Q-School Q & A With Vancouver's Stuart Macdonald
Stuart Macdonald Looks To Begin The Transition To His Professional Career With A Good Week At Q-School - Image Credit PNGA
by Brian Decker/PGATOUR.com
Vancouver, B.C.'s Stuart Macdonald is looking to earn Mackenzie Tour status this week a Q-School. The member of Golf Canada's National Amateur Team plays out of Point Grey Golf and Country Club, host of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, and recently finished his collegiate career at Purdue University.
MacDonald plans on competing as an amateur into this summer, but has eyes on his next steps and professional future this week in California.
Below is a Q&A done with Macdonald prior to his teeing off this week down in San Jacinto, California.
Q: What are your plans for transitioning into your pro career?
A: I'm still an amateur. I'm on Golf Canada's National Amateur Team, and with that comes some funding and help from our coach, Derek Ingram and the other coaches. I'm playing in Q-School as an amateur, and if I get my card, I probably won't turn pro immediately. I'll stay amateur for a bit and play some bigger amateur events during the summer, and once my term on the Canadian team is up, I'll use my status to play in a few events.
Q: For how long have you been looking ahead to starting your pro career?
A: It's been on my mind for a while. I've wanted to play pro golf since I started, when I was about 12 years old. I played college golf at Purdue, and ever since I graduated I've been looking ahead to turning pro and getting my pro career started.
- Stuart Madconald
Q: What's it been like working with Coach Derek Ingram and the support staff from Golf Canada on the National Amateur Team?
A: It's been amazing. The opportunities that I've gotten being on the team have been incredible. The support system that we have, from psychologists to the overall training, the financial aspect of it, it's given me and the other guys on the team the opportunity to get a lot better and be competitive and set ourselves up for a successful professional career.
Q: It must be inspiring to see guys from B.C. like Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor win on the PGA TOUR, plus seeing Adam Cornelson finish in The Five last year. What kind of inspiration does that give you?
A: It's really cool. It goes to show you that guys from Canada, guys from Vancouver can make it. They're an inspiration not ony to me, but to most Canadians.
Q: You've played a few Mackenzie Tour events. What did you get out of those experiences, and did they give you any indication you could play out here?
A: For sure. I played in my first event three years ago at Point Grey. They gave me a spot, and after that tournament - I didn't play great, I missed the cut by a few - from that moment, I realized I'm not too far off, and if I get a few things straightened out I could be successful out here. This past summer, I played one in Winnipeg and one in Ottawa, and I made the cut there. It kind of reinforced that I'm ready to play.