Struggling off the tee all day, McKenzie bogeyed the opening hole of the day but gave an indication of what was to come when he chipped in for birdie at the par-3 third and made three further birdies to make the turn at 3-under.

He added two further birdies at 10 and 11 and when he chipped in again at the par-4 13th had a top-five finish in his sights.

His eighth birdie of the day came at the par-4 15th and when McKenzie holed his bunker shot at the par-5 17th he moved to within just one shot of Jerry Kelly at the top of the leaderboard, a regulation par at the final hole keeping him from forcing a playoff at Prestonwood Country Club.

Sitting 48th in the Charles Schwab Cup standings at the beginning of the week, McKenzie was guaranteed a spot at the first event of the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs but is now right in the hunt to progress all the way through to the Charles Cup Schwab Championship for the top 36 in the year-long points race.

A third-place finisher on the Champions Tour three times previously, the 52-year-old will enter the playoffs in 37th position and facing the prospect of making some adjustments to his travel plans.

“I’ve still got my flight booked home after the tournament in LA,” McKenzie said of the Invesco QQQ Championship at Sherwood Country Club, the second event of the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs.

“It makes it nice and easy to hop on a plane and go home after LA but if it turns out that I get

to go to Phoenix, then I’ll change my plans and I’ll go to Phoenix.”

Despite such a stunning finish that yielded a cheque for $US184,800, McKenzie claimed that it was a fight with his driver all day long.

“I saw the left side of the golf course literally every hole except the first, where I hit it in the water,” the former bank teller explained.

“On the 12th I thought I hit it in the water on the right-hand side of 12, I hit it so far right.

“Every other hole I was on the left-hand side of the hole, left-hand side of the fairway.

“I was just trying to keep my head above water and it just turned out I made a couple of good putts.

“I think I hit three shots close, a couple of chip-ins, a couple of long putts, all of a sudden I’ve had a good score.”

In just his second Champions Tour start Rod Pampling began the final round tied with McKenzie in a tie for sixth but was unable to force his way into the playoffs. His tie for 12th lifted him 20 spots to 90th on the Charles Schwab Cup standings, the top 72 advancing to the opening playoffs event.