Fairfield celebrated then-junior Brayden Miller becoming the first male to win a state championship last June when he captured the IHSAA Boys Golf State Championship. Today, Fairfield once again celebrated Miller as he signed a Division I National Letter of Intent to continue his golf and academic careers at the University of Cincinnati.
Miller, a three-time IHSAA state finalist as well as top-three finisher at the IGA Boys State Junior Championships, had been a verbal commit to Cincinnati for much of the 2024 calendar. But the formals came Wednesday as Miller signed his commitment documentation in front of more than two dozen of his teammates, coaches, family members and supporters.
Of note among the dozens of statistical feats Miller has produced as a golfer at Fairfield was the anomaly that he did not shoot over par in a nine-hole match as a junior.
“It’s been an absolute blessing to coach him,” said Fairfield boys golf head coach John Kauffman. “This year, he was usually frustrated with his putting. I don’t know which invite it was, but Brayden said, ‘I just don’t get it. I’m putting in all these hours on putting and it’s not happening.’ I proceeded to remind him while we were at state that it will come to fruition. I got to meet his coach from Cincinnati and I get it. It couldn’t be a better fit for him.”
Despite some urging from his college coaches, Miller will golf his senior year at Fairfield, citing his commitment to his teammates and a want to lead the team to a state finals appearance.
Brayden Miller, University of Cincinnati, business major
Accolades: All-NECC 2022, 2023, 2024; 3X IHSAA State Qualifier; 2024 IHSAA State Champion
On having a tremendous support system in what otherwise is a purely individual sport: “I have the best support group in the world, in my opinion. I am so thankful for everybody in my life. I hope they keep cheering me on in college, and hopefully after that, too. Having the support I have has allowed me to see past myself and my frustrations in golf, and want to make myself better, a better golfer and better person.”