Q&A with Paige Mackenzie
May 4, 2006
Washington senior Paige Mackenzie became the first Pac-10 Individual Champion in Husky women's golf history last week, winning the conference title by four strokes at 5-under 211.
GoHuskies.com took a moment to talk with the two-time All-American about her accomplishment and her goals for the NCAA West Regional, which the UW will host at Washington National Golf Club in Auburn, Wash., May 11-13.
Here's what Paige had to say:
GoHuskies.com: You won the Pac-10 Individual Championship last week. Now that you've had some time to reflect on it, how does it feel?
Paige Mackenzie: "It's been great. I struggled a little bit early in the spring season. My goal going into Pac-10s was to really prepare for the NCAA postseason by playing well at the Pac-10s. So it feels really good to have accomplished that goal and to go in strong into the last two events of my college career. It's great momentum."
GH: You've finished in the top-10 in tournaments throughout your career, but there was a pretty long gap between your first-place finishes (the Kent Youel Invitational in 2003 and the Pac-10 Championship in 2006). Was there a sense of relief that you finally broke through and finished in that top spot?
Mackenzie: "Yeah, a little bit. It's interesting that it took that long to get another win. But I'm not sure I always prepared mentally the way I needed to. I went into Pac-10s with a goal to be mentally prepared. I took the time that I needed to focus on things, to visualize myself winning the championship, what it would feel like and what I needed to do to play well at the end."
GH: You hold the Washington record for rounds played by a women's golfer - you've played 132 rounds wearing purple and gold. Now you've got a maximum of seven rounds left as a Husky. Has that hit you yet?
Mackenzie: "It really hasn't sunk in yet. I don't know if it will until its over. It's been such a long career. It's so strange to think about not being with the team in less than a month and doing my own thing. So no, it hasn't sunk in yet, and hopefully it won't until after the season is over so I can really focus on what I'm doing."
GH: Your name is carved in numerous places in the Washington women's golf record books and your brother Brock's name is all over the UW men's golf annals. Do you and he ever talk about the influence the Mackenzie family has had on Husky golf?"
Mackenzie: "Not really. I think it's great - I'm so happy that both of us ended up at the same place. At first I wasn't because he's my older brother and I didn't want to follow in his footsteps. Now it's brought us together. It's great to be playing in front of your home state. He's received so much support and so have I. We wouldn't have gotten that kind of support if we had gone to any other university."
GH: You've mentioned that, as far as you know, you're the only golfer who'll be playing in the 2006 West Regional who has played in a postseason event at Washington National, which you did when you played in the NCAA Championships as a freshman in 2002. Do you think that this event provides your UW career with a kind of weird set of bookends?
Mackenzie: "It's so weird. I think about it all the time. My very first collegiate tournament was at Washington National, because we hosted the Fall Preview to start that season (2001-02) in which we also hosted the NCAA Championships. So it's really eerie to think that one of my last collegiate events will also be at Washington National. That's part of the reason that it would be so great to go out with a win at West Regionals. The sentimental value of it would be great. I love playing there and playing in front of the home-town crowd."
GH: The NCAA Regionals are a little bit strange in that they're a stepping-stone tournament between the conference tournaments and the NCAA Championships. Does that make things feel a little different going into the event?
Mackenzie: "It's kind of odd because it's a big post-season event but it's not really a sought-after title. But winning it would still give me a lot of confidence going into the NCAA Championships."
GH: Since Washington National is the home course of the Huskies, you know it like the back of your hand. What about the course do you think sets up well for you going into the West Regional?
Mackenzie: "I think what sets up really well is that you can hit driver on every single hole and for me that's an advantage because I hit it longer than average. So that's nice. There's also a little extra room to maneuver. That's part of why you can hit the driver - the fairways are pretty wide. And there's not a whole lot of trouble in the landing areas, which is great, because I can put myself in position to hit a good approach shot. So that I think is very key."
GH: You're throwing out the first pitch at the Seattle Mariners game on May 9. Are you excited?
Mackenzie: "Oh my gosh, I'm so excited! Coach (Mulflur) called to tell me and it took me a while to understand what she was saying. I said, `Are you joking me?' I didn't ever think it wouldn't happen while I was still in college. It's been kind of a goal to do that at some point in my lifetime - to throw out the first pitch at a professional baseball game. So I'm excited and nervous. Coach even got me a baseball so I can go out and practice."
