Center Grove’s Lexi Stuart follows her tee shot during the first round of the state finals Friday.
Rob Baker | For the Daily Journal
Center Grove and Franklin have gotten plenty familiar with one another over the past few girls golf seasons, so perhaps it’s only fitting that the two teams will finish this one together.
The Trojans and Grizzly Cubs will be paired alongside one another for today’s final round after finishing Friday’s first round in fifth and sixth place, respectively. Center Grove posted an opening-day score of 325 at Prairie View in Carmel, 37 shots over par and 19 behind first-place Westfield. Franklin was five shots back of the Trojans at 330.
Both local teams will tee off on the first hole today beginning at 9 a.m.
Senior Lexi Stuart paced Center Grove, and all Johnson County players, with a 4-over-par 76 on Friday; she’s tied for 10th on the individual leaderboard overall. Classmate Rowen Pfeifle was close behind with a 77, tied for 15th.
Camille Short (84) and Magnolia Miller (88) rounded out the scoring for the Trojans, who entered the postseason as the state’s third-ranked team.
For Franklin, Addi Bright had the low round of the day with a 78, while Lexi Ray added a 79. The Grizzly Cubs, ranked ninth in the final regular-season poll, also got an 85 from Reese Phillips and an 88 from Addie Livorno.
Westfield’s Samantha Brown has a comfortable lead in the race for the individual champion; the senior shot a 68 to head into the final round with a five-stroke cushion.
In the team race, Carmel sits one shot behind the Shamrocks in second with a 307, followed by Homestead (313) and Noblesville (315).
