Green and McKenzie earn 2023 PGA Tour Champions playing rights
Richard Green – file photo
Victorians Richard Green and David McKenzie have successfully negotiated one of the most demanding tests in professional golf after finishing inside the top five at Final Stage of PGA Tour Champions Qualifying in Arizona this week.
For Green it marks a debut season on the PGA Tour Champions in 2023 while for McKenzie he regains playing rights having first joined the Tour in 2018.
Green’s four shot victory over 78 players to claim the top spot this morning comes a few weeks after winning at his First Stage qualifying venue in Nevada by a massive 12 shots and augurs well for a successful post-50 career in golf.
“It means everything,” said Green of earning PGA TOUR Champions membership. “I’ve had a long career playing overseas in Europe and I’ve wanted to always play in America. I tried my best to get a card on the PGA TOUR in the 2000s and just fell short all the time. It’s like a goal achieved, so that’s a big deal.”
The top five finishers at Final Stage of Q-School will be fully exempt into all open, full-field events on the 2023 PGA TOUR Champions.
Left-hander, Green, was a three-time winner on the DP World Tour and among other victories was a win at the 2004 Australian Masters at Huntingdale and in 2022 he won twice on the European Senior (Legends) Tour.
Interestingly, Green’s win at the Australian Masters came after a playoff against McKenzie.
McKenzie, a veteran of 102 PGA Tour Champions starts already, finished in a share of 3rd this week, holding on to one of the top five spots by just one shot.
David McKenzie – file photo
