Local Golf Notes | Mackenzie siblings chase Tour cards
Brock and Paige Mackenzie, former University of Washington golf all-Americans from Yakima, will try to earn their PGA Tour and LPGA Tour cards, respectively, this week.
An indication of how well they are doing will be the amount of cellphone traffic between brother and sister.
"When there's good news, he calls me," said Paige, who said her calling pattern — call only if there is good news — is "pretty much the same."
The six-round men's event is at La Quinta, Calif., at PGA West and the TPC Stadium courses. The top 30 finishers and ties from the field of 163 will earn PGA Tour cards for 2007. The tournament starts Wednesday.
About another 50 players will earn spots on the Nationwide Tour.
At the five-round LPGA event, which also starts Wednesday, only the top 15 of 138 golfers will earn cards to be fully exempt. The tournament will be played at the Champions and Legends Courses in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Paige Mackenzie recently finished second in the Futures Tour qualifying tournament with a final-round 68 that included seven birdies. The Futures Tour is the rough equivalent of the Nationwide Tour for the LPGA.
Paige concluded her UW career in May and Brock finished in 2004.
Also entered in the final stage of qualifying for the PGA Tour are former Husky Troy Kelly and Jess Daley. Kelly finished tied for second at the 1999 NCAA Championships. Daley was on the PGA Tour in 2002. He won the 1996 Class 4A golf championship while at Kentwood High School and played his college golf at Northwestern.
Daley finished 25th on the Nationwide Tour's money list this past season with $193,589.
Notes
• Hardy Golf, which has operated the Ballinger Lake Golf Course since Sept. 9, 2005, has negotiated a five-year lease with the City of Mountlake Terrace to continue operating the nine-hole course. The lease includes the option for an additional five years.
• Bill Yeend, morning news anchor for KOMO radio (1000 AM), was bestowed the Distinguished Service Award by the Northwest Golf Media Association at its recent annual championship and banquet.
Guy Generaux, president of the NWGMA, presented the award. Yeend was honored for his contributions to golf, including eight years as host of the syndicated television shows, "The Golf Club" and "Golf Tour Northwest." Yeend also has served as the master of ceremonies for the Pacific Northwest Golf Association's Hall of Fame banquets, including its gala centennial celebration in 1999.
