Bradenton Christian's Landry Miller, Lakewood Ranch High's team claim county boys golf titles

PALMETTO -- When Landry Miller let a 6-iron fly toward the 18th green at Buffalo Creek Golf Course on Saturday, he had no idea it was the shot that would clinch a county championship.

Miller, a Bradenton Christian senior, reached the center of the green in two, two-putted for birdie and walked off the par-five finishing hole with an even-par 72 and the clubhouse lead.

With several groups still out on the course, however, Miller felt pretty certain his lead would be short-lived.

"I honestly thought someone would come in in the 60s," Miller said.

It never happened.

Lakewood Ranch freshman Drew Angelo's bid for the title collapsed on the 18th when his approach found water, leaving Miller alone atop the leaderboard for good.

"It definitely boosts my confidence level going into (districts) this week and for the rest of the season," said Miller, whose older brother Jordan -- now playing at Florida Gulf Coast -- won the county title as an eighth grader back in 2008.

"It's kind of cool that we both won the same tournament," Miller said.

Angelo was 2-under on the final hole when he hit a 4-rescue into the teeth of the wind from 190 yards. His ball landed in a water hazard, leaving him in a second-place tie with Braden River's Chandler Hammett, who also shot a 73, and leaving Miller with the championship.

"It just pushes me to get better," Angelo said.

There was still plenty to celebrate for Angelo, who led his Lakewood Ranch team to a comeback win and a record eighth consecutive county team title. The Mustangs (79-17) trailed BCS by two at the turn before pulling off a nine-stroke swing on the back nine.

Lakewood Ranch finished with a team score of 303 to outdistance Braden River (309) and BCS (310).

"We looked very consistent on the back nine, made a lot of pars," said first year Mustangs coach Jon Bullas, who turned the reins over to longtime head coach and current assistant Dave Franz for the tourney.

Manatee (330) finished fourth, while short-handed Saint Stephen's (356) was fifty. Bayshore, Southeast and Palmetto also competed but did not field full teams.

A week ago, Bullas set a team goal for the Mustangs to hoist three championship trophies in eight days and they've held up their end of the deal thus far by capturing last Monday's Donald Ross Invitational and Saturday's county crown.

"We're two for two and Monday will be districts, No. 3," Bullas said. "We can re-create our goals after that."

Hammett, a Braden River junior, played a rock-solid final three holes at 1-under to climb into a second-place tie with Angelo, while also pulling the Pirates past BCS by a stroke for a second-place team finish.

"I really wanted to win county as a team, which would be a first for us," Hammett said. "That was the real goal. It worked out good that I played well, but it would've been better if our team won it all."

Bradenton Christian's Jack Knowles and Lakewood Ranch's Hunter Logan tied for fourth, each shooting a 75.

Eric Meng of Saint Stephen's was sixth with a 76, the Mustangs' Cameron Webber (77) was seventh, and Manatee's Richard Bennett (78) finished in a four-way tie for eighth with Braden River's Brandon Pozzi and Lakewood Ranch's Billy Herten and Mike Wijas.

This story was originally published October 11, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bradenton Christian's Landry Miller, Lakewood Ranch High's team claim county boys golf titles ."