The REPORTER
The 2023 high school girls golf season begins in less than three weeks, but Indiana’s young players keep busy over the summer with events on the Howard Bailey Junior Golf Tour.
The Indiana girls had one of their biggest tournaments of the year this week: The Girls State Junior Championships, a three-day event at Coyote Crossing Golf Club in West Lafayette that finished on Thursday. The winner was a name very familiar to Hamilton County golfers.
Samantha Brown, the two-time county Girls Golfer of the Year who is about to start her senior season for Westfield, won the event. Brown had a consistent tournament, finishing the 54 holes one under par with a total score of 215.
Brown carded an even-par 72 for her Tuesday first round, making one birdie along the way. She then went two-under par in Wednesday’s second round, scoring a 70 and totaling five birdies. Brown finished the third round on Thursday with a 73, making three birdies.
Fishers’ Janelle Garcia, a sophomore-to-be at Hamilton Southeastern, tied for second place with a 218. Garcia went even in the first round with a 72, draining three birdies. She scored a 77 for her second round, but bounced back with a three-under par 69 in the third round, the lowest round of any golfer during the week. Garcia made four birdies during her final 18 holes.
Hamilton County results now follow.
- Samantha Brown, Westfield 72-70-73=215, T2. Janelle Garcia, Fishers 72-77-69=218, 16. Kelsey Haverluck, Westfield 77-78-77=232, T20. Josie Kelley, Noblesville 77-77-80=234, 23. Maya Fujisawa Keuling, Carmel 76-79-80=235, T28. Lauren Stewart, Fishers 77-83-78=238; Jordan Adam, Noblesville 78-79-81=238, T34. Natalie Symmes, Carmel 84-82-76=242, T39. Karis Reid, Carmel 86-84-77=247, T48. Claire Thompson, Westfield 86-78-85=249, T52. Samantha Lemieux, Westfield 85-85-83=253, T58. Maya Berglund, Carmel 90-82-87=259.