LAKELAND – SPORTS – This week is the fourth of five official Qualifying Tournaments, events that help determine membership to the 2018 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season. Players will take their first steps on the path toward the PGA TOUR this week at The Club at Eaglebrooke in Lakeland, Florida, as 132 players compete for various levels of status.
What Happens this Week
In the field are 132 players, competing for membership on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada. Below is a breakdown of the status available at each site:
| Finish Position | Status |
| Medalist | Exempt for 2018 season |
| 2nd through 5th (no ties) | Exempt for first eight events and subject to second re-shuffle |
| 6th through 16th (no ties) | Exempt for first four events and subject to first re-shuffle |
| 17th through 40th (plus ties) | Conditional status |
Previous 2018 Qualifying Tournament Results
| Tournament | Course | Location | Medalist |
| U.S West No. 1 | Carlton Oaks CC | Santee, California | Sam Fidone |
| U.S. East No. 1 | TPC Sawgrass (Dye’s Valley) | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida | Dawson, Armstrong |
| U.S. West No. 2 | Wigwam GC | Litchfield Park, Arizona | Michael McGowan |
This Week’s Course
Ron Garl designed The Club at Eaglebrooke, which opened in 1996 and serves both the Tampa and Orlando areas in Florida. The 7,030-yard (6,428 meters) course offers large, multi-level greens and bermudagrass fairways. This is the Mackenzie Tour’s first visit to The Club at Eaglebrooke.
Three Players to Watch
Cristobal Del Solar (Santiago, Chile) – The former Florida State University golfer has already won this season, becoming the second Chilean in history to win on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica. Del Solar won the 87th Abierto OSDE Del Centro two weeks ago in Cordoba, Argentina. The triumph marked his first professional victory. Del Solar is no stranger to the Mackenize Tour. A year ago, he made six starts, playing on the weekend in all six and recording 17 under-par scores in 24 rounds. His best finish was a tie for 14th at the ATB Financial Classic in Calgary.
Sebastian Szirmak (Toronto, Canada) – The Mackenzie Tour veteran played in 10 of the 12 tournaments last year, a tie for 19th at the National Capital Open to Support Our Troops in Ottawa his top finish. He opened the tournament in Ottawa with a 68-68-66 start and was only four strokes off the lead entering the final round before a Sunday 72 derailed his chances. He enjoyed two top-10s in 2016—both ties for 10th (at the Staal Foundation Open and the Cape Breton Open).
Charles Wang (Beijing, China) – Wang, whose full Chinese name is Shoqian Wang, came to the U.S. in 2010 and attended Northwestern University outside Chicago. Wang played the 2016 season on the Web.com Tour, a tie for 59th at the Rex Hospital Open in North Carolina his top performance.
Fun Fact
Two sons of PGA Tour Champions players are in this week’s field. Joey Sindelar’s son Jamie and World Golf Hall of Fame member Tony Jacklin’s son Sean are both playing at The Club at Eaglebrooke. They are the fourth sons of TOUR pros to compete in Mackenzie Tour Qualifying Tournaments this year. At the U.S. West No. 2 Qualifying Tournament in Arizona, Tucker Wadkins, son of World Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins, earned Mackenzie Tour membership by tying for 13th. At the U.S. East No. 1 Qualifying Tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Olin Browne, Jr., earned conditional membership with his father, Olin, serving as his caddie.
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 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 (8):
Pierre-Alexander Bédard (Chibougamau, Quebec)
Bradford Curren (Hammond Plains, Nova Scotia)
Sonny Michaud (Neuville, Quebec)
Cory Racioppo (Vaughan, Ontario)
Gajan Sivabalasingham (Stouffville, Ontario)
Turner Southey-Gordon (Toronto, Ontario)
Sebastian Szirmak (Toronto, Ontario)
Christopher Wilson (Timmons, Ontario)
