- Will MacKenzie
William Ruggles MacKenzie (born
September 28 ,1974 ) is an Americanprofessional golfer who has played on thePGA Tour and theNationwide Tour .MacKenzie was born and raised in
Greenville, North Carolina . He was a golfing prodigy growing up but burned out on golf at age 14 and completely quit the game after high school. While in high school, MacKenzie was an all-state kicker as well as a standout soccer player but grades and test scores prevented him from receiving any scholarship offers. After a semester at a local college, Will took the money he earned washing dishes and selling grilled-cheese sandwiches atGrateful Dead concerts and moved out west. After a while working forTaco Bell inJackson Hole, Wyoming , he spent the next five winters snowboarding while living out of a van inBig Sky, Montana . cite web|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=121389 |title= MacKenzie gets first PGA win at Reno |publisher=Associated Press via "The Sporting News " |date=August 27, 2006] cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/columns/story?columnist=sobel_jason&id=2721935 |title=Who is Will MacKenzie? |author=Sobel, Jason |publisher=ESPN |date=January 6, 2007] At one point, he spent 30 days living in a snow cave nearValdez, Alaska without showering and snowboarding theChugach Mountains , before ending up withfrostbite . During the warmer months, he climbed rocks, and became a class V kayaker before working as a rafting guide inMontana and itsGallatin River ,West Virginia and itsGauley River , and rivers aroundNorth Carolina . He returned to Greenville, North Carolina in 1999, making enough money selling Christmas trees to embark on a three month surfing trip toCosta Rica . Unfortunately, when he returned home and tried to make a living selling hammocks, he ended up in huge debt. However, a glimpse on television of his boyhood idol,Payne Stewart , winning the 1999 U.S. Open rekindled his love affair with the game, and he decided to play professionally. He turned pro in 2000.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 thePGA Tour . He has started out the 2007 golf season strongly. MacKenzie currently resides inJupiter, Florida with his wife, Alli. He is an enthusiasticsurfer and fisher in his free time.MacKenzie won the 2008
Viking Classic in a three-way playoff on the second hole overMarc Turnesa andBrian Gay .Professional wins (2)
PGA Tour wins (2)
*2006
Reno-Tahoe Open
*2008Viking Classic Results in major championships
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.References
External links
* [http://www.pgatour.com/players/02/49/12 Profile on PGA Tour's official site]
* [http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/200708/will-mackenzie-1.html "Outside Magazine" profile]
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