Lexi Ray has played the 10th hole at Prairie View Golf Club dozens of times over the past few years — more than enough to know that every time she tees off, she’s going to hit an 8-iron.
But on the first day of the state finals, starting off on that back nine, the Franklin freshman pulled her driver out of her bag, took the club cover off and started making her way to the tee.
After a couple of steps, she stopped abruptly and said, ‘What am I doing?!?’
That was a rare mental hiccup from Ray, who played about as steadily — and as well — as any ninth-grader could have been expected to. She went on to tie for sixth at state; she is also the Daily Journal’s Player of the Year.
“I definitely had high expectations that I wanted to place,” Ray said of her first high school state tourney. “I got in my head the first day and I got a little nervous.”
To her credit, Ray shook off the nerves pretty quickly. After playing her first nine holes at 6 over par (42), she played her last 27 holes at +5 and steadily climbed up the leaderboard. Her final-round score of 74 was more in line with her 18-hole season average of 73.6 — a figure that crushed the former Franklin school record of 75.0 established more than 20 years ago by Ambry Bishop.
Current Grizzly Cubs co-coach Ted Bishop, who happens to be Ambry’s father, sees several parallels between his daughter and Ray. Both, for instance, had older siblings that they were looking to outdo; Lexi’s sister, Ava, was the Daily Journal’s Player of the Year last fall.
That rivalry may have helped drive Lexi in years past, but that’s not so much the case now.
“We’ve pushed each other a lot,” Lexi said of her relationship with Ava, who now plays at the University of Indianapolis. “I used to be really competitive, and I would always freak out when I would beat her in a tournament. … But right now, I don’t think there’s much competitiveness; we’re both really happy for each other.”
Lexi’s success on the links this fall wasn’t all that surprising; she had been playing at a high level on the junior tournament circuit for a while now, and she fully expected that she’d be able to excel right away at the high school level from a scoring standpoint. What wasn’t as certain was how she’d like being part of a team environment after being on an island most of the time in junior tourney play.
The experience turned out to be an enlightening and rewarding one.
“I love the atmosphere on this team,” Ray said. “I definitely love being on a team; it’s a lot more fun playing golf that way when you can go out and practice and enjoy having your teammates there.”
With four of the top five from this year’s team back, the hope is that Ray’s next trip to state won’t be a solo mission. But if the Grizzly Cubs are going to make the trip to Prairie View as a group, it’s pretty clear who their leader is going to be.
That might not be a realistic expectation for most underclassmen, but Ray has proven herself to be a little bit different. Whether it’s an understanding of her swing or of the game, or the ability to control her nerves and master the mental aspect of the game, Ray’s coaches have already seen her display a maturity beyond her years.
“I have never seen a player of her age be as good at doing all of that as she is,” Bishop said.
“She definitely exceeded my expectations as a freshman,” Franklin co-coach Crystal Morse added. “Her maturity on the golf course, her knowledge of the game really goes beyond what I’ve seen in a lot of freshmen and other players her age.”
Ray might have flashed a little bit of youthful nervousness when she was on that 10th tee at the start of the state finals, but that was just part of the growth process. Prairie View has a way of humbling the best of players, and if Ray was able to come away humbled but still finish in the top 10, there’s no telling what the future might hold.
“If I go back to state next year, I definitely know what it’s like and I know I shouldn’t go into the tournament thinking that I’m going to shoot 7 under,” Ray said. “Just go in (trying to get) 18 pars and just try to grind it out. That’s what I did the second day, and it definitely showed.”
The 2022 All-County team for girls golf:
Sage Parsetich, Center Grove senior: Averaged 37.56 per nine holes and ranked second among all county players with an 18-hole average of 76.17 … Won sectional medalist honors with a 75 and placed third at regional with a 73 … Tied for 10th at state finals with two-round total of 156, helping Trojans tie for second.
Rowen Pfeifle, Center Grove junior: Posted averages of 39.6 for 9 holes and 79.1 for 18 … Shot a season-low 75 in sectional … Finished with a two-round total of 168 at state finals for runner-up Trojans, good for 40th individually.
Reese Phillips, Franklin sophomore: Finished with an 18-hole average of 81.0 and a team-best 31.4 putts per round … Had a season low of 74 … Shot rounds of 77 at Mid-State Conference tourney, 80 at sectional and 81 at regional.
Lexi Ray, Franklin freshman: Set a school record with an 18-hole average of 73.6 … County tournament medalist with a 70 … was runner-up at conference tourney and regional with rounds of 72 … Made state finals as an individual and tied for sixth with a two-round score of 155.
Abby Rich, Center Grove junior: Averaged a team-best 36.67 per nine holes and 79.09 per 18, with a low round of 70 … County tournament runner-up with a 72 … Shot 76 at sectional and 82 at regional for state runner-up Trojans.
Camille Short, Center Grove junior: Finished with scoring averages of 37 for nine holes and 79 for 18 …Carded a season-low 75 at county and 77 at sectional … Tied for 20th individually at state finals with a two-round score of 161.
Lexi Stuart, Center Grove junior: Averaged 39.57 for nine holes and 79.92 for 18, with a low round of 75 … Shot 77 at sectional, 79 at regional and tied for 28th at state finals with a total of 165, helping Trojans tie for second as a team.
Honorable mention
Emma Baker, Greenwood; Addi Bright, Franklin; Chloe Cooper, Whiteland; Hannah Emenhiser, Indian Creek; Addie Livorno, Franklin; Izzy Richardson, Edinburgh; Morgan Sandrock, Franklin
