Carmel girls golfers bounce back in fifth tournament, Westfield’s Brown dominates
By RICHIE HALL
sports@readthereporter.com
The first week of the high school girls golf season was a busy one for Carmel, but it was also a productive and successful week.
The No. 1-ranked Greyhounds played their fifth tournament in six days Saturday at the State Preview meet, which took place at Prairie View Golf Club. Carmel was involved in a tough battle with Westfield for most of the event before surging ahead during the final three holes and winning the team championship. The Greyhounds totaled a score of 305, while the Shamrocks were the runners-up with a 311.
CONSISTENT CARMEL
The word of the day for Carmel was consistency. All five of the Greyhounds’ golfers finished in the top 22, including three landing in the top 10. Michaela Headlee led the way by taking second place, scoring a 74. Sophie Mock played solid, finishing in ninth with a 76, and Claire Swathwood tied for 10th place, totaling a 77.
Headlee and Mock each drained two birdies during their rounds, while Swathwood and Ava Nguyen both made one birdie.
Sophie Mock finished ninth for Carmel. All five Greyhounds players finished in the top 22 individually. (Kirk Green)
“The girls came in with a strong game plan of just trying to avoid some of those big numbers that we’ve had in the past and they did a great job of it,” said Carmel coach Kelly Kluesner. “As a team they were even on No. 9, which is unbelievable for us, and then they finished 16, 17 and 18 one under par as a team. They finished well.”
The Greyhounds’ victory at the State Preview meet was a bit of a rebound. Carmel had won its first three tournaments of the year before placing third at Thursday’s Hamilton County meet. But the ‘Hounds were back in the winner’s circle again at Prairie View, a place that they and other teams hope to be at the end of September for the state tournament.
“They worked on a lot of things yesterday and can’t be more proud of them to win four out of five invitationals in the first week,” said Kluesner.
Carmel’s Ava Nguyen makes a putt. (Kirk Green)
SENSATIONAL SAMANTHA
Westfield was led by junior Samantha Brown, who turned in a tremendous performance at Prairie View. Brown finished with a six-under par 66 for her round, winning the individual championship by six strokes.
“I think I played well,” said Brown. “I think I kept myself in position and when I got out of position, I did a great job of punching out, getting on the green and just trying to make that putt.
Brown started her round on hole No. 3, and she did so with an eagle. She would go on to make five birdies in her round.
“It was a good way to start the high school season because I wasn’t here last week,” said Brown. “This is my first high school event and it was nice to get out here and then just a little confidence boost on the first hole. It’s what everybody needs.”
Westfield’s Samantha Brown was the individual
medalist, scoring a six-under par 66. Brown began her round with an eagle, then went on to make five birdies and help the Shamrocks to a team runner-up finish (Kirk Green)
Brown had played in the Junior PGA Championship at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club at Palos Park, Ill. Early in the week, where she made her way to the third day of the four-day tournament.
“I think it taught me a lot,” said Brown. “And I think just managing my game, I learned a lot out there and just staying confident and knowing that good things are eventually going to come. If it’s not that round, it could be the next round, so just to stay patient and good things will come.
The Westfield team also had a consistent day. Kelsey Haverluck added a 79, while Addi Kooi carded an 82. Haverluck made two birdies, while Kooi and Claire Thompson both had one.
“It was a good day for us,” said Shamrocks coach Josh Bryant. “I love how we started. I think what Prairie View does is, it always teaches you where you are, some things that you need to work on. Carmel finished really well as a team and that’s the difference. But certainly, we take a million positives.”
Hamilton Southeastern finished in fourth place as a team. (Kirk Green)
ROYALS PLACE FOURTH
Hamilton Southeastern had a strong day, placing fourth as a team by scoring 333. (Castle took third with a 320). Janelle Garcia put together a good round with a 78, followed by Lauren Stewart with an 82. Stewart and Ella Bui both made one birdie.
“We’re really excited about the way things turned out today,” said Royals coach Steve Guenin. “Across the board, we were pretty consistent throughout each round. We all ran into some trouble spots and hit some bumps in the road, but I thought they did a nice job of bouncing back and keeping things together when things weren’t going their way. Really excited for Janelle Garcia. First time coming out here, she moved around this course, really, really well. She’s just a great addition to this team.”
Noblesville scored a 340 to take sixth place. Caroline Whallon, fresh off winning the Hamilton County meet, continued her solid play by tying for fourth, scoring a 75. Whallon made three birdies in her round, while Jordan Adam and Josie Kelley each drained one.
Guerin Catholic finished with a team score of 400. Sydney Delagrange scored a 94 and Izzy Pinon totaled a 96; both made one birdie for the tournament.
Team scores: Carmel 305, Westfield 311, Castle 320, Hamilton Southeastern 333, Batesville 335, Noblesville 340, Franklin Community 341, Homestead 342, Center Grove 346, Zionsville 349, Fort Wayne Carroll 361, Floyd Central 364, Penn 366, Crown Point 387, Columbus North 395, Guerin Catholic 400, Northwood 466.
Medalist: Samantha Brown (Westfield) 32-34=66.
Carmel scores: Michaela Headlee 38-36=74, Sophie Mock 38-38=76, Claire Swathwood 38-39=77, Ava Nguyen 41-37=78, Kamryn Williams 40-41=81.
Other Westfield scores: Kelsey Haverluck 40-39=79, Addi Kooi 39-43=82, Allie McKeown 42-42=84, Claire Thompson 45-46=91.
Southeastern scores: Janelle Garcia 39-39=78, Lauren Stewart 39-44=82, Makenna Watson 42-43=85, Cora Zink 43-44=87, Ella Bui 48-39=87.
Noblesville scores: Caroline Whallon 35-40=75, Jordan Adam 45-40=85, Karis Shields 43-44=87, Josie Kelley 41-52=93, Olivia Anderson 48-51=99.
Guerin Catholic scores: Sydney Delagrange 45-49=94, Izzy Pinon 47-49=96, Sarah Rigg 49-51=100, Ali Scott 51-59=110, Gracie Navarro 54-58=112.