Starting the second week of the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs 39th on the moneylist, McKenzie needed a strong tournament in order to delay his return home to Melbourne until after the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship next week in Phoenix.

Won in dramatic fashion by Colin Montgomerie in a playoff against Bernhard Langer, the top 36 on the Order of Merit at the completion of the Invesco QQQ Championship qualified for the tour championship and with 18 holes left to play McKenzie was in need of a significant move up the leaderboard.

Tied for 25th in the 51-man field through two rounds, McKenzie made his intentions known from the outset with birdies at both of his opening two holes, giving one back at the par-3 third with a three-putt bogey.

He dropped a further shot when he failed to get up-and-down from the greenside bunker at the par-4 seventh but was able to generate some momentum with a birdie at the par-4 ninth, momentum that he carried into the back nine.

A birdie at the par-4 10th was followed by a two-putt birdie at the par-5 11th, a further birdie at the par-5 13th moving him to 4-under on his round.

There was a slight hiccup when McKenzie three-putted the par-3 17th but his 3-under 69 total moved him up 10 spots to finish tied for 15th, enough to move up four spots to 35th on the moneylist and an invitation to Phoenix Country Club.

Invesco QQQ Championship
Sherwood CC, Thousand Oaks, California

T15         David McKenzie                69-73-69—211   $US31,667