LOCAL GOLF: Fairfield's Miller wins IGA Boys State Junior Championship

Jul. 2—WEST LAFAYETTE — After already having played 145 holes of golf across five days, it only seemed fitting that Brayden Miller's chances at winning the Indiana Golf Association Boys State Junior Championship came down to the final hole.

The Fairfield sophomore-to-be was tied in his head-to-head match with Bloomington South junior-to-be Happy Gilmore — yes, that's his actual name — going into the 18th hole at Ackerman-Allen Golf Course. Gilmore hit his tee shot into the middle of the fairway, while Miller yanked his into a fairway bunker.

It seemed as if Miller's chances of winning the tournament were lost, but the Goshen native hit a shot out of the bunker to within 10 feet of the hole. Meanwhile, Gilmore did not hit the best of shots, putting his ball farther away from the hole than Miller.

Gilmore then stepped up to putt, and the shot rolled past the hole. He'd then miss his par putt, meaning all Miller needed was to make a par be tournament champion.

The poised 15-year-old stepped up to his golf ball, then two-putted his way to a title. Miller had survived eight rounds of grueling golf across five days to win the IGA's event, rallying from one-shot down with two holes to go to earn the top prize.

"It means a lot knowing that I had to play the whole week to win it," Miller said. "I played eight rounds of golf in five days, and to battle through it means a lot."

The victory for Miller even surprised the Fairfield standout a little bit.

"If I'm being honest, on the 15th hole, I thought I was out of it," Miller admitted. "I thought I was done. But then, (Gilmore) made a mistake by missing the green on 17, so I just had to get a par. I knew 18 was probably the toughest hole ... the wind really started to pick up later in the round, and you had to play (tee shots) so far right to let the ball come back to the fairway."

It capped off a day where Miller had to play two extra playoff holes to win his semifinal match. After leading recent Indianapolis Cathedral graduate Ryan Ford by three shots through 12 holes, Ford mounted a comeback to tie the match after 18 holes of play. The two would tie their first playoff hole, with Miller then winning the second one to beat Ford.

"The round before (the final) was really stressful because it went to two playoff holes," Miller said. "At any point, I knew (Ford) could sink a putt and just win it all. ... He's a Division-I commit to Cincinnati and bombs it about 340 yards off the tee, so he can reach most of the par 4s in one shot. So, I just had to stick to my game plan and make as many birdies as I could."

The week-long event started with two rounds of stroke play Monday and Tuesday. More than 100 players were in the field, with the top 64 through the first two rounds advancing to the match-play portion of the tournament.

Miller was impressive during stroke play, shooting a 74 (+3) in his first round before firing a 67 (-5) in the second round. His 2-under performance was the best of the stroke-play rounds, earning him the top overall seed heading into the match-play section of the tournament.

The Fairfield student then won two, 18-hole matches on Wednesday and Thursday each to get to Friday's semifinal and championship rounds. He won his first-round match 4 & 3, his second-round match 6 & 4, third round 3 & 2 and fourth round 3 & 1.

"I think the course really fits the way I shape the ball around fairways," Miller said. "I just like the course overall. I've always liked it, so that has a lot to do with it, too. There's just a confidence there for me."

Other area players to advance to the 64-person match play tournament were Northridge's Brock Reschly, Lakeland's Ben Keil and NorthWood's Earl Williams, all of whom will be seniors next year. Williams lost in his first-round match, while Keil actually beat Reschly in the second round Wednesday before losing in the third round Thursday.

As a freshman in the spring, Miller was able to advance to the IHSAA state meet, finishing tied for 12th individually. He earned all-state honors for his performance on the state's biggest stage.

Miller has kept that momentum rolling into the summer, winning an American Junior Golf Association event last week in Ohio as well. He attributes his success to one specific part of his game that has improved a lot recently.

"I've worked on my putting a lot the last couple of weeks," Miller said. "Last year, I really struggled off the tee and my short game wasn't really good. I've gotten a lot better off the tee with my driver, and my short game is just unbelievable right now. That's what's allowed me to play so well."

Miller said he plans to take Saturday off, but will be back on the golf course Sunday to get ready for more tournament action next week.

Austin Hough can be reached at austin.hough@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2360. Follow him on Twitter at @AustinHoughTGN.