Paige MacKenzie Finds Her Way On The LPGA
After the opening round of her very first tournament as an LPGA professional — the SBS Open in February — Paige Mackenzie walked off the 18th green at Turtle Bay in Oahu with a 67 and a share of the lead. Thrust immediately into the spotlight on the biggest stage in women’s golf, the 22-year-old from Yakima handled the situation like a steely veteran … with a little bit of rookie thrown in for good measure.
“I was excited and nervous,” MacKenzie says. “I was waiting and preparing during my offseason for this year and I was extremely pleased that I could jump out of the gates like I did. I was nervous because of all of the expectations that I put on myself for this year.”
By Sunday, MacKenzie had come back to the field a bit but finished a solid 17th, earning a $12,213 check.
“I was disappointed with how I finished the tournament, but I was very pleased at starting the year with a top 20 finish.”
Coming into the 2007 season, there were plenty of early signs that MacKenzie was ready for the big time. As a 22-year-old amateur, she finished 13th at the 2005 U.S. Women’s Open. Then, on a sponsor’s exemption, she finished 23rd at the LPGA’s Wendy’s Championship for Children in August 2006. MacKenzie turned pro last September and tied for 12th at the LPGA Tour qualifying school to earn her exempt status for the 2007 season.
It was the culmination of a very good year for the 24-year-old. A two-time All-American at the University of Washington, she became the first player in UW history to win the Pac-10 Championship individual title, ending the season with a school-record 72.70 stroke average. Named Golfweek’s top amateur in the nation, she then claimed medalist honors at the 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Pumpkin Ridge’s Witch Hollow Course, one of only three players under par (-3) in the field of 156.
A self-professed sports junky who watches SportsCenter religiously, she recently moved to the desert for access to year-round golf. She now shares a place in Palm Springs with her brother, Brock, who plays on the Nationwide Tour.
Currently, MacKenzie is hovering around the make or break point to earn her Tour card for next season. The top 90 on the money list are exempt for 2008, and as of July 9, MacKenize was 108th with $42,612. Her putting has been solid (tied for 22nd) but at 127th in Greens in Regulation, she’s still working on getting her iron play dialed in.
Since opening the season so strongly, you’ve had some ups and downs. Do you feel like you are getting your game dialed in? Are you trying to work on anything specific?
I try to look at it like anyone starting a new job. It takes some time to get adjusted to a new system. I have been disappointed with how I have scored since the beginning of the season, but I do not think that I am any less capable of performing. There is a learning curve and I am somewhere in the middle, trying to deal with everything that goes on each week.
Do you still feel like a rookie, like do you still catch yourself thinking, “I can’t believe I’m getting paid to play golf.”
I feel like a rookie. There have been comments made during telecasts that there are no more rookies anymore, because players come out of junior golf and college golf with lots of experience. I will tell you that showing up to a new city and new golf course each week has its challenges. I cannot tell you the number of times that I have made wrong turns on the highway or driven to the tournament office instead of the clubhouse or walked towards the wrong tee box after finishing a hole. And regardless of the type of day I have on the golf course, I am still appreciative that I get to do this everyday.