Wes Heffernan finished T6 and claimed the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week Award
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada—Wes Heffernan claimed the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week Award after a sixth-place finish in Victoria. The Calgary, Alberta, native did so in dramatic fashion, jarring his shot from the fairway on the 15th for eagle and chipping in for birdie on the 18th to shoot 68.
“Golf has allowed me to travel the world and play something I have a huge passion for.” Heffernan said. “When I mentioned I was struggling a bit, sometimes you forget how much it means to you and how much fun it can be if you just let it happen. The past few years I’ve tried to have as much fun as possible, and you see the scores when you do that. When you have fun, you play a lot better.”
After his third round, Sam Fidone mentioned he would likely be feeling some nerves on his stroll up to the first tee Sunday.
Fidone appeared to make that stroll with all the confidence in the world, striping his first tee shot down the Uplands Golf Club fairway to begin his march toward a bogey-free 65 and commanding five-stroke victory.
Going into the day, the Lufkin, Texas, native had built a two-stroke lead over Blake Sattler due to three consecutive scores in the mid-60s. As the afternoon moved on, the nail drew closer to the coffin as Fidone’s lead slowly increased.
On the 11th green, the 25-year-old fist-pumped the entire 10 yards from where he stroked his putt to the hole, and as he picked up his ball from the bottom of the cup he essentially put down any hopes other players had of winning the tournament.
“The putt on 11 was kind of my ‘let’s go get them, you have the control and the dominance over everyone right now’ moment,” said Fidone. “I just continued to game plan the rest of the day, but that putt was really the catalyst to bring me in and make me feel really solid.”
The moment came after a near flawless front-nine that included three birdies and no bogeys. The rest of the back nine was much of the same, consistent golf that allowed him an easy tap-in on the last hole to solidify himself as a Mackenzie Tour winner.
“I definitely feel like I’m on the right trajectory,” said Fidone. “I feel like my game is trending, and my attitude towards my game is trending, in the right direction. I’m making more mature decisions every time I step up to the tee, and I think that’s the biggest part about winning at every level.”
Fidone spent the spring tightening up his game on the Adams Tour, winning the Options for Independence Houma Classic in April, with rounds of 70-67-69-65. Fidone’s only other start this year on the Adams Tour resulted in a second-place finish after losing in a playoff at the Business First Bank Classic, firing scores of 69-63-66-69.
While Fidone cashed his check for $36,000, the Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island also won in a big way. With the help of volunteers, sponsors and donations made by the Victoria community, at the closing ceremony the tournament announced it had raised $180,000 for the foundation.
Next on tap for the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada is the third and final stop of the B.C. Golf Swing, a three-tournament stretch through Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna. A field of 156 golfers will tee it up at Gallagher’s Canyon on June 14-17 to see who can join Fidone, and last week’s winner, Jordan Niebrugge, in the 2018 winner’s circle.
Three Canadians in top-ten; Fidone grabs the lead at Bayview Place DCBank Open
VICTORIA, B.C.— With low scores hard to come by Saturday afternoon at Uplands Golf Club, Lufkin, Texas, native Sam Fidone fought through a windy day to shoot 66 to take a two-stroke lead over Blake Sattler into the final round of the Bayview Place DCBankOpen presented by Times Colonist.
Three Canadian players head into Sunday’s round in the top ten. Team Canada’s Jared Du Toit is the top Canadian three strokes off the lead, alone in third. He is joined by Calgary’s Wes Heffernan (-9) and Stonewall’s Aaron Cockerill (-8) who sit T5 and T9, respectively.
Beginning the day in the second-to-last group, Fidone quickly narrowed the gap to one shot between him and overnight leader Zach Wright, with back-to-back birdies out of the gate.
“I watched Wes (Heffernan) make a 35- or 40-footer on one, so I decided to do the same thing,” said Fidone. “Holes 1 and 2, making birdies, that start affirmed to me that I was doing the right things.”
From there, Fidone cruised through the rest of the nine despite tough conditions, taking advantage of the par-5 seventh, with his third birdie of the round.
“I looked at the Weather Channel this morning and saw 17- or 18 mile-per-hour winds. On Monday, I said ‘I hope it blows out here at least one day,’ and I got my wish,” said Fidone.“Being from Texas, a windy part of the world, it’s fun to play in wind, and I don’t actually mind it that much.”
The defining moment of the round came on the par-5 12th hole. Despite hitting his tee shot a bit fat by his own admission, Fidone hit his second to the edge of the fringe, 15 feet from the hole. Utilizing a shot he learned from a friend at Southern Methodist University, Fidone elected to belly-wedge the ball, taking a potential unpredictable jump from the collar out of the equation.
Fidone watched his shot roll into the hole, giving him a three-stroke lead.
“I’ve never made an eagle like that, I’ve never bellied an eagle, so watching it go in was awesome.”
After making his only bogey of the day on the 13th, Fidone made five consecutive pars to finish off his 66.
“I’ll stick to the same morning routine I always do tomorrow,” said Fidone. “it’s impossible not to think about what ifs, but you have to finish that thought and get on to the next task at hand.”
The Bayview Place DCBank Open is the second of three events on the B.C. Golf Swing, which entails tournaments in picturesque Vancouver, Victoria and next week’s Tour stop in Kelowna.
Contingent of Canadians chase leader at Bayview Place DCBank Open
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada—Despite heavy rainfall making for a damp Friday afternoon, three Canadians are inside the top five, all within 3 shots of the lead, at the Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist at Uplands Golf Club.
Aaron Cockerill shot 1-over on his opening nine of the day, equaling his worst nine-hole score of the year. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native would significantly improve that number on his back nine, making birdie on five of his last seven holes to shoot 30, equaling his lowest nine-hole score of the season and ending the day T2.
Despite playing in just two events last season, Calgary’s Wes Heffernan managed to finish the season 36th on the money list, thanks to a runner-up finish at the ATB Financial Classic. Heffernan is quickly taking advantage of what he says will be another shortened season, following Thursday’s 65 with a 66 to sit in a tie for fourth heading into the weekend.
With family in the area, Jared Du Toit showed off his acclimation for island golf in the second round, shooting the second-lowest round of the day at Uplands Golf Club—a bogey-free 64. Following a massive drive, Du Toit eagled the par -5 seventh after sticking a 7-iron to five feet. Du Toit shares fourth with fellow Canadian Heffernan.
With three Canadians from the morning wave, Wes Heffernan , Jared Du Toit, and Aaron Cockerill, leapfrogging Wright as he prepared for his second round. the overnight leader kept his nose to the grindstone, making birdie on his first hole of the day to set the stage for a seven-birdie, three-bogey 66.
“I had to battle out there, that’s for sure,” said Wright, who watched the players teeing off in the morning coming in dry as he was getting a rain suit prepped for the afternoon. “Towards the end, [the greens] were getting softer, but early on they were just skipping because they were so wet but still firm.”
Being on the wrong side of the draw didn’t appear to inhibit the Louisiana State University alumni’s game. The second-place finisher of last week’s Freedom 55 Financial Open hit 15 greens Friday, and he takes a two-stroke lead over Aaron Cockerill and Sam Fidone into the weekend.
“When you’ve been in the hunt recently, it helps when you’re in the hunt again the next week because you’re more familiar with it. So you can just play your game,” said Wright. “There’s always a little bit of nerves, but I’ve been handling it very well so I’m going to just keep playing my golf game.”
Going into Saturday’s action, Wright doesn’t intend to change anything and will continue to rely on the game that has him two ahead.
“I’m going to just keep playing golf. There’s not really a secret formula to it,” said Wright. “Sometimes you have it going on and you just have to play golf, and it happens.”
Taylor Pendrith and Aaron Cockerill sit T3 after first round at Bayview Place DCBank Open
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada — Taylor Pendrith, a highly touted Canadian golfer who finished the 2015 season as the third leading money winner on the Mackenzie Tour order of merit, shot his lowest professional round since 2015 with Thursday’s 64 after the first round of the Bayview Place DCBank Open at Uplands Golf Club.
Aaron Cockerill is eyeing the prize of Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week after finishing the first round as co-low Canadian alongside Taylor Pendrith. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native opened with a 64 which included a chip in on the 18th hole for his fourth birdie in a row to close out the round.
Wes Heffernan from Calgary, Alberta, sits T8 just three strokes behind the lead.
When you’re on, you’re on and Zach Wright didn’t lose any momentum on the ferry ride across the pond from Vancouver to Victoria.
Wright was near perfect during the first round making nine birdies and just a single bogey to fire an 8-under 62.
“I hit a couple close again and just had to tap it in,” said Wright, coming off a second-place finish at last week’s Freedom 55 Financial Open in Vancouver. “My putter got going on my seventh hole, I made one and then it just kept going.”
The 24-year-old kept it simple early on, making birdie on his second hole of the day before giving the stroke back when he failed to get up-and-down on the par-3 14th hole. From there in, Wright played flawless golf, making three straight birdies from 7-9 to finish the front in 32 strokes, and added another on his 10th for four in a row.
The 2016 Louisiana State University grad polished off his 62 with another stretch of four-straight birdies from 14-17 to sign for his lowest ever score on the Mackenzie Tour.
“I hit a bunch of fairways today which made it easy because it’s a short course,” said the Phoenix, AZ, native. “If you put yourself in the middle of the fairway you’ve got wedges in and you can attack the golf course.”
Wright made eight starts on the Web.com Tour last season, and after making only a single cut, appears to be on a mission in Canada to reclaim status with his improved golf game.
“When you’re playing well you don’t really think about the score, you’re just looking for your next birdie, per se, so I was just trying to hit good shots and make putts,” added Wright. “playing well, it’s easy to come in here with confidence.”
Niebrugge picks up first professional victory
VANCOUVER — Jordan Niebrugge putt the lights out this week at the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf and Country Club. That was fitting since, while growing up, that was the only club the Bridgeton, Mo., golfer had in his bag.
At age 3, Niebrugge didn’t receive a wedge from his dad until he could prove he was able to two-putt on the green, and after that he didn’t own a long iron until he could get up and down from anywhere around the putting surface.
Progressive thinking, learning the game backward.
Twenty-one years later, with his parents beaming from outside the ropes, Niebrugge tapped in for par on the 72nd hole to win his first professional tournament, shooting rounds of 68-66-68-72 to win by two strokes.
Niebrugge went into the final round in a unique position, up five strokes on the field with the finish line just 18 holes away.
“I knew I was playing great golf, and I knew if I took care of what I needed to, I’d be standing here at the end, and for the most part I was able to do that,” said Niebrugge, who towers over most at 6 feet 4 inches.
“I guess that’s why you build a big enough lead, so you don’t have to make all the putts coming in.”
Niebrugge built his lead on a two-and-a-half-round stretch of bogey-free golf from the second round until the final round’s ninth hole. It was the back nine Saturday, when Chris Williams and Zach Wright faltered, that Niebrugge made his biggest move, shooting 33 to head into Sunday at 16-under.
Based on his scores the first three days, while Niebrugge may not have been sniffing the roses on Sunday, he was able to do what he does best, not overthink the game and take advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves.
For the fourth consecutive day, Niebrugge birdied the first hole to boost his confidence. Another on the third helped last year’s runner up at this event make the turn in 35 strokes. From there, not even a couple of closing bogeys on 16 and 17 could prevent Niebrugge from lifting the trophy.
“I like the golf course, it’s right in front of you,” said Niebrugge. “I hit a lot of 3-irons off the tee and had a lot of wedges and 9-irons in. I knew I was hitting it great going into the green, so I just had to get those chances.”
Niebrugge elected to defer Monday’s opportunity to qualify for the U.S. Open in order to prepare for the Web.com Tour’s Rust-Oleum Championship taking place next week in Mundelein, Ill.
Meanwhile, Riley Wheeldon of nearby Richmond, British Columbia, shot his third 70 of the week to tie for 10th and win the year’s first Canadian Player of the Week Award.
Blick tied for the lead at Freedom 55 Financial Open
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — It’s unexplainable, even by his own account, but once again, Cody Blick has signed for a round in the 60s on the B.C. Golf Swing. On Friday it came in the form of seven birdies offset by a lone bogey for his second consecutive 66.
Blick’s 12-under total through two days of the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf and Country Club is good enough for a share of the lead alongside Thursday’s overnight leader Chris Williams.
Leaderboard: Freedom 55 Financial Open
Carding red in Canada’s Western-most province is nothing new for the San Ramon, California native. Looking back at the last nine tournaments Blick has played in British Columbia, Friday’s 66 actually hurt his scoring average, which now sits at 65.8.
At a loss for words over how he has managed to sustain this level of play within B.C., the San Jose State University alum notes that a change in strategy he implemented this offseason has helped him the past few days.
“My first year up here, even last year, I was hitting a lot of irons off the tee,” said the 24-year-old. “These courses are tight, but if you just commit to a line and hammer driver, even if you hit it in the trees you can easily punch it up around the green and make par.”
Blick admired Rico Hoey, a 2017 member now on the Web.com Tour, for this trait when he played alongside him last season. The strategy seems to be working for Hoey, who tied for 15th at the Web.com Tour’s Nashville Golf Open last week.
“All he does is hit these little 10-yard fades and he just hammers it,” said Blick. “Then he goes and finds it and wedges it on.”
Starting on the back nine, Blick got off to a pedestrian start with the putter by his own accounts, making the turn in 35 before going on a run on the front nine — with birdies from holes 3-6 and another on No. 9 to polish off his 66.
Blick mentioned his distance tactic again when discussing Point Grey’s fourth hole, where he’s made birdie in each of the first two rounds.
“You can get right next to the green, and then it’s just up-and-down for birdie,” said Blick. “It’s just a more aggressive and more confident game plan.”
With four top-10 finishes in 2017, Blick is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard as he draws into the final pairing again Saturday.
Meanwhile, Williams once again managed a bogey free round, adding two back-nine birdies to his trio on the front for a 67.
The pair will meet on the first tee on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 p.m.
Blick and Williams atop leaderboard in Vancouver
VANCOUVER — It’s unexplainable, even by his own account, but once again, Cody Blick has signed for a round in the 60s on the B.C. Golf Swing. On Friday it came in the form of seven birdies offset by a lone bogey for his second consecutive 66.
Blick’s 12-under total through two days of the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf and Country Club is good enough for a share of the lead alongside Thursday’s overnight leader Chris Williams.
Carding red in Canada’s Western-most province is nothing new for the San Ramon, Calif., native. Looking back at the last nine tournaments Blick has played in British Columbia, Friday’s 66 actually hurt his scoring average, which now sits at 65.8
At a loss for words over how he has managed to sustain this level of play within B.C., the San Jose State University alum notes that a change in strategy he implemented this offseason has helped him the past few days.
“My first year up here, even last year, I was hitting a lot of irons off the tee,” said the 24-year-old. “These courses are tight, but if you just commit to a line and hammer driver, even if you hit it in the trees you can easily punch it up around the green and make par.”
Blick admired Rico Hoey, a 2017 member now on the Web.com Tour, for this trait when he played alongside him last season. The strategy seems to be working for Hoey, who tied for 15th at the Web.com Tour’s Nashville Golf Open last week.
“All he does is hit these little 10-yard fades and he just hammers it,” said Blick. “Then he goes and finds it and wedges it on.”
Starting on the back nine, Blick got off to a pedestrian start with the putter by his own accounts, making the turn in 35 before going on a run on the front nine—with birdies from holes 3-6 and another on No. 9 to polish off his 66.
Blick mentioned his distance tactic again when discussing Point Grey’s fourth hole, where he’s made birdie in each of the first two rounds.
“You can get right next to the green, and then it’s just up-and-down for birdie,” said Blick. “It’s just a more aggressive and more confident game plan.”
With four top-10 finishes in 2017, Blick is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard as he draws into the final pairing again Saturday.
Meanwhile, Williams once again managed a bogey free round, adding two back-nine birdies to his trio on the front for a 67.
The pair will meet on the first tee on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 p.m.
Riley Wheeldon is the low Canadian through two rounds in Vancouver. Wheeldon started his day 3-under through his first two holes after an eagle at the par-5 12th. The Richmond, B.C., native is looking for his first Mackenzie Tour win since 2013.
Williams feels at home in Vancouver in round one
VANCOUVER — Having played collegiate golf in Seattle, Chris Williams is no stranger to playing in the Northwest, showing off his acclimation with a tournament-leading 65 in the first round of the Freedom 55 Financial Open on Thursday.
Though it may feel like home, Point Grey Golf and Country Club hasn’t always been kind to the 26-year-old, who missed the cut last year after a tie for 41st the year prior. So, what gave this year?
“Since it’s such a short season here in Canada I would only start playing well the sixth, seventh or eighth event of the year,” said Williams. “This season I went down and played in Latinoamerica, so I basically played a full schedule and felt really comfortable with my game rather than coming to this as the first event of the year.”
Williams comes into the event not only comfortable, but also playing some of the best golf of his professional career. The Idaho native capped off his prelude venture on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica circuit with a tie for third earlier this month at the Puerto Plata DR Open, firing a final-round 66.
Williams took a while to heat up Thursday. Starting on the back-nine, he made his first birdie on the fourth hole before adding another on the par-5 18th to make the turn at 2-under. Another birdie at the first set the stage for a hole-out from the fairway on 5, catapulting Williams up the leaderboard.
“I started off slow, hitting it in the trees and making some good pars, but then I found something,” said Williams. “On the back I made a few putts and the eagle on five and it snowballed from there. All of a sudden I was 7-under.”
Playing in the morning wave Thursday, Williams led a crowded leaderboard by just one with half the field still left to play. He noted that with the amount of talent on the Mackenzie Tour, he envisioned an afternoon player potentially claiming the lead. That would never come to fruition as the sixth-year pro headed to his hotel as the lone leader.
On Williams’ heels is Jordan Niebrugge, craving a victory after three top-threes in 2017, and Cody Blick, a self-proclaimed lover of the BC Golf Swing, who came just a stroke away from a 59 in Victoria last season.
The top Canadian honours is shared by Andrew Funk and Jimmy Jones Jr., who are knotted in a tie for 14th place at 3 under par. Funk made six birdies on his way to a 3-under total, and Jones birdied his last hole of the day in his first professional event.
Five Canadians earn status at PGA TOUR Canada Q-School
COURTENAY, B.C. —Amateur Jake Shuman claimed medalist honours at the fifth and final Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying Tournament at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community, shooting a final-round 68 to edge fellow American Brinson Paolini. William Griffin finished third.
Shuman was under-par in each of his four rounds, playing the par-5s in 13-under, birdieing all eight in the final two rounds.
The Duke senior birdied his first hole of the final round before giving one back on the third. The product of Needham, Massachusetts, quickly bounced back, making birdie at the fifth and sixth before making his final bogey of the tournament, on the seventh.
From there on in, Shuman played marvelous golf, sandwiching a birdie on 13 between circles on his scorecard at Nos. 10 and 15, closing the day with three pars for the victory.
“If that’s not the best tournament I’ve ever played, it’s one of the best,” said Shuman, following his round.
Putting heat on Shuman down the stretch was Paolini, another Duke alum. After making nine pars on the front nine, Paolini birdied 10 and then made three in a row from the 15th to the 17th to get within one shot of Shuman.
Paolini had a 20-foot look for birdie on the 18th that narrowly slid by the hole as he settled for the runner-up position.
Griffin pieced together three of the best rounds of the tournament, highlighted by his second-round 65, including an ace that gave him the lead going into the third round.
Griffin battled back Friday from his third-round 73, capping a bogey-free 66 with a 15-foot birdie putt on 18.
Amateur Grant Hirschman, a senior at the University of Oklahoma, finished fourth, and fellow amateur Chandler Blanchet, who tied for fifth alongside Nicholas Pandelena, won a playoff to receive status through the first eight events. Pandelena receives status through the first four events.
Canadian Riley Wheeldon paced the Canadian contingent in the field, closing at 11 under par to finish with a share of seventh place. Growing up in Comox, B.C., Wheeldon has played a number of rounds at Crown Isle, with Friday’s round one of his more important ones. A winner on the Mackenzie Tour in 2013, Wheeldon shot his second 67 of the week to jump 13 spots. Wheeldon will be exempt for the first eight events, subject to the second reshuffle.
Four other Canadians finished between 17th and 40th to earn conditional status for the 2018 campaign:
- Brett Hogan (a) | Calgary
- Jake Duvall (a) | Victoria, B.C.
- Bret Thompson | Winnipeg, Man.
- Devin Carrey | Burnaby, B.C.
Click here for full scoring.
Osprey Valley Open to become first Greater Toronto Area tournament in Mackenzie Tour history
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. —The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announced today that its newly created Osprey Valley Open, the first Greater Toronto Area-based tournament in Mackenzie Tour history, will be played July 19-22 at Osprey Valley Golf Course in Caledon, Ontario. In conjunction with the addition of this tournament to the 2018 schedule, the Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval is moving to a previously open date on the schedule, September 6-9, at Elm Ridge Country Club in L’Île-Bizard, Quebec.
Osprey Valley is a 54-hole facility, featuring three courses all designed by renowned Canadian golf course architect Doug Carrick — the Hoot, the Heathlands and the Toot courses. The Osprey Valley Open will be held at the Toot Course, a parkland-style layout that features rolling fairways, large landing areas and undulating greens. At its longest, the par-72 Toot measures 7,151 yards.
“We’re pleased to add the Osprey Valley Open to our 2018 schedule and look forward to a long and lasting partnership with this beautiful facility,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday. “We’re certainly happy to be playing in the Greater Toronto Area for the first time, and we think our players will love what they see once they arrive on the property.”
The Osprey Valley Open will be the seventh tournament on the schedule and features a $200,000 purse, with $36,000 going to the winner. The Osprey Valley Open will be played the week prior to the PGA TOUR’s RBC Canadian Open, Canada’s national open set for July 26-29 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario. The top-three players on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit following the conclusion of the Osprey Valley Open will receive invitations to play in the RBC Canadian Open.
“We are delighted to be welcoming a Mackenzie Tour event to Osprey Valley. Hosting some of the world’s top up-and-coming players this summer provides us a wonderful opportunity to showcase what we believe makes Osprey Valley such a special place,” said Osprey Valley President Chris Humeniuk. “We are looking forward to working with the Mackenzie Tour and launching a successful event.”
When the Mackenzie Tour initially released its 2018 schedule, it had not announced the tournament that would fill in the September 6-9 dates. The Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval moved to the early September dates to allow for a better flow to the schedule.
This will be Elm Ridge’s first year hosting the tournament, with Circuit Canada Pro Tour serving as the host organization. Members established Elm Ridge Country Club in 1924, with the current facility opening in 1960, with two 18-hole golf courses. The club’s North Course will be the site of the Mackenzie Investments Open. A year ago, Web.com Tour member Hank Lebioda won the inaugural tournament by eight strokes.
“The members of Elm Ridge Country Club are honored and pleased to host the Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval. We are looking forward to welcoming the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada players and all golf fans and enthusiasts to our most special and accommodating club for an unparalleled golf show,” said Randy Moncrieff, Elm Ridge General Manager. “It is also a pleasure to partner with the sponsors, Mackenzie Investments and Jaguar Laval, as well with the charity involved, CHU Ste-Justine Foundation.”
“I know the players love traveling to the Montreal area, and they will certainly find Elm Ridge to be not only an enjoyable place to play but a great test of golf, as well,” Monday added.
In late-May, early June, the Mackenzie Tour will embark on its sixth year, with the season beginning May 31-June 3 at the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, British Columbia. The 13-tournament schedule concludes September 13-16 in London, Ontario, for the Freedom 55 Financial Championship.
Mackenzie Tour players will once again look to make the next step on the path to the PGA TOUR by leveraging their performances into advantages to reach the next level. The Order of Merit winner will be fully exempt on the Web.com Tour for the following season, with Nos. 2-5 earning conditional membership. Those players Nos. 2-10 will also earn an exemption into the Final Stage of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament, while Nos. 11-20 on the Order of Merit will earn an exemption into the Qualifying Tournament’s Second Stage.
Players will look to follow in the footsteps of PGA TOUR winners Mackenzie Hughes, Tony Finau and Nick Taylor, along with rest of the 20 alumni who have gone on to earn their PGA TOUR cards. More than 160 Mackenzie Tour players have gone on to earn status on the Web.com Tour, including 72 for the 2018 season.