DURHAM - When Mark McMillen wanted to rework his golf swing into one he felt would hold up more under the most pressure-packed conditions, he turned to his older, more-experienced buddy at the Country Club of Johnston County - former PGA Tour pro Neal Lancaster.

Sunday, when he found himself in position to possibly win the N.C. Amateur Golf Championship at Old Chatham Golf Club, he relied heavily on another wise older mentor - his dad, Mark McMillen Sr.

"My dad's always been good at coming up with a number," McMillen Jr. said. "He told me before the round that it would take 66 or 67 to give me a chance. I just put that in the back of my mind. I figured if I got that number, I could get in the clubhouse and see what happens."

McMillen Jr. then went out and took care of the actual playing of the golf - the most important part of the equation.

The N.C. State student closed with the best round of the day: a five-under, 67 - and no one ever came close to his 72-hole total of 10-under par, 278 on the 7,210-yard layout. After starting his final round four strokes off of the pace, he walked away with the title, three strokes clear of another older friend - former Smithfield-Selma High School teammate Derek Wallace.

Wallace and David Watkins of Hamlet tied for second in the event, at 7-under par.

After bogeying the ninth, McMillen Jr. saved his round at the par-4 10th. He left his approach shot on the 365-yard hole short and right. He could only get within 12 feet on his chip, but rolled in the 12-footer for par.

"From there in," McMillen Jr. said, "everything just clicked."

He dropped a 13-footer for birdie on the par-5 11th and was off to a backside 33.

Birdies also came on the 14th (a two-putt after a 7-iron put him on the par-5, 510-yard hole in two) and the 18th.

The younger McMillen leaned on the elder again on 18. At the time, the putt - a 15- to 16-footer over a crest and downhill - was the final part of the Wolfpack golfer's bid to shoot 67, the number the McMillens had targeted before Sunday's final round started.

"I read it one way; my dad saw it going another way," McMillen Jr. said. "We went with his read and it was right on. It went right a bit, then came back to the left and fell in."

He also carded birdies on the first, second and eighth holes in the front side. McMillen Jr. played the final three rounds at 11-under (68-70-67) after an opening-round 73.

Wallace, a rising junior at UNC Wilmington, had the best round of the tournament with his third-round 66, to climb back into contention after a 75 on Friday.

During his sophomore season for the Seahawks, Wallace capped a solid fall with a win at the Kauai Collegiate Invitational and had two top-10s in the spring half of the season. Overall, he had a stroke average of 73.5 for the season in 28 rounds.

McMillen played in six events in his debut season with the Wolfpack. He was forced to take time off after a shoulder injury and took time to rework his swing a bit with Lancaster.

"I just needed to build my confidence a bit," McMillen Jr. said. "And Neal worked with me on getting my swing a little bit flatter. I liked the changes we made and he helped my confidence. I feel like I can hit the ball better under pressure now."

His best round in collegiate play last season was a 72.

"It was good to get the experience I had as a freshman," McMillen Jr. said. "Hopefully, I'll be able to contribute more. The team we have is going to have some great potential with the defending NCAA champion returning in Matt Hill and the rest of the guys.

"Hopefully, we'll be in the running for a national team championship."

He has some big events slated for the summer. He'll play in the Eastern Amateur in Virginia in early July, then the Western Amateur Aug. 3-8 near Chicago. He also is slated to attempt to qualify for the U.S. Amateur, which is slated for late August.

Two Clayton golfers also played in the tournament but missed the 36-hole cut. Daniel Castleberry, a member of Clayton High School's 2005 NCHSAA 3-A state championship team, finished at 8-over, while Robert Bennett was at 15-over after two rounds.