For this repeat q-schooler, it's graduation or bust

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In between his struggles on the PGA TOUR, Will MacKenzie has won twice -- and displayed a unique personality while doing it.

It's safe to say nobody took as unique a route to the PGA TOUR as Will MacKenzie.

Now the six-year veteran has to find a way to stay there by performing well during the six days of this week's q-school finals at Orange County National in Orlando. This marks the third time MacKenzie has made it to the final stage -- he's advanced both times -- but his mindset is so much different this time when the first round starts Wednesday.

"The first time (in 2004), it was such a blessing to be at final stage; I would have taken a Nationwide card in a second," said MacKenzie, who earned his first PGA TOUR card with a T26 finish. "Now, I've got a family, two kids, so it's a TOUR card or nothing for me. My goal is to win. If I don't, then I need to be in the top 25."

MacKenzie has won two PGA TOUR titles in the last four years (2006 Reno-Tahoe Classic and 2008 Viking Classic), but has struggled with injuries and inconsistency. When he won at Reno, for instance, that was his only top-10 finish of the season in 29 starts.

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This year, MacKenzie had just one top-10 in 23 starts as he dealt with back, hip and knee issues, as well as a balky putter (he doesn't rank in the top 150 in either putting average or putts per round). When he missed the cut at the final event at Disney World, he fell out of the top 150 in earnings (No. 152), forcing him to get through second stage with a sixth-place finish just to make it to the final stage.

"I wasn't even thinking about the second stage, until I chopped it at Disney," he said. "Looking back, it's probably good I did go because I got to feel some pressure. I haven't played my best this year. I need to get some confidence."

When MacKenzie made it through q-school in 2004, it was one of the more remarkable stories in sports. MacKenzie was one of the nation's top junior golfers in high school, but he became disenchanted with the game after losing a playoff at the Ben Hogan Junior Championship in Texas as a sophomore.

"I was just acting spoiled," he said. "I had already started receiving letters from colleges about golf scholarships, but that loss really changed things for me."

MacKenzie graduated from high school, but his passions had changed to other outdoor activities such as rock-climbing, kayaking and heliboarding. At one point, he famously lived out of his van in Montana for five years.

But when MacKenzie, who grew up in North Carolina, saw Payne Stewart win the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, his passion for playing golf quickly returned. He won on the South Florida-based Golden Bear Tour in 2003 and was the Hooters Tour Player of the Year in 2004 after winning three times, setting the stage for his initial q-school success.

The few times MacKenzie has managed to put himself in position to win, he has come through twice. But he knows he needs more consistency. And better health.

While his rock-climbing and other extreme sports background provided a rich back-story, MacKenzie knows it has taken a toll on his body.

"I'm 36, but I feel a lot older," he said. "I rock climbed and kayaked for so long, I don't have the dexterity in my fingers that I used to. I've landed on my back and neck and knees so many times, my body has taken a beating. I need to get in better shape."

MacKenzie understands his past is what makes him the person he is today. He admits to sometimes wishing he had a mulligan.

"If I had stuck with golf when I was in high school, I'd probably have made it to the PGA TOUR when I was 25 or 27, not when I was 30," he said. "But I did what I did."

MacKenzie knows even if he doesn't finish in the top 25 this week, he'll still probably get into at least 10 TOUR events next year as a past champion. But, of course, he wants more.

"You can't make a living playing out of that category," he said. "If I had to, I'd swallow my pride and play on the Nationwide Tour to stay sharp. But I really need to be on the PGA TOUR. I feel like I've got tons of good golf left in me."

And a background like no other.

Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.