The Path to the MacKenzie Tour Continues at Q-School

Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada USA West #2 Q-School Rd. 1

First-Round Leaders…

** Started on No. 10

Weather: Sunny and warm with highs near 90.

LITCHFIELD PARK, AZ – Aaron Beverly (Fairfield, CA), a relative newcomer to professional golf, is the first-round leader after the opening round of the third of five qualifying tournaments for the 2018 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada at Wigwam Resort’s Gold Course. Beverly shot a 5-under-par 67 to lead five players by one stroke.

A 2017 graduate of Sacramento (CA) State, Beverly turned professional in December and is making his first foray into the professional ranks at this week’s qualifier.

His opening round included seven birdies and just two bogeys, both of which came on the front nine.

“The key today was keeping the ball in the right spots on the greens,” said Beverly. “I hit some drives pretty hard down the fairways so I had a bunch of wedges which I hit close and then made a bunch of good putts.”

He was able to take advantage of near-perfect scoring conditions with morning temperatures in the upper- 70s and low-80s and virtually little or no wind.

“It was perfect outside this morning. I think it was 70 or so when we teed off and it got up into the low-80s at the end and the wind was down. It was pretty nice out there,” Beverly offered.

Beverly was a mainstay on the Sacramento State team during his four years competing for the Hornets. Twice named the Big Sky Player of the Year and the conference champion in 2017, he also excelled in the classroom, earning Big Sky Conference All-Academic honors throughout his career. He earned a degree in psychology.

As he embarks on his professional career, he knows patience will be key, especially in an event of this magnitude.

“People I spoke to who have been through this process told me you just have to be patient. It’s going to be a long grind, four days, and you want to make sure you don’t get ahead of yourself and fall back on something negative that happens,” he continued. “The PGA TOUR is the dream and this is the first step. Hopefully we’ll just continue on and see where we end up.”

Mike Perez, one of the five players one stroke back at 4-under-par, was in the driver’s seat for most of his round. Five straight birdies on the front side got him to 4-under at the turn and the Scottsdale resident increased it to 7-under through 14 holes before stumbling at the finish, dropping a stroke at No. 16 and two more at No. 18.

“I hit a poor chip at 16 which I left 10 feet short, left an eight-footer short for birdie at 17 and then did a stupid move at 18 and doubled it,” Perez said. “I pulled my tee shot left on 18 and had to take an unplayable. I hit a good shot out to about 15 feet and then three putted, but that’s golf.”

What They Said…

Mike Perez on the host course Wigwam Resort Gold — “I’ve always really liked the Wigwam Gold course. As far as I’m concerned it is one of the best tournament courses we played. I played on the Gateway Tour here and it’s got the tree-lined fairways which I like, the greens are perfect and you get rewarded for good shots. It’s not desert golf. You have to hit your numbers or you are left with a snake of a putt.”

Canadian David Rose after his 4-under-par 68 — “I played pretty solid today. I hit it straight for the most part and got it under par early and really was just able to hit a lot of greens and make a few putts. Conditions were really ideal and were about as good as we could ask for.”

More from David Rose – “I think once you play on that Tour (PGA TOUR Latinoameria) you can play anywhere. You travel so much and you have different grass every week. It gives you a lot of confidence.”

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

A total of 17 amateurs are among the 132 players in this week’s field as well as 14 Canadian competitors. One of the Canadians is Jamie Sadlowski, a two-time World Long Drive Champion.

Jamie Sadlowski, the two-time World Long Drive Champion, posted a 3-over-par 75 on Tuesday.

David Rose (West Vancouver, B.C.) is the low Canadian after one round. Rose fired a 4-under-par 68 and is T2. James Seymour (Aurora, Ont.) is T11.

David Rose’s caddy for the first two rounds is former Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit winner and current PGA TOUR member Joel Dahmen.

One of the entries in the field is Tucker Wadkins (Scottsdale, AZ), son of World Golf Hall of Famer, Lanny Wadkins. Tucker played collegiately at the University of Arizona. He posted a 1-over-par 73 in his opening round.

Bobby Wyatt (Sea Island, GA), who spent the 2017 on the PGA TOUR, is here seeking a spot on the Mackenzie Tour for 2018. Wyatt shot a 2-over-par 74.

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: