The Men's City Golf final round is usually dramatic. Sunday was David Mills' victory lap

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — It became clear Sunday this wasn’t your normal tournament.

Most years, the Evansville Men’s City Tournament isn’t decided until the final stretch at Evansville Country Club. Two of the previous five required a playoff. There’s usually a sense of drama.

This wasn’t most years. Not with a former champion playing so well as to dare the rest of the field to catch him. It became apparent the final round would be one thing: a victory lap for David Mills.

The North High School grad shot a final round 2-under 70 to win the title. The wire-to-wire leader, Mills finished at 17-under to win by eight shots over Peyton Blackard.

He became the seventh in tournament history to win three City titles.

“It’s quite company I was able to join,” said Mills. “A lot of great players like Kevin (Wassmer) and Jerry (Schreiber). The history behind this tournament is pretty special. It’s cool to win it multiple times and to consistently compete.”

This tournament was his to lose since leaving Rolling Hills on Saturday with a six-shot advantage. A foregone conclusion by the time he rolled in his latest 40-foot putt on the 11th green, Mills could ultimately pick his score.

The champion played four rounds in near record-breaking fashion. Mills flirted with both the scoring record (19-under set by Dylan Meyer in 2014) and largest margin of victory (nine shots by multiple players). He converted 23 birdies in 72 holes of tournament golf.

LEADERBOARD: 2022 Evansville Men's City Golf Tournament

Mills led by 10 shots with five holes left on Sunday. In a championship with many talented players, no one came close to playing on his level over two weekends.

“I was playing really good and putting really well,” said Mills. “It doesn’t always happen. I felt really comfortable putting and had the speed right all two weeks. I was able to put myself in positions for success.”

The final round at ECC has gotten the best of many. It happened to Mills last year. Not this time. He pared six of his first seven holes with only a three-putt bogey at the sixth as the only blemish.

His response was telling. After leaving his approach on the front fringe, Mills saved par with another impressive putt. He played the next six holes in 4-under to distance himself from the field. This stretch included a bomb from above the hole at the par-3 11th.

Mills only hit 8 of 13 fairways and 11 of 18 greens in his final round. He never missed in bad spots, though. Mills also birdied every par-5 on the course.

“There were mistakes you probably didn’t see,” said Mills. “The first six holes are always tough for me. It’s tight, narrow and a little shorter. To go plus-1 through the first six was important to me. It sets the tone for the rest of the day.”

Blackard’s final round was also impressive despite the margin of victory. At 16 years old, the Gibson Southern sophomore threatened to become one of the youngest champions in tournament history. Most years, his 9-under finish may very well have done it.

There were three birdies on the front nine including his first two holes. Blackard played his final 11 in 2-under par to reach second place. His irons were precise. His speed on the greens excellent. A 1-under 70 was one of five scores in red numbers.

“I was happy with how I played three of the four days,” said Blackard. “I’m glad I battled back. Today was really solid. When I got above the hole, I was really cautious and didn’t ram it by like I used to do.”

Mills played with Blackard during the first three rounds. He wasn’t surprised to see him this high on the leaderboard. He continues to prove why he’s one of the top players in the state for his class.

“Peyton is a great player,” said Mills. “He is quite the competitor and doesn’t make many mistakes. I was really impressed with how he handles himself. He has a lot of great things ahead of him.”

Matt Monroe finished third at 6-under following a final round 73. He overcame an early double bogey at the fifth to record four birdies in his final 10 holes. Nathan Hoss (76) was fourth at 4-under followed by Walker Beck (75) at 2-under.

Craig Niemeier had the low round of the day, a 6-under 65 with five birdies on the back nine, to finish sixth at even par. Chip Tiemann, the 2021 City champion, also hit a hole in one at the par-3 ninth.

They were all looking up the leaderboard at Mills. A surprising winner? Of course not. He competed for Big Ten championships at Indiana University and later turned professional. He’s become an annual contender since regaining his amateur status three years ago.

And for the second time since his return, Mills received the championship trophy on the 18th green.

“Not getting in trouble was my key this week,” he said. “I had one or two this entire tournament where I had to chip out to the front of the green. I was always able to keep it in play.”

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: David Mills wins third Evansville Men's City Golf Tournament title