Will MacKenzie

Will MacKenzie
Will MacKenzie
Personal information
Full name	William Ruggles MacKenzie
Born	September 28, 1974 (age 50); Greenville, North Carolina, U.S.
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Residence	Jupiter, Florida, U.S.
Spouse	Alli Spencer (m. 2007; div. 2014)
Children	2
Career
College	Lees-McRae College
Turned professional	2000
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour
Former tour(s)	Web.com Tour; Canadian Tour; NGA Hooters Tour; Golden Bear Tour
Professional wins	6
Highest ranking	84 (March 30, 2014)
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	2
Other	4
Best results in major championships;
Masters Tournament	DNP
PGA Championship	T57: 2007
U.S. Open	DNP
The Open Championship	DNP

William Ruggles MacKenzie (born September 28, 1974) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour.

Early life

MacKenzie was born and raised in Greenville, North Carolina.

After a semester at Lees-McRae College, Will took the money he earned washing dishes and selling grilled-cheese sandwiches at Grateful Dead concerts and moved out west. After a while working for Taco Bell in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, he spent the next five winters snowboarding while living out of a van in Big Sky, Montana.^[2]^[3] At one point, he spent 30 days living in a snow cave near Valdez, Alaska without showering, and snowboarding the Chugach Mountains, before ending up with frostbite.^[3]

During the warmer months, he climbed rocks, and became a class V kayaker before working as a rafting guide in Montana and its Gallatin River, West Virginia and its Gauley River, and rivers around North Carolina. He returned to Greenville, North Carolina in 1999, making enough money selling Christmas trees to embark on a three-month surfing trip to Costa Rica. Unfortunately, when he returned home and tried to make a living selling hammocks, he ended up in huge debt.

Professional career

MacKenzie observed his boyhood idol, Payne Stewart, winning the 1999 U.S. Open which rekindled his love affair with the game of golf.^[2] MacKenzie decided to play professionally and turned pro in 2000.^[2]

MacKenzie played on several mini-tours shortly after turning pro. He played on the Golden Bear Tour in 2003 and finished ninth on the money list. The next year (2004), he played the Hooters Tour and finished third on the money list with three wins. He also played on the Nationwide and Canadian Tours.

2005 was his rookie season on the PGA Tour. His first win came in 2006 at the Reno-Tahoe Open in his 47th career start on the PGA Tour. He won the 2008 Viking Classic in a three-way playoff on the second hole over Marc Turnesa and Brian Gay.

In 2013, MacKenzie played the entire season on the Web.com Tour, finished 40th on the money list, and regained his PGA Tour privileges through the Web.com Tour Finals. In the 2014 PGA Tour, he finished second at the Valero Texas Open and fourth at the Valspar Championship.

Personal life

MacKenzie currently resides in Jupiter, Florida.^[4]

Professional wins (6)

PGA Tour wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Aug 27, 2006	Reno–Tahoe Open	−20 (63-67-67-71=268)	1 stroke	Bob Estes
2	Sep 21, 2008	Viking Classic	−19 (70-64-67-68=269)	Playoff	Brian Gay, Marc Turnesa

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	2008	Viking Classic	Brian Gay, Marc Turnesa	Won with birdie on second extra hole Gay eliminated by birdie on first hole
2	2014	McGladrey Classic	Brendon de Jonge, Robert Streb	Streb won with birdie on second extra hole MacKenzie eliminated by par on first hole

NGA Hooters Tour wins (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jun 13, 2004	Touchstone Energy Open	−12 (73-65-72-66=276)	1 stroke	Mike Austin, Chad Collins
2	Aug 15, 2004	Buffalo Run Casino Classic	−21 (69-68-65-65=267)	3 strokes	Tee McCabe
3	Sep 12, 2004	Dothan Classic	−13 (71-72-70-62=275)	3 strokes	Nick Gilliam

Golden Bear Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Jul 24, 2003	Canon USA Classic	−16 (65-68-67=200)	Playoff	Ken Macdonald

Playoff record

Web.com Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2013	Chiquita Classic	Andrew Svoboda	Lost to par on first extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament	2007	2009	2014
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship	T57	CUT	CUT

Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

References

^ "Week 13 2014 Ending 30 Mar 2014" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "MacKenzie gets first PGA win at Reno". The Sporting News. Associated Press. August 27, 2006. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Sobel, Jason (January 6, 2007). "Who is Will MacKenzie?". ESPN.
^ "Laid-back Willy Mac is 'stoked' to be playing well again at 39". Golf.com. June 27, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2014.

External links

Will MacKenzie at the PGA Tour official site
Will MacKenzie at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
Outside Magazine profile

[w201413-1] "Week 13 2014 Ending 30 Mar 2014" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved October 29, 2019.

[TSN-2] "MacKenzie gets first PGA win at Reno". The Sporting News. Associated Press. August 27, 2006. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007.

[ESPN-3] Sobel, Jason (January 6, 2007). "Who is Will MacKenzie?". ESPN.

[4] "Laid-back Willy Mac is 'stoked' to be playing well again at 39". Golf.com. June 27, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2014.

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