By Mike May
This year’s Indiana High School Athletic Association’s (IHSAA) State Girl’s Golf Finals – held at the Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel — featured more than 100 players and 15 five-player teams, all in search of individual and team titles. The Carmel Greyhounds were the defending state champions, while Ava Bunker, from Columbus North was last year’s individual state champion.
In the team race, Carmel repeated as the state champion. It was the fourth state championship for the girl’s golf program at Carmel. In addition to last year’s win, Carmel won the IHSAA Girl’s golf state championship in 1980 and again in 2013.
Carmel’s winning two-day total was 608. Westfield was second at 617, Homestead was third at 622 and Noblesville was fourth at 635.
“Winning two in a row is a dream, but actually accomplishing it is very hard,” said Carmel head coach Kelly Kluesner. “We just wanted to stay patient, eliminate big numbers and, fortunately, we were able to pull away.”
Carmel had the best team and was led by a pair of seniors – Michaela Headlee and Claire Swathwood. Headlee shot 146 (73-73) to finish tied for second, while Swathwood shot 149 (75-74) to finish in sixth place. Carmel’s next two finishers were senior Camryn Williams and junior Sophie Mock. After 36 holes, Williams shot 156 (80-76; +12) which was a tie for 18th place. Mock finished at 157 (79-78; +13) which was a two-way tie for 22nd place.
In the individual competition, Samantha Brown, a senior from Westfield High School, finished at two-under-par making her the individual state champion. Last year, as a junior, Brown finished in a 6th-place tie and in 2021, as a sophomore, she finished tied for 13th.
Brown won by four strokes over four other girls, one of which was her teammate, junior Addi Kooi 145 (73-73). The other second-place finishers were Castle junior Ashley Kirkland (74-72); Batesville sophomore Ava South (73-73); and Carmel’s Headlee (73-73).
Brown’s opening round 68 was the first bogey-free round in her life and gave her a commanding five-shot lead.
Kooi, who finished in a fourth-place tie at last fall’s IHSAA State Girls Golf Finals, shot a roller-coaster first round of 73, as she was five-over-par on the front nine and four-under par on the back nine. As for South, who finished third last year, she had four bogeys and three birdies in her 73. The high point of Headlee’s 73 was making five birdies. Unfortunately, those five birdies were offset by two bogeys and two double bogeys.
While Brown was the individual winner, she did not have the low round of the second round. There were three girls who shot even-par 72s during the second round. They were Castle’s Kirkland; East Central sophomore Rowan Pies (81-72 – 153; 14th-place tie); and Batesville junior Addyson Weiler (82-72 – 154; 16th place).
In addition to being the individual state champion, Brown was named as the recipient of the IHSAA’s Mental Attitude Award this year for Girl’s high school golf.
At Westfield, Brown has a 3.9 GPA and is involved with National Honor Society, Student Council, Girls on the Run and the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Next fall, Brown will attend Purdue University to study Business Management, while playing golf for the Boilermakers.
The recipient of this award, nominated by her principal and coach, must excel in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability in golf. A $1,000 check is being donated by Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, an IHSAA corporate sponsor, to Westfield High School’s general scholarship fund in Samantha Brown’s name.
