By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – This past week has been a busy, yet productive one for the Westfield girls golf team.
The No. 2-ranked Shamrocks concluded a stretch of five tournament in six days on Saturday by winning the State Preview meet at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel. Westfield finished first with a team score of 301.
“It was a battle out there, honestly,” said Shamrocks coach Trevor Neu. “We had a stretch of really good holes and got off to a decent start.”
The tournament featured a shotgun start, with different players beginning on each of the 18 holes. Neu said that his team started on some of tougher holes, “so that maybe was in our favor,” he said. “We got through some of those early.”
Neu said the ‘Rocks “had a couple hiccups” on hole No. 9, “but the girls that struggled responded well after that and went on a nice streak.”
“They really battled back after some tough holes,” said Neu. “But that’s this course. You got to take the good with the bad. When you have a double (bogey) in there, you know you got to battle and work your way back and just try to stay consistent. The girls did that all day long.”
Westfield’s Sam Brown was the only player to finish under par for the tournament, carding a two under par 70 to claim medalist honors. Brown made four birdies in her round.
“I think that I played decent,” said Brown. “I think I definitely left some shots out there, but it was enough to bring it home.”
Brown’s performance at Prairie View continued a remarkable run: During the Shamrocks’ busy stretch, Brown has finished under par four times in five tournaments, and was even par at the fifth tournament.
“It’s been super busy, but it’s been fun to come out and play,” said Brown.
Sophie McGinnis scored a 75 for Westfield, making three birdies and placing ninth individually. Allie Hildebrand scored a 77 and Brette Hanavan added a 79; both made two birdies. Allie McKeown rounded out the Shamrocks’ scoring with an 85.
To recap, the ‘Rocks won four of the five tournaments they played during the week, and were the runners-up in the fifth tournament. With school starting next week, the tournament pace will slow down next week, but Westfield couldn’t have asked for a better start.
Neu said Brown had “a fantastic first week” and the other players had “great, great weeks.”
“It’s just a lot for us to build off of and just hopefully stay the course and maybe clean up a few things here and there,” said Neu. “But super pleased with this week.”
GREYHOUNDS PLACE SECOND
Third-ranked Carmel was the team runner-up with a score of 308. Ava Hedrick and Claire Swathwood both carded 74s, which made them part of a five-way tie for fourth place.
Swathwood collected four birdies in her round, with Hedrick making three. Swathwood went from six over on her first six holes to five under over the next 11, including a 31 on the back nine.
“It takes another level of determination to flip a round around like Claire did today,” said Greyhounds coach Kelly Kluesner.
Michael Headlee finished with a 78, while Ava Nguyen scored 82. Both had one birdie. Kamryn Williams carded an 87.
“The girls played really well on such a tough course,” said Kluesner. The coach said that Prairie View lived up to its expectations at the tournament, playing hard and fast with “swirling winds and tucked pins.”
“It was a true challenge and the girls handled it perfect. We are so happy with our score today,” said Kluesner.
Fifth-ranked Center Grove and fourth-ranked Homestead tied for third with identical scores of 316. Hamilton Southeastern, ranked No. 6 in the state, finished in fifth place with a 324. Yanah Ralston led the Royals with a 78, including one birdie. Marissa Spreitzer (80), Ella Bui (82) and Lauren Stewart (84) rounded out the Southeastern scoring. Spreitzer, Bui and Cora Zink (90) all had one birdie as well.
Noblesville, ranked No. 8, placed ninth with a team total of 358. Caroline Whallon was the Millers’ low woman with a 78, making one birdie, followed by Sophi Stutz with 91. Jordan Adam (93), Olivia Anderson (96) and Erin Burt (100) each had one birdie.
Guerin Catholic tied for 13th as a team with a 385. Christina Pfefferkorn scored a 79, making one birdie, while Izzy Pinon added an 84.
Team scores: Westfield 301, Carmel 308, Center Grove 316, Homestead 316, Hamilton Southeastern 324, Castle 335, Floyd Central 340, Evansville North 343, Noblesville 358, Penn 381, Franklin Community 381, Brownsburg 383, Guerin Catholic 385, Western 385, Crown Point 388, NorthWood 388, Columbus North 389, Greenfield-Central 444.
Medalist: Sam Brown (Westfield) 34-36=70.
Other Westfield scores: Sophie McGinnis 40-35=75, Allie Hildebrand 41-36=77, Brette Hanavan 42-37=79, Allie McKeown 43-42=85.
Carmel scores: Ava Hedrick 37-37=74, Claire Swathwood 43-31=74, Michaela Headlee 38-40=78, Ava Nguyen 42-40=82, Kamryn Williams 41-46=87.
Southeastern scores: Yanah Rolston 36-42=78, Marissa Spreitzer 39-41=80, Ella Bui 44-38=82, Lauren Stewart 44-40=84, Cora Zink 44-40=84.
Noblesville scores: Caroline Whallon 41-37=78, Sophi Stutz 45-46=91, Jordan Adam 45-48=93, Olivia Anderson 48-48=96, Erin Burt 48-52=100.
Guerin Catholic scores: Christina Pfefferkorn 39-40=79, Izzy Pinon 40-44=84, Jenny Zerla 55-55=110, Audrey Kunce 56-56=112, Sarah Rigg 61-61=122.
Westfield sent a second varsity team to Chippendale Saturday for the Kokomo Invitational, and won it with a score of 314.
Addi Kooi and Mallory Mortl each scored 72s, tying them for second place individually. Claire Thompson added an 84, while Sam Lemieux and Sophie Thompson both scored 86.