Former UW golfer Paige Mackenzie plans LPGA comeback

Originally published December 23, 2014 at 6:55 PM | Page modified December 23, 2014 at 10:40 PM

Paige Mackenzie, the former University of Washington star, does not need to return to the LPGA Tour next year.

She certainly doesnt need the job, not with a blossoming career as a television personality on The Golf Channel.

And the 31-year-old says she has nothing to prove to others, or even to herself, after playing on the top tour for seven seasons.

Despite that, Mackenzie is returning to competition in 2015 after back surgery earlier this year. And the reason can be stated in one word.

Fun.

I enjoy the game, I love playing on the Tour, the people and the travel, she said. Its going to be about having fun, but I will work hard. I dont want to feel as if I cant win. But its going to be more about having fun and less about a job.

In February, Mackenzie underwent a procedure in which doctors harvested her bone marrow, pulled out stem cells and re-injected them into her ailing back discs. They were the same troublesome discs that forced her to redshirt her sophomore season at Washington and not swing a club for 10 months.

It does give me confidence having gone through this before, Mackenzie said. I learned at 19 how to be patient and that sometimes rest is the best thing you can do, which is hard for any athlete to do.

Mackenzie said she has been pain-free since October and is now feeling better than she has in years. She has full-time LPGA Tour status this year after getting a major medical extension. She plans to play in the Tours season opener the final week in January, and the time away has given her time to think about her game.

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Former UW golfer Paige Mackenzie plans LPGA comeback