Shoreline’s Ricky McDonald was Mr. Consistency, shooting three rounds of 72 to win the Washington Junior Golf Association’s 16-17-year-old state tournament July 25-27.

McDonald, who’s played well this summer after spending a semester playing golf and going to school in southern California, captured his first WJGA state title at Fircrest Golf Club near Tacoma.

McDonald remained tied for third, two strokes back entering the final round but a steady round put him first place as he entered the clubhouse.

Jacob Webb of Issaquah who started the day as the leader double-bogeyed the 17th hole to open the door for McDonald.

“When (the leaders) made a mistake I accelerated and made a better shot,” said McDonald, who played in the second-to-the-last group. “I guess that it was just my day.”

“I really wasn’t expecting to win,” he said, adding that he didn’t play his best golf during the tournament. “I saw the player in first place (Webb) was doing quite well up until the eighth hole. I was kind of playing for second place.”

McDonald, who was tied for second after the first round, had to scramble a bit on the second day but stayed close by relying on a good short game and solid putting.

The win also puts McDonald, who will return to Shorewood for his junior year, among the elite expected to contend for the 4A state high school boys title next May.

“You get the same level of competition that you get at the actual high school state (tournament),” he said of the WJGA tournament.

Shorecrest senior-to-be Jens Bracht shot rounds of 77, 71 and 74 for a total of 222 to finish in a tie for eighth.

McDonald is in good company as winner of the 16-17-year-old state title, which prior to 1998 also included 15-year-olds. PGA tour pros Fred Couples, Rick Fehr and Ryan Moore have all won it , as has Seattle Golf Club assistant pro Ryan Benzel.

Next up for McDonald is the U.S. Amateur qualifying at the Members Club at Aladarra in Fall City Aug. 6. Ninety of the best amateurs in Washington will play 36 holes competing for four spots. The Amateur is at the Olympic Club in San Francisco Aug. 20-25 this year.

“I feel really good about it coming off this win,” he said. “It built some confidence for me that I can play well in a really big tournament.”

McDonald also will represent Washington in the Hogan Cup, a competition between teams of 14 to 17-year-olds from 14 states, Aug. 17-18 at Riverside Country Club in Portland, Ore. He qualified by being one of the top four points winners for the state this summer among junior golfers.