Jason Millard, a Murfreesboro native and graduate of Riverdale High School, is becoming one of the better golfers to represent MTSU.
Millard ranked No. 75 nationally by the American Junior Golf Association while in high school. He had two top 10 finishes in the state tournament and was a three-time All-State selection.
With both parents having graduated from Middle Tennessee, Millard decided to follow their lead and become a Blue Raider.
“My parents wanted me to go here,” Millard said. “I had a couple offers from far away schools, but I just kind of stuck close to home.”
In his freshman year Millard helped lead Middle Tennessee to its first NCAA Division I Championship appearance. He was the highest finisher in the tournament for the Raider men, tying for 18th.
Millard followed up a successful freshman year by earning All-Sun Belt Conference honors. He placed sixth at the Sun Belt Conference Championship and was part of Middle’s first Sun Belt Championship team.
As a junior he became the sixth-best scorer in the conference, averaging 72.48 per round.
Now, in his final season as a Blue Raider he has added even more to his already impressive resume, including a chance to represent the United States in the World University Games.
Millard finished in the top 10 in three of five tournaments in the fall, averaging 70.9 strokes per round. He finished fourth at the Golfweek Conference Challenge.
In the spring he has continued to show what he can do on the golf course.
He was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Month for February. It was a month that saw Millard break a 34-year-old school record by shooting 63 in the final round at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate.
The record-breaking performance also earned recognition from Golfweek.com as he was named Golfweek National Player of the Week. He is the first Raider to earn this honor since 2009.
“Coming out of high school I wasn’t rated as one of the highest players, but I was pretty good,” Millard said. “I wouldn’t be where I was today if it wasn’t for coach Whit Turnbow. He is one of the main reasons for what I’ve done.
“I’ve put in a lot of work and just kind of learned over the years how to get better.”
His hard work has not gone unnoticed on a national level. In January, it was announced that Millard had been invited to represent the United Sates at the World University Games.
Millard will join other golfers from around the world in Shenzhen, China, from Aug. 12-23.
“I’m very excited to go over there,” Millard said. “I’m not going to turn pro this summer because it is an amateur tournament. You don’t get a chance to do that very often, go to China and play for your country for free.”
The plan for Millard is to go professional following the World University Games. He will start by playing in some smaller tournaments in hope to qualify for Nationwide and PGA events.
For Millard, it is nice to have success in his home town where he knows he has people supporting him.
“It’s good to have success when people are watching you.” MP |
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