Lakers boys golf third in state in 1A, WO fifth in 3A

The best boys golfers from around the state converged in Lake County Nov. 4 and 5 for the 2014 FHSAA Golf Finals.

Windermere Prep led the way among area programs, finishing third in the state at the Class 3A Tournament, held at the Mission Inn Resort & Country Club in Howey-in-the-Hills.

The Lakers shot a combined 615 over the two-day event, five strokes behind state champion Circle Christian. Windermere Prep was led by senior Bryce Burke’s rounds of 73 and 77 — good for sixth place in the state as an individual.

Impressive as their third place finish was, though, coach Scott Yates said his talented squad felt it could have done even better were it not for a few lulls over the course of the tournament.

“Our guys, really in their own minds, feel like we should have won it,” Yates said. “We have a really deep team. I think most teams are built on one or two star players. … We’ve got seven guys who can shoot in the 60s.”

Yates said he was proud of his team and expressed excitement that three of the five players who represented the Lakers at the state tournament were underclassmen  — meaning this loaded team will be a force to be reckoned with in 2015, also.

Yates also praised Burke for leading the way for the program on a big stage.

“He’s a big-time player,” Yates said. “He can play in big tournaments, and he can shoot low scores.”

At the Class 3A Tournament, held at Deer Island Country Club in Tavares, West Orange placed fifth in the state, with a combined score of 609. Nearby Lake Mary took the state title with a 589.
Dr. Phillips placed 12th in the state with a score of 635.

Both the Warriors and Panthers were led by strong individual performances, with West Orange’s Kyler Tate tying for third in the state with a 140 two-round score and Dr. Phillips’ Zack Justice just a stroke back at 141 and tied for fifth.

“I felt good — I put myself in a pretty good position the first day,” said Tate, who signed his National Letter of Intent with the University of Florida on Wednesday morning.

The Warriors, who were dominant at the regional tournament and finished with an 11-stroke victory, were not consistent enough to keep up with the Rams but did show improvement over the course of the event.

“Everybody came back the second day and just gave it their all, and we ended up doing pretty good,” Tate said of the team’s effort.

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].