Age group McKenzie Wells trains for Ironman 70.3s while traveling 200 days a year as a PGA scoring official.
McKenzie Wells finished four Ironman 70.3 races last year in the midst of traveling 200 days a year as a PGA scoring official. Through her work, she met professional golf legends, such as Tom Watson. (Photo: Courtesy of Mackenzie Wells)
Published on June 29, 2026 at 06:00 AM
In February 2025, Mackenzie Wells decided to start training for triathlon. Having grown up as a hockey player and golfer, the world of endurance is uncharted territory.
“I wanted to do something that not a lot of people do,” Wells says. “I wanted to be different. I’ve been that way my whole life. Then I thought about an Iron Man tattoo and finished one of them – how cool would that be?”
While most beginners get into the sport through sprints or Olympic distance triathlons, Wells’ first race was Ironman 70.3 Ohio in July 2025.
“I just jumped in,” Wells says. “I wanted to know if I loved the sport, and this was the perfect way to find out.”
Training on the road
Wells, 30, lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, Cam, who introduced her to triathlon. But she only spends about two months of the year at home. As the PGA’s scoring official for the Champions Tour, Wells travels all over the world for work and can be away for more than three weeks at a time for back-to-back tournaments.
Often on site for up to 14 hours a day (and sometimes longer depending on the weather), Wells is responsible for ensuring that all professionals are accounted for on the tee at the start of the day and given their scorecards. At the end of the day, they enter the registration area, where you verify that they have signed their card and that their results match what the system gives them.
“If something doesn’t match, we’ll fix it right away,” Wells says. “If players make a mistake and leave the score, they risk being disqualified. So it is important that the players and I focus on this process and pay close attention to it.”
Despite these rigorous and demanding work days, Wells finds a way to keep working towards her triathlon goals.
“Travel training,” as Wells calls it, requires planning, flexibility and creativity. With the dedicated guidance of her coach, Wells can find time to practice 10 to 13 hours each week.
“There are so many unique ways to exercise and be able to achieve your goals,” Wells says.
A typical schedule for Wells while on the road is as follows:
- Monday: Travel day, rest day
- Tuesday: Light work day, morning session and evening session
- Wednesday and Thursday: Pro Am, long days, one session in the evening
- Friday-Sunday: Tournament tournament, long workdays, one session in the evening
Although so much is out of her control on these trips, Wells focuses on what she can do. She plans ahead by contacting local YMCAs or gyms to inquire about bikes and pool hours, and preparing nutritious snacks for her work days.
“If you have a small chunk of time, do what you can with that time,” Wells says. “The number of times my trainer schedules a bike for two to two-and-a-half hours and I can ride it for an hour. I go straight to the YMCA after work and get as much time in as I can with the time. I try my best to do what I can.”
Passion for the job
Since her first triathlon in July of last year, Wells has gone on to finish three more half-iron races in Palm Springs, Chattanooga and Augusta.
“I have to plan my races around my work schedule,” Wells says. “I don’t have a choice in which races I want to run. It’s just: ‘Am I going to work this weekend, yes or no?’
Wells travels to places like Canada, Morocco, Portugal and Hawaii to participate in the Champions Tour. Being on the road so much can be difficult, but Wells is extremely passionate about her work and is grateful that her husband can travel with her from time to time. If she’s lucky, she can even play a few holes herself on the popular courses.
“It’s a really unique job and one that thousands would love to have,” Wells says. “These players are heroes to golf fans, and the opportunity to work with them is very rare. As a young man with no children at the moment, I look at it as an opportunity to travel and play some great courses along the way as well!”
Via her Instagram account (@mytri_lifestyle) She hopes to share her journey and show people that you don’t have to put your life on hold when you travel, whether it’s for business or pleasure.
“I work with famous golfers every day and consider them my friends,” Wells says. “Guys like Vijay Singh, John Daly, Bernhard Langer, Ernie Els, and many other famous golfers. I’ve built a relationship of trust with them, and I enjoy talking about golf and life with them. They’re all interesting and have great stories.”
Surrounded by inspiration on the golf course, Wells intends to compete in a full Ironman one day. She knows that her current work schedule requires a lot of effort to properly prepare for that distance, so she’s put that dream (and tattoo) on hold for now. She is currently chasing a PR and is hoping for a podium finish in her age group at 70.3.
“I really love my job, and I’m happy that I can take this sport on the road and continue to improve,” she says.
