Another McMillan making noise

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This article was published 02/08/2018 (2811 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Elmhurst’s Ryan McMillan came agonizingly close to a dramatic come-from-behind victory at the Canadian Junior Boys Golf Championship Thursday afternoon.

After starting the day three shots behind, the two-time Manitoba junior champion fired a 1-under 70 and grabbed a share of the lead midway through the final round before fading with a trio of bogeys at the Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club.

McMillan’s 1-over four-day total of 285 was good for a tie for fourth place with Daniel George of Richmond, Hill, Ont. McMillan and George were three shots behind champion Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que.

Vandette closed with a 6-under 65 Thursday. Olivier Menard of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que., and Gerry Mei of North York, Ont., finished in a two-way tie for second place at even par.

“I’m pretty mad, obviously, but I kept my composure coming in,” said McMillan via telephone. “There were a couple of holes where I definitely could’ve made a huge number. I mean, obviously, to finish 3-over on the last five holes is not what I was looking for but it is what it is. I made a couple of good bogeys coming in. I took every shot I could out of that.”

McMillan, whose uncle Rob McMillan won this tournament three times, started three shots behind co-leaders Mei and George but four birdies helped him pull into a tie for the lead on the 10th hole; bogeys on the 14th, 15th and 18th holes scuttled his title hopes.

“I didn’t know I had a share of the lead at that point,” said McMillan. “I knew I’d be really close. At that point, when I birdied 11 and 12, I kept going with it. I made a nice, probably 12-footer straight downhill putt on 12 for birdie, and I made almost nothing outside 10 feet the whole week. Then I thought, maybe my putter’s rolling, maybe I can sneak one or two more (birdies) to win for sure. I figured 3-under was going to be the number.”

McMillan, who missed the cut in two previous attempts, was content with his performance.

“After I made the cut, I was just happy to play the last two days,” said McMillan. “At the same time, I was still in a position to win so it was a still a new experience for me even though I’ve played in this event two other times. It was fun.”

McMillan, a two-time provincial junior boys champ, earned the 2017 Manitoba junior crown by a whopping 12 shots and rallied on the final day of 2018 provincial junior championship last month to win again.

The 18-year-old, who is heading to Eastern Florida State to play this fall, comes from a prominent golf family. His dad Dave and uncle Darren are both pros, while his uncle Rob had the biggest impact on the national amateur scene, also winning a Canadian juvenile title, four provincial junior titles and three Manitoba Amateur crowns.

Other Manitobans included Selkirk’s Wesley Hoydalo, who carded a final round 81 to finish at plus-16 and a tie for 51st place while Winnipeg’s Josh Shuster (plus-19) shot a final-round 77 to finish 63rd.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14