The golf world mourns the passing of Matt McQuillan. He was 45 years old.
The golf world is mourning the passing of Matt McQuillan, who died at the age of 45. His most significant victory on the professional circuits came at the 2005 Telus Edmonton Open on the Canadian Tour, which he won with a total of 17 under par and a six-stroke lead. His achievements also include victory at the 2008 Cataraqui Pro-Am, where he set the course record with a round of 62 (-8).
The highlight of his career at the highest level was earning his PGA TOUR card through the extremely challenging 2010 Q-School, which allowed him to compete on the world’s most prestigious tour in 2011: that season, he achieved his career-best finish of a tie for 3rd place at the John Deere Classic (thanks to a bogey-free final round of 64), along with a tie for 6th place at the Reno-Tahoe Open and a 7th-place finish at the Frys.com Open
The PGA Tour issued an official statement: “Matt McQuillan, a former PGA TOUR member and proud native of Kingston, Ontario, whose extraordinary perseverance took him to the top of professional golf, has passed away at the age of 45. McQuillan earned his PGA TOUR card through the 2010 Q-School, competing on the main tour during the 2011 season after a long journey through the PGA TOUR Canada (now PGA TOUR Americas) and the development tours.”
“The most memorable moment of his TOUR career came at the 2011 John Deere Classic, when he closed out the final round with an excellent bogey-free 64, securing a tie for third place—a result that would remain his best finish in 32 appearances. That extraordinary comeback on Sunday had the people of his hometown of Kingston dreaming, where so many had passionately followed his rise among the world’s golfing elite.”
“Before making his TOUR debut, McQuillan had excelled at the amateur level in Canada, even representing his country on the international stage. After turning pro in 2003, he went on to win the Telus Edmonton Open in 2005. “In recent years, he had remained close to the sport by working as an instructor in his hometown, where he devoted his time and energy to introducing and training the next generation of Canadian golfers.”
