Who better to conduct a short-game clinic than a player who posted his lone PGA Tour victory by chipping in from more than 40 feet for birdie in a playoff?
That’s what Matt Jones did in early April to win the Shell Houston Open. Not only did the chip-in give him a PGA Tour victory, but it earned him a spot in the Masters the following week.
Jones (left), a 34-year-old Australian, and Will MacKenzie, a two-time Tour winner originally from Greenville, N.C., were finalized Tuesday as the professionals who will conduct the PGA Tour Player Short Game Clinic on Wednesday (Sept. 3) from 5-6 p.m. at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.
The event, which is free and open to the general public, will take place at CommonGround’s new Community Putting Green, located west of the clubhouse. CommonGround, which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA, is located at 10300 East Golfers Way in Aurora, near the intersection of Havana and 1st Avenue.
Both Jones and MacKenzie are among the 69 players competing this week at the BMW Championship PGA Tour playoff event at Cherry Hills Country Club. MacKenzie comes into the penultimate playoff tournament No. 58 in the FedExCup standings, while Jones is No. 67.
MacKenzie (left), who will turn 40 on Sept. 28, won PGA Tour events at the 2008 Viking Classic and the 2006 Reno-Tahoe Open. The runner-up in the 2014 Valero Texas Open has earned more than $6.4 million on the PGA Tour.
But MacKenzie has an unusual background — at least for a Tour player. After being a top junior golfer, he quit the game for nearly 10 years after his sophomore year in high school. His Tour bio also notes that the outdoor enthusiast lived out of his van in Montana for five years and is a professional kayaker.
Jones played college golf at Arizona State. He’s won more than $7.1 million in his years on the PGA Tour, but in the 2013-14 wraparound season his victory at the Shell Houston Open is his only top-10 finish. He’s currently ranked No. 56 in the world.
CommonGround, a Tom Doak-designed public course which opened in 2009, served as the second stroke-play course for the 2012 U.S. Amateur that Cherry Hills hosted. It is the home of the acclaimed Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy. George Solich — for whom the Academy is named, along with his brother, Geoff — is the general chairman of the BMW Championship at Cherry Hills.
The Short Game Clinic at CommonGround will be emceed by Jerry Walters, longtime host of the “In the Fairway” radio show which airs on Saturday mornings on 102.3 ESPN. Walters is also a putting and short game instructor.
