42nd Jock MacKenzie Memorial: Sandy Run

Turner equals tournament record to win Jock MacKenzie

ORELAND, Pa. – Logan Turner always has a smile on his face. The result of his golf shot really doesn’t sway his mood.

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Tuesday at Sandy Run Country Club (par 72, 6,611 yards) he had no reason to frown.

Turner, the White Manor Country Club flusher, fired a 6-under-par 66 to take the 42nd Jock MacKenzie Memorial at Sandy Run.

He equaled the tournament record set in 2020 by Morgan Lofland. He was 7 under through 17 but bogeyed the closing hole after his tee shot ended up on a part of a tree root.

“My game wasn’t in the best place at the beginning of the summer but the past couple of weeks, I have taken some steps forward,” Turner said. “Being able to go low today for the first time in a bit feels really good.”

Turner, sporting the no-hat Rory McIlroy at the Ryder Cup look, got off to a blazing start and made the turn in 4 under. 

His phone started to blow up with group chats and texts with respect to leaderboard updates. He didn’t let those phase him.

His back nine included three birdies on Nos. 13 (par 4, 390 yards), 15 (par 5, 479 yards) and 16 (par 4, 383 yards). He canned a seven-footer on No. 13, laced a 8-iron from 180 yards to 20 feet on No. 15 for a two-putt birdie and he chipped in from off the green on No. 16.

“A day like today is really good for my confidence. I have a couple of big tournaments coming up so hopefully some big performances like this will help me get some attention from college coaches. I really want to play golf in college.”

Turner, a rising sophomore at Devon Preparatory School, recently won the Boys’ 14-15 division at the Skechers Notah Begay, III New Jersey Boys’ Regional. This win qualified him into the Skechers Notah Begay, III Junior Golf National Championship in November in Louisiana.

“Playing in GAP events helps because the talent of the rest of the players is high,” Turner said. “You have to play well. I have made so many friends here and am competing against others who want to play college golf as well. That is how you get better.”

In his spare time, you can find Turner on the water looking for his next bite. 

“I love fishing,” Turner said. “For me, being out in nature is relaxing. Fishing and golf are similar because you have to be patient. You aren’t going to birdie every hole and you aren’t going to catch a fish each time you throw the hook into the water.”

Turner is the first member of White Manor to win the Jock MacKenzie. With a couple years left in his junior career, he has his sights set on more hardware.

“Tying the tournament record is really cool,” Turner said. “GAP’s history is really strong and over a long period of time. To be a part of that is really cool. I’ve been wanting to win a GAP tournament ever since I started playing. It really means a lot to me.”

Harry Hammond Award 
McCall Golf Club’s Seiji Sako claimed the Harry Hammond with a 54-hole total of 3-under-par 210. The event was shortened due to weather. The Christman Cup comprising half of the rounds was reduced to an 18-hole event. He fired a 74 in qualifying for the 112th Junior Boys’ Championship at Chester Valley, a 67 that won him the Christman Cup at RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve. His round of 69 at Sandy Run gave him a three-shot victory over Lannon Boyd of Overbrook Golf Club and Colby Komancheck of RiverCrest.

Junior-Junior Division
Ryan Comly of Llanerch Country Club took the Junior-Junior Division of the Jock with a 3-under-par 33 at Sandy Run (par 36, 2,596 yards). It is the lowest score in the history of the Junior-Junior Division.

“Winning this is great,” Comly, 13, of Newtown Square, Pa., said. “Last year, I came in second in this event and I wanted to try and win one of the Junior-Junior events this year. To be able to win means a lot. It is wonderful.”

The incoming eight grader at the Haverford School made four birdies in his nine holes. Highlighted by his three consecutive circles on Nos. 13 (par 4, 332 yards), 14 (par 4, 330 yards) and No. 15 (par 5, 368 yards).

With a Happy Gilmore ballmark on his cap, Comly said he plays his best golf when his hips and legs are working well together. It’s all in the hips, Ryan.

“Every time I play golf, my goal is to try to get better,” Comly said. “I want to have fun and to improve on my score. I try to get as much time on the golf course as I can. I love playing in golf tournaments because it helps me improve and get my skills in a better place. It is nice to get my first GAP win.”

NOTES– Stella Seese of Huntingdon Valley Country Club took the Junior-Junior Girls’ Division (par 36, 2,596 yards) with a 48. Cara Chojnacki of Valleybrook Country Club took the Junior Girls’ Division (par 72, 5,313 yards) with a 103.

Jock MacKenzie
Jock MacKenzie served as Sandy Run Country Club’s golf professional for three decades (1941-71). He previously worked as an assistant professional under George Lowe at Huntingdon Valley Country Club and Denny Shute at Llanerch Country Club. A Scotland native, MacKenzie started a Junior program at Sandy Run in 1947 that soon generated acclaim within the Philadelphia golf community. “The children don’t hit the golf ball for five weeks. They do calisthenics to build up the left wrist and arm. The left arm is key to a good swing,” MacKenzie told The Philadelphia Bulletin. MacKenzie taught participants in Sandy Run’s Junior program how to hit and chip the golf ball with irons. A mechanical mind, he stressed a slow count for the backswing and downswing. During the program’s final week, MacKenzie conducted a golf tournament and awarded prizes to all participants. “MacKenzie readily admits that he doesn’t make money, but gets rich on the satisfaction of helping youngsters learn the game he loves,” Joe Schwendeman wrote.

Harry Hammond
Harry Hammond, an ardent supporter of Junior golf both locally and nationally, served as the Philadelphia PGA Section’s Junior Golf Chairman for 29 years. He is the Director of Golf at Penn Oaks Golf Club. A 55-year member of the PGA of America, Hammond received the organization’s Bill Strausbaugh Award for leadership and service to the game of golf in 2012.

GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 345 Member Clubs and 140,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.