Prep golf | Lakewood Ranch High School sweeps boys and girls team golf titles at 22nd annual Donald Ross Memorial Invitational

MANATEE -- Gabrielle Tomeo jammed the short-range putt off the side of the hole.

She retreated off the green, believing her opportunity to win the 22nd annual Donald Ross Memorial Invitational on Monday at Sara Bay Country Club had vanished.

"I honestly thought it was over," the Manatee sophomore golfer said.

But it wasn't, because Saint Stephen's Vanessa Yan misfired from close range shortly after Tomeo's three-putt.

New life in the sudden-death playoff for the girls individual title found Tomeo, and she parred the second playoff hole while Yan bogeyed.

It's the first championship in the event for Tomeo, and she joined older sister Gianna, a two-time champ that is now a freshman at Seton Hall, as Ross winners.

"It means a lot," said Gabrielle, who had two birdies in the round. "My mom told me, 'You can win it for me as a birthday present.' It's the 7th, so I'm happy I did that for her and also

it's a big tournament, too, in high school golf. I'm happy I can follow in Gianna's footsteps."

Meanwhile, Lakewood Ranch's girls and boys programs took down the team titles. It's the first time both brands of Mustangs golf earned the team trophy in the same season.

For the girls, Lakewood Ranch's Katie Kroos-Roberts (78), Theresa Morrissey (81), Sophia Warren (83) and Natalie Robson (94) paved the way for the Mustangs' first girls team crown since 2009.

They defeated Venice (352) by 16 shots for the title, and it served as the fifth victory over the Indians, who had won two of the previous three Ross tourneys, this season.

"Winning isn't everything, but winning creates winning," said Lakewood Ranch girls head coach David Lamm, whose team improved to 41-6-1. "It's just nice that we've had the type of year that we've won enough. They expect to win. I don't mean that in a cocky way. I just mean that in a confident way."

On the boys side, the Mustangs (74-17) kept up their domination of the local scene at the Ross. A 300 total was good for a six-shot margin of victory over runner-up Saint Stephen's, and it produced the fifth consecutive team title for the boys program.

However, it was the first for first-year head coach Jon Bullas, who brought his team to Sara Bay for a match a few weeks ago as preparation for his players that hadn't played the tricky greens before.

Mike Wijas (75), Billy Herten (76), Louie DelFabro (76), Drew Angelo (77) and Hunter Logan (79) rounded out the Ranch scores.

The consistency of their rounds showcased the depth at Bullas' disposal, especially when Logan and Angelo entered as the No. 1 and 2 players in the lineup, respectively.

"To be fair, it's a real good balance," Bullas said. "Any one of those guys can play number one or two or three. It doesn't matter what order they're playing, they're all equally good."

Bradenton's Tony Jiang, who practices at the Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club in East Manatee, fired a scorching 5-under par 67 for Sarasota Christian to take the boys individual title.

His round got going with four birdies on his opening nine, and he captured his first title in three attempts after seeing good friend Kelly Sun, of Lakewood Ranch, win the last two years.

"I just try and focus on my own golf, and try to enjoy the game," Jiang said.

The Out-of-Door Academy's Max Coutsolioutsos snagged the individual runner-up spot with a birdie on the fourth playoff hole over Saint Stephen's Eric Meng after both posted 72s.

In the team standings, ODA (fourth place, 314 total), Manatee (seventh, 329), Bradenton Christian (eighth, 331), Braden River (10th, 337) and Cardinal Mooney (11th, 362) rounded out local schools in the 16-team field.

In the girls division, Saint Stephen's (third place, 364), ODA (fifth, 438) and Manatee (seventh, 463) rounded out the local team scores in the 11-team field.

With the Mustangs and Tomeo capturing crowns Monday, Manatee County programs have yielded a champion in either the boys or girls individual or team standings every year dating back to 1994.

"I don't feel like I won," said Tomeo, who had three three-putts. "I feel like I should have not won, but that's golf. But, hey, a win's a win."

This story was originally published October 6, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Prep golf | Lakewood Ranch High School sweeps boys and girls team golf titles at 22nd annual Donald Ross Memorial Invitational ."