<p>Staff Reports</p><p>When Center Grove won the state boys golf championship in 2017, it did so in convincing fashion thanks in part to a final-round 66 by then-junior Noah Gillard.</p><p>Three years later, the former Trojan star closed out another tournament victory with a similarly dominating performance.</p><p>Gillard fired a 4-under-par 66 at the Country Club of Indianapolis on Wednesday, pulling away for a five-stroke triumph at the Indiana Amateur Championship. He finished the tournament with a 68-67-66—201 score line, 9 shots under par.</p><p>“I played decent 1 through 13, and something switched in my head,” Gillard said of Wednesday’s round. “I kind of got in my own little zone. It was a crazy feeling — I just felt like I could make any putt, my shot was going right where I was aiming. … I was pretty fortunate to have things going my way.”</p><p>The win gave Center Grove alums a clean sweep of the state amateur titles this year. Erica Shepherd, a 2019 grad, had claimed the women’s crown two weeks ago.</p><p>Gillard, who trailed Austin Vukovits by one stroke coming into the final day, grabbed a share of the lead early with birdies on the par-4 third hole and the par-3 fourth. The University of Illinois junior then pulled ahead when Vukovits bogeyed the ninth.</p><p>A Gillard bogey on 10 briefly created another tie, but Vukovits promptly bogeyed the next hole, and Gillard later birdied the par-4 15th to open up a two-shot advantage.</p><p>Two more birdies on 17 and 18 further widened the final margin. On the 17th, Gillard hit a driving iron off the tee, then stuck his approach shot within about 5 feet of the hole. On the clinching 18th, he sank a long putt after hitting a conservative second shot.</p><p>“I just hit it to the middle of the green even though the pin was up front,” Gillard said. “I didn’t want to get too cute with it — and I got lucky and made a bomb.”</p><p>Fellow Greenwood resident Sean Rowen, who began the day in sixth place just four shots off the lead, saw his hopes dashed when he turned in four consecutive bogeys on the front nine. Rowen played the back half of his round 1 under par to finish the day at 73, with his three-round total of 211 still good for ninth place.</p><p>The other two local players who had survived the cut didn’t fare as well on Wednesday. Greenwood’s Joshua Oldham, who came in tied for 16th, carded a 7-over-par 77 in the final round to fall into a tie for 31st with a total of 220. Zack Carrabine of Bargersville also shot a 77 to finish at 225, tied for 49th.</p><p>Gillard credited his father, who was also carrying his bag this week, and swing coach Brad Fellers for putting him in position to win this week. He’s playing a lighter competitive schedule this summer, but he’s hopeful that the victory will set him up for a strong junior season with the Illini.</p><p>“It’s nice working on my game with my coach, just working on aspects to get ready for the fall and compete,” Gillard said.</p>
