By RICHIE HALL
Westfield’s Jocelyn Bruch was one of the first golfers to finish her second round Saturday at the IHSAA state golf finals at Prairie View Golf Club.
Bruch also happened to be the first golfer on the leaderboard, with a score that was one under par. She would have to wait a while until the other golfers came in to see if that lead would hold.
It did. Bruch became the Shamrock’s first-ever individual state golf champion on Saturday, finishing with a two-day score of 143. Bruch wound up winning the event by six shots. She held a four-shot lead after the first round, so she didn’t change anything when it came to the second round.
“I just had the same mentality, playing one shot at a time,” said Bruch. “I just trusted my game.”
Bruch followed up her four-under par first round score of 68 with a three-over 75 in the second round. While she admitted to having “a hiccup” at the beginning of the back nine, she fought through it and was able to finish strong. Bruch made three birdies in her Saturday round.
“I birdied my last hole, so I was proud of how I finished,” said Bruch. “But there was a rough part, so I just had to battle through that.”
Since individual golfers usually tee off before those that are playing with their full team, Bruch had a long wait after she completed her round. Since she’s been here before – she was part of Westfield’s two runner-up teams in 2016 and 2017 – Bruch knew that anything could happen, so she prepared herself for the possibility of a playoff.
“I was just warming up again, just to not focus on the scores,” said Bruch. “By chipping and putting, I wasn’t focusing on the scores.”
But the playoff never came, and Bruch stood alone at the top. It was the finish of an outstanding season for her, one that saw Bruch also win a regional championship at Smock Golf Course, and the Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship at Bear Slide. As a result of her finish, Bruch also made the All-State team, which was announced at the conclusion of the state meet.
“It felt pretty solid,” said Bruch. “It’s just nice to see the hard work paying off, like at state and regionals. I thought my mentality was really good this week.”
Bruch became the third Hamilton County girl to win a golf state championship. Carmel’s Martha Foyer won three in a row, in 1979-80-81, while Noblesville’s Meghan Potee was the 2009 champion.
Westfield’s Jocelyn Bruch stood alone as the individual state champion at Saturday’s IHSAA girls golf state finals. Bruch finished with a two-day score of 143 (one under par) to become the Shamrocks’ first-ever individual golf state champion. (Jocelyn Bruch)