McKenzie brothers maintain family legacy with grandfather watching on
By Josh Rowntree, Director of Communications • March 2, 2026
It should come as little surprise that, as a toddler, Connor McKenzie’s first words had to do with golf.
McKenzie, an Upper St. Clair graduate who has thrived on the local junior and amateur scene and is now competing at Robert Morris University, has truly been immersed in the sport since, essentially, his birth.
“My first word was ‘tractor,’” said McKenzie, sitting at a table alongside his brother, Colin, in Robert Morris’ Island Sports Center golf dome outside of Pittsburgh on a frigid mid-February afternoon. “All I saw back then were the lawnmowers around St. Clair Country Club. I guess you could say golf has had a pretty big influence on me.”
That may be quite the understatement.
Golf hasn’t just had an influence on McKenzie and his brother, but has almost been an inherent trait, with family roots deeply interwoven in the history of two of Western Pennsylvania’s most notorious golf courses, St. Clair Country Club and Oakmont Country Club. And that family lineage of success is being continued today, in a very strong way, with Connor and Colin.
The early triumphs of Connor, 19, and Colin, 15, are the result of a strong foundation within the McKenzie and Newcamp families and a support system that has led both young men to great heights at a young age.
Their maternal grandfather, Phil Newcamp, was the head professional at St. Clair Country Club for nearly 40 years. And the boys’ paternal grandfather, Regis McKenzie, served as the president of Oakmont Country Club from 1985-1986 and was instrumental in the development of the infamous Oakmont SWAT.
Regis McKenzie, an executive at PPG Industries, passed away in 2001, before both Connor and Colin were born. But the stories passed down about his life and Newcamp’s accomplishments resonate with the young men.
“He grew up not having a lot of money,” said Connor of Regis McKenzie. “One time, as a kid, he snuck onto Oakmont East to watch the U.S. Open. He said, ‘I’m going to become a member here.’ He worked really hard. He played football at Niagara and is in the Niagara Hall of Fame. He went to Harvard Law School after that and then became a member at Oakmont.
“And when you're a young kid and you're driving around the car with your grandpa (Newcamp), it seems like he knows everyone. When you start going out and playing in the West Penn events, or you start playing in the State Open and seeing how many people know him, or hearing that he's a legend around here and you start hearing stories from other people, it kind of opens up your eyes.
“Without my grandfathers, I wouldn't be here. I have such a huge appreciation for what they've done, not only for me and my brother, but golf in general.”
Newcamp got his start — as so many in golf have — as a caddy back in 1960, when he looped for golfers at Fox Chapel Golf Club. He became the assistant professional there in 1970 before taking a six-month assignment with St. Clair Country Club.
He went on to work under 1947 U.S. Open champion and former Oakmont head professional Lee Worsham at Coral Ridge Country Club in Florida before making his way back to Pittsburgh in 1978 to become an assistant at St. Clair. He took over the head professional job in 1979 and held that role until his retirement in 2016.
“I was there for 40 years,” said Newcamp, who now spends much of his summers following Connor and Colin to their many competitions throughout the region. “The people at St. Clair were so good to me and my family. I had other offers to leave. I had an offer to go back to Fox Chapel and a couple of other places. But I couldn’t do it.”
In the later years of his time at St. Clair, Newcamp got to watch Connor and then Colin grow up on the golf course.
“Instead of going to daycare at a young age, I got dropped off at my grandpa’s and would go with him to the club,” Connor said. “He would give lessons and I was always around him. We’d spend the entire day together.”
Years later, the McKenzie brothers are now making names for themselves locally with their strong play.
Colin won two straight WPGA Boys Championships in the 13 & Under division in 2023 and 2024 and qualified for the WPIAL Golf Championships this past fall — one of just two freshmen to compete in the Class 3A Individual Championship at Butler Country Club.
“Those wins helped me know that I have it,” said Colin who, like Connor, played multiple sports growing up but has now moved on to focus on golf full-time.
Colin also won the 10 & Under Boys Championship division in 2021, an event which his older brother claimed in 2017.
Connor qualified for the 125th WPGA Amateur Championship and 122nd WPGA Open Championship this past summer — making the cut in the Open thanks to scores of 70—72 in the first two rounds. He also was selected to play in the WPGA Spring Stroke play and the C.R. Miller Match Play Invitational this past year.
“If you don’t put in the time, you don’t get anything out of it,” said Newcamp. “It’s nice to see their hard work paying off. I’m really amazed how far each one of them hit it at their age. Colin hits it far for his age, but I can’t imagine how far Connor can hit it. I mean, I never hit it that far, and I wasn’t short.”
Newcamp, who won the 1987 West Penn Open, has had the fortune of watching several family members compete and win. His son, Phil Newcamp, Jr., was the 1992 WPGA Junior Champion and WPGA C.R. Miller Match Play champion that same year. His daughter, Kristen, was an accomplished high school golfer who then competed at Washington & Jefferson.
His children and now grandchildren have been able to have success because of the openness that clubs, particularly St. Clair, have had for them to play and practice. Newcamp has seen, firsthand, how when clubs and courses are welcoming of young players, they can accomplish great things and foster a growing environment for the game.
“They’re the future,” said Newcamp. “If you can get kids interested in golf, someday, they’ll be members there. In addition to Connor and Colin, I had eight former workers for me at St. Clair who are now members. They were in the bag room as kids or they were an assistant and now they’re members. I’m proud of that.”
When Connor and Colin were younger, Newcamp and the boys had a sweet tradition. Any time there was a Dairy Queen on the way home from their competitions, Newcamp would stop the car so that they could grab a bite to eat and a sundae. They’d go over the day’s various shots, the good and bad — mostly good — while enjoying the time together.
Now he’s a familiar figure at WPGA events and other competitions in which Connor and Colin compete, walking the outskirts of fairways while they compete or, when able, harkening back to the kid at Fox Chapel and carrying the bag for the next generation of Western Pennsylvania golfing talent.
“First of all, I really love being out there with them and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Newcamp said. “And me being there has been twofold for them. I’m there for support. And for ice cream.”
And while Newcamp feels the pride and reward of watching his grandsons play, grow and continue the family lineage, they feel a calmness in having such a familiar presence close by and feel that their emotions are often held in check when Newcamp is around.
“Having him there is a big factor,” said Colin. “Just having someone supportive at every tournament helps me to play my game. He’s always there and it’s always great to have him. He loves watching me and he always wants to watch me. It’s the best.”
For any media inquiries, please contact WPGA Director of Communications Josh Rowntree.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and nearly 37,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund and Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.