Qualifiers emerge following nine-man playoff
ELLINGTON — Everything was all set for Michael Miller to make another run at qualifying for the upcoming Travelers Championship with the person most responsible for his golf career ready to be there every step of the way.
The day after Father’s Day, Miller’s dad was all set to be his caddy for Monday’s Travelers Open Qualifier at Ellington Ridge Country Club. There was only one problem, the man who taught his son to golf was in danger of missing what turned out to be the perfect Father’s Day experience.
“I’ve never ever been late for anything but I guess I slept through the alarm, next thing I know he goes to me, ‘hey are you coming?’” said Bob Miller, the head golf pro at Knollwood Country Club in Elmsford, N.Y.
It took the scrambling and not the kind from a nearby bunker or sand trap, but the Millers made it to Ellington in time for the 8:23 a.m. tee time.
Michael Miller, a native of Brewster, N.Y. who is ranked 36th on the web.com tour money list in 2019, needed to birdie his final hole just to be one of the nine players vying for the final three spots in the Travelers’ field.
Chip McDaniel, who was playing in the final round U.S. Open in Pebble Beach, Calif. on Sunday, was the first to birdie the opening playoff role. Jim Renner and Miller followed suit to eliminate Evan Russell. Blake Morris, Brant Peaper and Chris Wilson also failed to advance past the first playoff hole leaving McDaniel, Renner, Miller, Steve Allan and Ryan Siegler trying to join New Jersey native Ryan McCormick in the Travelers field.
Siegler’s tee shot struck a tree on the second playoff hole to pretty much end his hopes of teeing it up at TPC River Highlands later this week. An errant second shot by Allan on the third extra hole followed by calm putts by McDaniel, Miller and Renner wrapped up the competition.
“This is pretty cool especially since it is so close to home, it is about an hour,” Miller said. “I’ve been wanting to qualify for this event since I was 18, I have tried since I was about 20 so this is pretty cool to finally make it through and feel like I am playing pretty well going into it is even better.”
Earlier this month Miller finished second in the BMW Charity Pro-Am with rounds of 65, 63 and 68. He was in the 60s once again with a five-under 67 on Monday. The round began with Miller having one thing to say to his dad.
“On the first tee I actually said, ‘Happy Father’s Day’ and he looked at me with a wry smile,” Miller said. “It is cool that it worked out the way it did.
“A really good friend [McCormick] qualified right in front of me and you just want to be out there with him because you’d be a little envious if he made it and you didn’t so it is pretty cool that we get to share this week together.”
McCormick was in the third group to start from the first tee and he needed to wait for about an hour for all the scores to come in before he was certain that his score of 66 would earn him a spot in the Travelers. He stuck around for the playoff to cheer on Miller.
“I’ve been up here before to play the course,” said McCormick, who had six birdies in a span of 11 holes including three straight ending on the 13th hole to shoot 6-under. “I had a nice solid day, pretty low stress.”
McCormick has been a regular at the Monday qualifier on the web.com tour but this was his first shot at qualifying for a PGA Tour event. A strong effort at the Travelers would work wonders for his golf career as he is currently in the position of needing to play in qualifying events.
“I am trying to play as good as I can and hopefully the rest of that stuff takes care of itself,” McCormick said.
While Miller and McCormick are eager to take part in the Travelers for the first time, this will be Renner’s fourth appearance.
In 2011, Renner’s score of 63 gave him the lead at the end of the first round but he failed to make the cut after shooting 74.
“We had to play 36 holes that day and I missed the cut,” said Renner, a Massachusetts native who entered the field at the last minute. “It played OK last time I played here. I really haven’t played as well as I would like so maybe this would be the time.”
If nothing else, Renner has memories from a nineman playoff that he simply called, “wild.”
“It was nice to be the first group when we had three birdies in the first group so figuring maybe we will dodge some bullets, then they [Allan and Siegler] made some nice birdies so off you go again.”
Stamford’s Mike Ballo Jr. shot a 68 and missed being a part of the playoff by one shot. Cheshire’s Eric Dietrich, who just played in the U.S. Open, and South Windsor’s Clark Robinson were among six golfers to finish with scores of 69.