Marquez overcomes tragedy to earn spot in Phoenix field

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Braxton Marquez Monday qualified for this week's Waste Management Phoenix Open.

SCOTTSDALE -- If he wins this week, maybe someone will make a movie about it. For now, we'll just call it a helluva story.

Local kid makes good. And, in this case, local kid makes good while overcoming some enormous emotional hurdles.

It hasn't yet been a year -- March 16, 2009, to be exact -- since Randy Marquez, a long-time Scottsdale resident, avid golfer and father of a talented player, died from liver cancer less than two months after his initial diagnosis.

With his family-run catering business, Taylor Rae Events, Marquez had played a major part in helping TPC Scottsdale's infamous 16th hole grow into the spectacle it's become. Over the years, it wasn't uncommon to see his wife, Cindy; daughter, Taylor (for whom the company was named); and, of course, son, Braxton, working odd jobs in the corporate skyboxes surrounding the coliseum-like par 3 to help make sure the week ran smoothly.

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Needless to say, the Waste Management Phoenix Open has played a big role within the Marquez family for some time.

So, when Braxton, now a senior on the golf team at Arizona State, shot a gritty 4-under 68 in cold, windy and wet conditions Monday to earn a spot in that same tournament, the emotional needle moved for the Marquez family.

"To come from such an emotionally bad year, dealing with everything we've all had to deal with, it is just absolutely unbelievable to do this now," said Cindy, who took over the helm at Taylor Rae after her husband's death. "That just shows a lot of focus and grind for you, and amazing will.

"And it means he's exceeded his expectations already at age 22. And it means he can play with these guys at this level. And it means that his dad is now watching with the best seat he could ever have."

There's no doubting Marquez's talent as a golfer. He excelled at the junior golf and high school levels, then earned a scholarship to ASU after fielding the lowest stroke average in the National Junior College Athletic Association during his freshman year at Scottsdale Community College. He has shown spurts of elite talent while playing for Phil Mickelson's alma mater during the past three years.

But in these past 13 turbulent months. Marquez's confident, unwavering, full-of-swagger golf game understandably has suffered. Enough so that he's struggled to consistently make the top-five at ASU.

"He's definitely been close with his game and I know it's just been eating him up because he's one of those guys who just wants to play so badly in every tournament," said ASU coach Randy Lein. "As a coach, I've wanted him on our traveling team because he just adds that intangible of being a true team player; one who lifts everyone else to play well. He's just a good kid and you want to see him do well."

In so many ways, he already has.

"This is just very special to me," said Marquez. "I think about my dad all the time, but I know he was especially out there with me (in the qualifier), pushing me through.

"I think it was the weather, actually. ... I tend to play well in the rain, and I think he was there playing a part in that the whole day."

Rain or shine the rest of the week in Scottsdale, Marquez is already soaking up the atmosphere. He played a practice round Tuesday with his friend and Arizona transplant, Martin Kaymer of Germany; big-hitting Alvaro Quiros of Spain and teammate Phillip Francis, who also Monday qualified.

"Martin and I are good friends, so after I made it yesterday, I asked him if he didn't mind playing a practice round with me," Marquez said. "It was great. He was more than happy to help me out. We were out there today and it definitely helped to calm me down because it just felt like I was out playing with buddies."

As for any advice from the world's eighth-ranked golfer?

"He just was telling me not to stress about this too much," Marquez said. "He said you just have to know you're going to be out here again and take this week as a learning process."

Marquez was also in awe of Quiros' length. "It's just ridiculous how far he hits it," he said. laughing.

Perhaps the best part of his practice round, though, was finally walking onto the tee at the one hole with which he's so familiar.

"It was neat coming down No. 16 today," said Marquez. "I just kind of looked over (at the corporate skyboxes) and thought that for the last nine years, I've been working in there and watching guys coming down this hole, and now here I am doing it myself."

"Some people were already yelling my name and knew who I was, which was pretty cool too, but I just think that's because I'm local and because of the ASU thing."

Coolness aside, the gratitude Marquez carries for those close to him keeps everything in perspective. "So many people have been there for me that I don't think I'd be here without all of the great support from all of my family and friends," he said. "I just want to say I greatly appreciate that."

Support has been the glue holding the Marquez family together over the past year. Cindy Marquez's sentiments capture the family's state of mind since her husband's death.

"I'm very protective of my kids," she said. "Through this whole thing, we've truly learned how many people Randy touched, because just so many of our friends and family have been there for us. From that, we've learned how to be productive. We've learned that being productive enables us to do great things.

"Braxton proved that this week. He had his dad with him there the whole way and he did it. He showed the will to get what he's wanted for so long, and he went out and did it."

Jon Levy was the men's golf coach at Scottsdale Community College during Marquez's 2006-2007 freshman year. Marquez tees off on the 10th hole Thursday at 1:29 p.m. local time.