By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – Samantha Brown’s triumph at the 2023 IHSAA girls golf state finals is the dictionary definition of “grinding it out.”
The Westfield senior bolted out to a five-stroke lead after last Friday’s first round of the state finals, thanks to a four-birdies, no-bogeys performance of 68. The second day of the tournament (last Saturday) was a little bit tougher, as those birdies seemed to fly away, nowhere to be found.
Nevertheless, Brown persevered. She got through the second round with a two-over par 74, and that led to a two-day score of 142. Brown thus finished as individual state champion, taking medalist honors by four strokes over second place. The Purdue commit is Westfield’s second girls golf state champion, following Jocelyn Bruch, the 2018 winner.
Brown’s score of 142 is also tied for fifth all-time when it comes to 36-hole scores at the state finals, and her first-day score of 68 is part of a large tie for second place in terms of 18-hole scores. Richmond’s Trisha Weatherby holds the all-time 18-hole record with a 66 at the 2008 state finals.
Probably the most remarkable part of Brown’s state performance was this statistic: In 36 holes, Brown only had two bogeys. Both of those came in the back nine of her second round, on holes 11 and 16, but she made par on everything else during her second day.
While she admitted to being frustrated about the lack of second-day birdies, Brown was able to stay focused.
“I tried to stay in the moment,” she said. “Just stay in it and take every shot how it is, not to get too far ahead, and look back either.”
Brown also said she knew she had “to stay in it for my team, too. And for myself, and just for everybody, really. That helped. And I knew I was playing for something.”
“It was just great for her,” said Westfield coach Josh Bryant. “It’s been something that she’s grinded over and cared a lot about. She was able to put a game plan together and she stuck to it. She ended up with an individual state championship.”
Brown’s performance helped the Shamrocks to their best finish in six years. Westfield was the team runner-up with a score of 617, which ties for the eighth-lowest 36-hole score in state finals history. The Shamrocks finished as state runners-up three years in a row in 2015-16-17.
“It’s exciting,” said Brown. “We obviously went into it wanting to get the big one, but Carmel just played well today, and that’s sometimes how it is.”
Brown got to make some history with her teammate Addi Kooi. The junior was part of the four-way tie for second place, which meant that Westfield became the first team since 1976 to have a state champion and runner-up. Yorktown’s Kathy Hershik won the 1976 individual medal, with Jean Ruddick the runner-up.
Kooi had two birdies in her second round and totaled six for the state finals.
“We’re definitely more mature as a team altogether,” said Kooi. “We have a couple new players on varsity this year that didn’t play last year, and played quite well this year, and so I think that experience helped our team.”
Senior Sam Lemieux totaled a 164, including a second-round birdie. Kelsey Haverluck scored a 165, making one second-day birdie and three overall. Sami Hanavan totaled a 180.
“We’ve got three that will be back on the roster next year, plus we got a lot of really good young players, so it’s exciting at Westfield,” said Bryant.
Millers back on the podium
Noblesville had its best performance at state in over a decade, as the Millers placed fourth with a team score of 635.
The last time Noblesville made the podium was in 2012, when it placed third in the state. This is the 18th time that the Millers finished in the top four, thus earning state medals.
“It feels great,” said Noblesville coach Justin Werkley. “It was a long couple of days, but the girls played awesome. It was great to see them play to their potential and really enjoyed watching them the last couple of days. They competed hard. They were patient, they were confident, and it was a great couple of days.”
Sophomore Josie Kelley also got on the individual podium. She was part of a three-way tie for 10th place, totaling 151 for the two days. Kelley, who played at state for the Millers as a freshman last year, had one birdie in her second round and four for the tournament.
“It makes it even more special,” said Kelley. “I was so happy to be able to perform for the team and for our coach. It’s just great for him to also be a part of.”
Senior Jordan Adam totaled a 160 for her tournament rounds, including a second-day birdie. Olivia Anderson had a 161, followed by Olivia Fowler with a 164 (she had three first-round birdies). Karis Shields totaled a 167.
Royals place 11th
Hamilton Southeastern finished in 11th place at the state finals with a score of 686.
Sophomore Janelle Garcia, playing in her second state meet, led the Royals with a score of 164. Garcia made one birdie in her second round and three for the overall two days.
Senior Ella Bui totaled a 165, making one birdie in each round. Freshman Sophie Roberts finished with a 171, making two birdies in her second round. Senior Natalia Niesset, playing just on the second day, made one birdie.
Complete golf results appear at this link: https://readthereporter.com/girls-golf-state-results/