Knapp Wins Mackenzie Q-School -- Again; Danielson Ties for 14th

April 18, 2019 | 3 min.




LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. -- Jake Knapp shot a 7-under-par 65 on the Gold Course at Wigwam Resort last week. That gave him the lead after three rounds in the Mackenzie Tour's USA West Q-School, and he held on from there to claim medalist honors.

As a result, he will be fully exempt for the entire 2019 Mackenzie (Canadian) Tour season. 

Knapp closed with a 72 and posted a 72-hole total of 272 (16 under). He finished two strokes ahead of runner-up Will Zalatoris, who shot a final-round 70. 

Finishing third was Jamie Sadlowski, the former two-time World Long Drive champion. At 5-11 and 165 pounds, Sadlowski is the smallest of the top long-drive guys, and he is also just about the only one with a complete golf game. He has made cuts in Web.com Tour events, and last fall he nearly made it to the Final Stage of Web.com Q-School. Needing to play the last nine holes at the Second Stage in even par to advance, he went 2 over.

Sadlowski, whose club head speed with a driver is 150 miles per hour (15 mph faster than Cameron Champ), opened with a 69 and followed it with 68 and 67, before shooting 72 and finishing four behind Knapp at 276. 

Conditions were difficult and scores were high in the final round. Of the 120 players in the field, only 12 broke 70.   

This is the second time that Knapp has been a Mackenzie Q-School medalist. The 25-year-old former UCLA star won a qualifier by seven strokes two years ago but suffered a back injury that put him out of action midway through the 2017 season. 

The No. 2 through 14 finishers from Q-School will be exempt for the first half of the Mackenzie schedule (6 events).

Charlie Danielson, the former two-time Wisconsin state high school champion from Osceola, was never above 73 or below 70 in his four rounds. He shot 72 on the final day and ended up as part of a four-way tie for 14th at 285, but lost the playoff for 14th place. So instead of being fully exempt for the first six tournaments of the year, he will be conditionally exempt. 

The 6-5 Danielson, who turned 25 in January, was a four-time All-American at the University of Illinois, and was named the Big Ten player of the year in 2016, then turned professional. His pro career got off to a promising start. After qualifying for the 2017 Mackenzie Tour, he finished 21st on the money list. He also played in two PGA Tour Latin-America, two Web.com and three PGA Tour tournaments that year, and of the 14 events he played in, he made 13 cuts. 

His knee has been a problem for a long time, however -- he had it operated on twice while he was in middle school -- and it became so painful in 2018 that he pretty much missed the whole year. After testing the knee, unsuccessfully, in a couple of Adams Tour events during the first half of the year, he underwent surgery again in early July, and spent the next five months doing rehab.

For Mackenzie Tour players, the goal is to be No. 1 on the money list. That makes you fully exempt for the next year's Web.com Tour. If you finiish No. 2 through 5 on the Mackenzie money list, you get conditional status on the Web.com. 

MACKENZIE TOUR

Q-School - USA West

At Wigwam Golf Resort - Gold Course

Par 72

Final results (the medalist is fully exempt for the entire 2019 season; those finishing No. 2 through 14 are fully exempt for 6 events; those finishing No. 15 through 40 are conditionally exampt)


1. Jack Knapp                      66-69-65-72--272

2. Will Zalatoris                    68-69-67-70--274

3. Jamie Sadlowski              69-68-67-72--276

T4. David Sanchez              69-68-69-74--280

T4. Hayden Buckley             65-73-68-74--280

T14. Charlie Danielson        70-73-70-72--285 (lost 4-for-1 playoff to Andrew Yun for 14th place)



 

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