Magnolia Miller shot a 75 to help lead Center Grove to a county tournament championship last week.
Daily Journal file photo
Outlandish as it might sound, there is a local connection to the legendary lead-up to Augusta National Golf Club.
She’s 5 feet tall, right-handed, a senior and the No. 1 player for Center Grove.
Just having Magnolia on one’s birth certificate would have been unique on its own, but no — Seth and Jennie Miller went the extra mile and added Lane as their daughter’s middle name.
Magnolia Lane Miller.
Commonly addressed as Mags, Maggie or Mag by friends and coaches, Miller is the lone returning starter from last season’s squad that placed fifth at the state finals.
She played the third spot then, but has enjoyed ascending to the top of coach Cale Hoover’s lineup.
“Personally, I really like it,” Miller said. “At the end of the day, it’s just a game, but I definitely have the experience playing in our top five, so that helps too.”
Miller’s final high school season hasn’t been without its challenges.
On Aug. 6, Miller had just left school and was turning north off of Stones Crossing Road onto State Road 135 when a car pulled in front of her, causing Miller to crash into the front portion of the other vehicle.
The impact caused the airbag in Miller’s car to inflate. Fortunately, neither driver sustained serious injuries, though Miller’s car was totaled.
She tried to compete in the Trojans’ next event four days later, the annual State Preview at Prairie View in Carmel, but made it only five holes.
“The day of the wreck it wasn’t too bad, but as the week progressed I could barely walk. I was so sore in my right quad and my lower left back,” Miller said. “I did gymnastics for 12 years and had already injured that same part of my back. It makes it hard to walk and sit and golf.”
Miller, who shot 79 at the Bloomington South Invitational a day prior to the wreck, was sidelined for Center Grove’s next five events — four dual matches and the Franklin Invitational — following the State Preview.
Being out of CG’s lineup allowed Miller to cheer on her teammates and gradually work on regaining her swing as her body healed. She began with her short game, progressed to irons and eventually her driver.
Miller returned on Aug. 22 to card a 38 in a three-way meet against Carmel and Fishers. Two days later, she competed as an individual at the Trojan Classic, shooting an impressive 1-over-par 72 at Hickory Stick.
Her score of 75 then helped the Trojans to a 17-shot victory over Franklin in the Johnson County tournament at The Legends.
Miller’s ability to bounce back hardly surprises Hoover. This, after all, is the same young lady who shot 88 in the opening round of state last fall before carding a 78 the following day.
“She’s a tough cookie. Not very big, but a strong kid. She is just really good at everything and doesn’t have that glaring weakness,” Hoover said. “Golf is a game of how good is your worst shot, and Magnolia is really good at that. She keeps herself out of trouble.”
Miller, who now considers herself at about 70% physically, has verbally committed to attend Huntington University, where she’ll play women’s golf for the Foresters. Owner of a 3.73 grade-point average, she plans to double major in criminal justice and finance.
In the meantime, she’ll continue being the leader of a squad continually striving toward improvement leading up to the Center Grove Sectional at Hickory Stick on Sept. 23.
“Magnolia is a key piece for us. She has state finals experience, so having her back is big for us,” Hoover said. “She has clearly evolved as the leader of the group.”
