Former PGA Tour golfer Matt McQuillan, a Canadian standout who once finished third at the John Deere Classic, has died at age 45.
Former PGA Tour golfer Matt McQuillan has died at age 45, leaving the Canadian golf community mourning a player whose career stretched from junior championships to golf’s biggest stage.
McQuillan, a native of Kingston, Ontario, died Aug. 5 at Kingston General Hospital with family members by his side, according to his obituary. A cause of death was not disclosed.
For golf fans who followed the PGA Tour in the early 2010s, McQuillan’s name may immediately bring back memories of one particularly impressive summer.
After earning his PGA Tour card through Q-School in 2010, McQuillan competed in 21 Tour events during the 2011 season and made seven cuts. His breakthrough came at the John Deere Classic, where he fired a final-round 64 and surged into a tie for third.
That performance put McQuillan alongside Zach Johnson on the leaderboard and five shots behind champion Steve Stricker.
McQuillan followed that up with another top-10 performance later in the season, finishing tied for sixth at the Reno-Tahoe Open. He earned $582,933 in PGA Tour prize money during 2011, easily the biggest season of his professional career.
His path to the PGA Tour started much earlier in Kingston.
McQuillan began playing golf around age 10 under the guidance of his father, Mark. His talent quickly became obvious. He developed into one of Canada’s top junior players, winning multiple junior titles before moving into the college game.
His amateur career included stops at two major NCAA golf programs, Oklahoma State and Georgia, along with opportunities to represent Canada in international competition.
McQuillan turned professional in 2003 and didn’t waste much time establishing himself in Canadian professional golf.
In 2005, he closed the Edmonton Open with consecutive rounds of 66 and cruised to a six-shot victory over a field that included future PGA Tour standout Graham DeLaet, who was still an amateur.
Although McQuillan’s time as a full-time PGA Tour player was relatively brief, golf remained a major part of his life.
He later worked as a teaching professional, helping younger players learn the game that had shaped much of his own life.
McQuillan played in 32 PGA Tour events during his career, but his impact stretched beyond scorecards and leaderboards.
His obituary remembered him not only as an accomplished golfer, but as a funny, generous friend and mentor whose personality stayed with the people around him.
Matt McQuillan was only 45.
For Canadian golf, his death represents the loss of a player who climbed all the way from Kingston’s junior golf scene to a Sunday afternoon leaderboard on the PGA Tour.
