Rob McMillan Wins CanTours Barefoot Classic
Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:37:28
The triumph was McMillan's third on the Canadian Tour. He also won the 1996 Xerox Manitoba Open as an amateur and the 2000 TELUS Vancouver Open. Sunday also marked the first time in nearly a year that a Canadian won a Tour event. Craig Matthew of Quebec took top honours at the Ontario Open Heritage Classic last July. In fact, Matthew had been the only Canadian born player to win an official Tour event since McMillan's victory in 2000. Philip Jonas, who was born in South Africa but now lives in Vancouver, won the 2000 QuebecTel Open.
With Barefoot Resort's Greg Norman course playing tough all week, McMillan laid out a plan on how he would manage the 7035-yard, par-72 layout. Gusting winds that swirled all week long kept birdies at a premium, and McMillan says his patience played a key role in the win. "I just seemed to be so calm all week, I never got too high or too low," reasoned McMillan, who called fianc�e Nicole Querel in Winnipeg moments after accepting his $24,000 cheque and winner's trophy. "Those other two guys (Scaletta and Hearn) really haven't been in that situation before, so maybe they were trying to make things happen. I just had to stay in the moment and not get too far ahead of myself."
Scaletta put the pressure on early, climbing to within two after a birdie on the opening hole. But McMillan chipped in for birdie on the next hole and was never threatened from that point on, building a four-shot cushion at the turn and coasting home. The win was especially sweet for the 1996 Canadian amateur champion, who had not been as sharp early this season after taking a winter-long break from golf all to recover from self-described "burnout".
"I think after the long layoff, being able to win so soon makes it a little sweeter. I knew I was capable of winning, but I wasn't sure if my game would come around like this. Of course, being a Canadian and winning on the Canadian Tour makes it pretty special."
The day also featured a hole-in-one when Michael Henderson of Orlando, FL aced the 194-yard, par-3 3rd hole. Australia's Scott Hend also recorded a double-eagle 2 when his second shot from 267 yards out on the par-5 5th rolled into the cup. Moments earlier, Hend had taken a triple-bogey 7 on the 4th.
Scaletta, 26, who lingered near the top of the leaderboard all week long, was ecstatic with his runner up finish. Working as a bartender in Richmond, VA, Scaletta had to give his two weekend shifts away after making the cut Friday. "I guess I made a little money this week, so maybe I won't have to work as much," laughed Scaletta, referring to the $14,400 he earned Sunday. "I am pleased with the way I played, but I have to hand it to Rob. He was solid all day long- he's a very good player."
The third place showing was the best Canadian Tour result for the 22-year-old Hearn, who tied for fifth playing on a sponsor's exemption at the Bayer Championship last September. The end result wasn't what the member of Canada's 2001 Four Nations Cup squad had hoped for, but Hearn's confidence seems to be growing each week. "I hung in there all day, I just didn't give Rob the run I wanted to," he said. "Rob didn't make any mistakes, and he got the job done. But my confidence is definitely increasing, and I am proving I can compete week in and week out. Hopefully I can take it one step further and win soon."
Scores and earnings Sunday after the final round of the Canadian Tour's $150,000 CDN Barefoot Classic played at the 7035-yard, par-72 Greg Norman course at Barefoot Resort (prize money in Canadian dollars):
1 McMillan, Rob Winnipeg, MB 68-71-66-72_277 -11 $24,000.00
2 Scaletta, Paul Glen Allen, VA 69-70-69-72_280 -8 $14,400.00
3 Hearn, David Brantford, ON 66-74-68-73_281 -7 $9,000.00
T 4 Dougherty, Sean Wilmington, NC 73-69-68-73_283 -5 $5,425.00
T 4 Kontak, Brian Tempe, AZ 69-69-75-70_283 -5 $5,425.00
T 4 Lee, Eddy Corona, CA 73-74-67-69_283 -5 $5,425.00
T 4 McKenzie, David Australia 70-72-72-69_283 -5 $5,425.00
T 4 Reese, Mikkel Chandler, AZ 69-69-73-72_283 -5 $5,425.00
T 4 Spallone, Sal Vero Beach, FL 72-70-72-69_283 -5 $5,425.00
T 10 Cain, Marcus Australia 75-71-70-68_284 -4 $3,600.00
T 10 Dillon, Ryan Aiken, SC 78-68-68-70_284 -4 $3,600.00
T 10 Heffernan, Wes Calgary, AB 73-69-72-70_284 -4 $3,600.00
T 10 Kalinowski, Bobby Scottsdale, AZ 69-74-70-71_284 -4 $3,600.00
T 14 Devenport, Paul New Zealand 72-74-70-69_285 -3 $2,220.00
T 14 Doohan, Todd Sarnia, ON 73-70-73-69_285 -3 $2,220.00
T 14 Drewery, Jonn Cambridge, ON 73-71-69-72_285 -3 $2,220.00
T 14 Driscoll, James Brookline, MA 76-68-71-70_285 -3 $2,220.00
T 14 Fritsch, Brad Manotick, ON 72-72-71-70_285 -3 $2,220.00
T 14 Gillespie, Derek Oshawa, ON 77-67-72-69_285 -3 $2,220.00
T 14 Henderson, Michael Orlando, FL 75-71-70-69_285 -3 $2,220.00
T 14 Rocha, Alex Orlando, FL 72-70-72-71_285 -3 $2,220.00
T 14 Steel, Iain Malaysia 72-73-67-73_285 -3 $2,220.00
T 14 Tiziani, Mario Chanhassen, MN 68-77-67-73_285 -3 $2,220.00
T 24 McGuigan, Doug Langley, BC 69-77-66-74_286 -2 $1,612.50
T 24 O'Neal, Tim Savannah, GA 70-74-68-74_286 -2 $1,612.50
T 26 Damron, Patrick Orlando, FL 74-71-71-71_287 -1 $1,389.00
T 26 Hend, Scott Australia 76-70-70-71_287 -1 $1,389.00
T 26 Kuehne, Hank Palm Beach, FL 69-72-72-74_287 -1 $1,389.00
T 26 Mackenzie, Will Greenville, NC 70-73-67-77_287 -1 $1,389.00
T 26 Turpen, Tim West Palm Beach, FL 70-72-69-76_287 -1 $1,389.00
T 31 Christensen, Dave Elk River, MN 72-73-73-70_288 0 $1,164.00
T 31 Ford, Scott Lake Worth, FL 67-77-75-69_288 0 $1,164.00
T 31 Martin, Casey Eugene, OR 72-72-71-73_288 0 $1,164.00
T 31 Schultz, Jason Columbia, MO 75-72-71-70_288 0 $1,164.00
T 31 Scott, Steve Wellington, FL 74-73-71-70_288 0 $1,164.00
T 36 Welder, Jamie Calgary, AB 71-73-71-74_289 1 $1,031.25
T 36 Woodcock, Mike Chatam, ON 73-73-71-72_289 1 $1,031.25
T 38 Gutschewski, Scott Omaha, NE 72-75-71-72_290 2 $918.75
T 38 Harris, Michael Troy, MI 73-73-71-73_290 2 $918.75
T 38 Mathis, David Raleigh, NC 73-73-70-74_290 2 $918.75
T 38 Payne, Brian Chicago, IL 73-72-72-73_290 2 $918.75
T 42 Johnson, Andy Orlando, FL 72-71-74-74_291 3 $806.25
T 42 Kamin, Chris Phoenix, AZ 72-72-75-72_291 3 $806.25
T 44 Balmer, Tim North Lauderdale, FL 72-74-70-76_292 4 $699.00
T 44 Kovacs, Kyle Sherman Oaks, CA 73-71-73-75_292 4 $699.00
T 44 LaBelle, Doug Mt. Pleasant, MI 71-73-74-74_292 4 $699.00
T 44 Matyczuk, Davidson Thunder Bay, ON 72-74-73-73_292 4 $699.00
T 44 Voska, Kyle Orlando, FL 71-76-69-76_292 4 $699.00
T 49 Butcher, Rodney Tampa, FL 71-76-67-79_293 5 $607.50
T 49 McCann, Brian Mississauga, ON 73-73-71-76_293 5 $607.50
T 49 Mitchell, Michael Tequesta, FL 71-74-76-72_293 5 $607.50
T 49 Neher, Jamie Tequesta, FL 75-72-73-73_293 5 $607.50
T 53 Corral, Jorge Mexico 73-72-74-75_294 6 $548.25
T 53 Faught, David South Africa 74-70-74-76_294 6 $548.25
T 53 Parry, Bryn Burnaby, BC 71-76-69-78_294 6 $548.25
T 53 Veress, Zoltan Kitchener, ON 69-73-75-77_294 6 $548.25
T 57 Osachoff, Brent Calgary, AB 74-71-73-77_295 7 $510.00
T 57 Quinlivan, Sean West Palm Beach, FL 78-68-73-76_295 7 $510.00
59 Warner, Jarrod Phoenix, AZ 74-72-73-77_296 8 $492.00
60 Goti, Ramiro Argentina 75-72-73-77_297 9 $480.00
61 Smith, Neale Australia 72-69-81-78_300 12 $300.00
T 62 Anderson, Chris Covina, CA 73-73-74-82_302 14 $300.00
T 62 Symons, Drew Woodstock, ON 73-74-78-77_302 14 $300.00
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