School. Finishers 6-10 also earn an exemption directly into Final Stage, while players in the 11th through 20th spots earn exemptions through the Second Stage.
The path has already been utilized by 20 players who have gone on to earn PGA TOUR cards since 2013, highlighted by PGA TOUR winners Nick Taylor, Tony Finau and Mackenzie Hughes. Since the Tour’s inception, 166 alumni have earned Web.com Tour status, including 72 competing there for the 2018 season.
CANADIANS IN THE FIELD (14):
Jamie Sadlowski (St. Paul, Alta.)
Blair Hamilton (Burlington, Ont.)
David Rose (West Vancouver, B.C.)
Wil Bateman (Edmonton, Alta.)
Patrick Williams (Toronto, Ont.)
Gianfranco Guida (Maple, Ont.)
Zachary Giusti (Aurora, Ont.)
James Seymour (Aurora, Ont.)
Aaron Crawford (Calgary, Ont.)
Evan DeGrazia (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
Luke Moser (Waterloo, Ont.)
Michael McAdam (Red Deer, Alta.)
David Little (Toronto, Ont.)
Samuel Diamond (Winnipeg, Man.)