Former University of Hawai'i-Hilo golfer Nick Mason grew up always on the move, but when it came to golf, he's firmly rooted in one spot: Hawai'i. Specifically, Hilo.

Mason traveled the world courtesy of the U.S. Army. His father, Raymond Mason, is a 30-year career man and 2-star general who was recently reassigned to Fort McPherson, Ga., after serving as brigade commander with the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks and U.S. Army Hawai'i senior commander at Fort Shafter.

"They just left the islands two months ago, unfortunately," said Mason, whose globe-trotting began with his birth 27 years ago in Frankfurt, Germany. "They're in Atlanta. I'm not sure it's a bad thing, but I'd rather have them in the islands. What are you going to do? The government sends you wherever and, oh, man, I've been everywhere. The Army put us in some great places. Obviously, my favorite is Hawai'i."

It was at Leilehua High School where Mason, who has advanced to the second stage of the PGA national qualifying tournament, took up the game of golf seriously. Living on base at Schofield, Mason played Kaläkaua Golf Course practically every day the summer before his senior (and only) year at Leilehua after transferring from a high school in Alexandria, Va.

So don't blame him for fondly remembering Kaläkaua, demolished to make room for military housing. "I owe a lot to that course. Too bad it's not here anymore. That will be one of my favorite golf courses ever," Mason said by telephone from Scottsdale, Ariz. (He still keeps his 808 phone number.)

Mason wanted to play collegiate golf, but with a slim resume only UH-Hilo offered him a scholarship. "Nobody recruited him because he never won anything," recalled Vulcans coach Earl Tamiya, who saw Mason's potential. "I gave him a scholarship and told him to come on over."

Tamiya isn't surprised that Mason took medalist honors in the first stage of Q-School at Stonebridge Ranch in McKinney, Texas. "He's always been a hard worker. He just needed to get a win and he never got a win until his junior year in college."

Mason hasn't stopped winning. He won the 2008 Hawai'i State Open and, earlier this year, captured the Hilo Invitational for the third time. He also won a Gateway Tour event in Arizona this spring, which proved to be a great confidence builder leading up to Q-School, according to Mason. And winning his first-stage qualifier was really huge.

"I never played the golf course before. It was an overflow site so none of us got to choose but I really liked it," Mason said. "It was pretty much an easy course but the weather came in and it blew 30-plus miles an hour with rain three of the four days. It was a long, long week but one of the best ball-striking weeks I've had, probably ever. I only made, I think, three bogeys in 72 holes. That's what I was most excited about."

For the second stage, Mason got his first choice for a site and, not surprisingly, it's Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga. about an hour's drive southwest of Atlanta, where Fort McPherson is located.

"We're pretty excited. He's on a bit of a roll now. We just hope he keeps going," said the major general, who along with his wife, Patti, are looking forward to watching their son next week.

Mason hopes the third time is a charm. He missed advancing to the second stage by two strokes in 2006, and by one shot last year. Having a good short game is the most important thing in surviving Q-School, according to Mason. "No matter how good you're hitting it, you're going to miss greens in qualifying school, so you've got to have confidence in going up and down. Hopefully, that'll get me over the hump and get me to the tour," he said.

No matter the outcome, Mason says he'll never forget where it all began. "I owe everything in golf to my parents, Earl Tamiya and UH-Hilo," he said. "I wouldn't be playing golf right now if it weren't for UH-Hilo. My dad was always a supporter of that program, financially and verbally."

"His dad and his mom are super supportive of Nick and our program," said Tamiya. "They're happy where Nick is right now."

Right at home — on a golf course.

• Besides Mason, six other golfers with Hawai'i ties advanced to the PGA Q-School's second stage: Sam Cyr, Jarett Hamamoto, Jim Seki, Keoke Cotner and Kevin Warrick. Hamamoto, a former University of Hawai'i golfer, will be at Oak Valley in Beaumont, Calif.; Cyr, a King Kekaulike graduate and two-time NAIA individual champion playing for Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego, will go to TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas; and Seki will compete at Deerwood Club in Kingwood, Texas.

Castle High graduate Dean Wilson, who turns 40 next month, is playing at Southern Hills in Florida. Wilson has won once since joining the PGA Tour in 2005 and had six victories on the Japan PGA Tour. He tied his career-low scoring average this season, at 70.70, but made just 12 cuts and $425,210. He ranks 152nd on the money list.