IHSAA girls golf: Lexi Ray tied for second at state meet first round
Interview with Franklin senior Lexi Ray, who put everything together and sits tied for second entering day two of the state golf meet.
- Carmel’s Maya Fujisawa Keuling leads at 4-under, two strokes ahead of Noblesville’s Josie Kelley and Franklin’s Lexi Ray
- Defending state champion Zionsville leads team standings over Noblesville and Carmel
- Round 2 set for Saturday at Prairie View GC
CARMEL — A freshman is positioned to win medalist honors at the IHSAA girls golf state championship for a third consecutive season.
Carmel’s Maya Fujisawa Keuling scored a blistering 3-under 33 on the front nine of Prairie View Golf Course, then maintained momentum through the turn, shaving a couple more strokes off her score before posting her second bogey of the round on the par-4 17th. Fujisawa Keuling recovered with a par on No. 18 to finish the day with a 4-under 68, two strokes clear of Noblesville’s Josie Kelley and Franklin’s Lexi Ray, and three ahead of Zionsville sophomore Taylor Snively, the defending state champion.
Fujisawa Keuling, who claimed decisive wins at both the sectional and regional tournaments, dazzled on the front nine of her home course, scoring two birdies and an eagle to offset a bogey on the par-4 fourth. She came out of the turn with five pars and a birdie to maintain her multi-stroke lead.
Fujisawa Keuling leads the field with five par breakers.
Her efforts have Carmel within striking distance of defending state champion Zionsville in the team standings. The Greyhounds posted a +23, good for third behind Noblesville (+20) and the aforementioned Eagles (+17).
Here are a few other storylines from Day 1.
Course conditions: firm
There was a consensus among the players I spoke with that Prairie View played much firmer Friday than it did during their practice rounds, forcing players to adjust what tee shots and clubs they used.
Also, it was very hot and the rounds seemingly took an eternity, though that’s not really anything new.
The long delay on No. 12
There was a bottleneck at the par-3 12th, with golfers forced to wait upwards of an hour before teeing off. The logjam was eased midway through the round when course officials began having groups mark their balls on the green so the foursome behind them could also tee off.
But it still wasn’t great.
“Yeah, that was kind of brutal. But it was fine,” Ray said. “We just sat there and talked, so time kind of flew by.”
Kelley also spent the delay conversing with teammates, everyone trying to keep each other loose and ready to go. “When I got up, I took my practice swings and hit the ball. That was kind of it.”
Snively felt she didn’t handle it well, explaining how she struggled to maintain the proper mindset as the wait dragged on. “That’s a challenge we’re all going to have to face,” she said. “And whatever team can really stay focused and get into the mindset (will flourish).”
“I just talked a lot,” Paige Henney added, catching Snively off-guard (she doubled-over laughing, then patted her teammate on the shoulder).
“I just talked to all my teammates, cheered them all on and tried to stay loose,” Henney continued. “It was just trying to take my mind off everything else, keep it where I needed it to be, with my teammates.”
“We’re a little different,” Snively laughed.
Things were coming up (Lexi) Ray
Lexi Ray started Friday determined to maintain a good attitude and soak in her last moments of high school golf.
Lexi Ray ended Friday tied for second, just two strokes off the lead at 2-under.
Pretty good.
“Everything was just going my way today,” the Franklin senior said. “Obviously I missed some putts that I probably shouldn’t have, but I had a good day with the girls I was with. We were just laughing and giggling the whole time. It was fun.”
Ray, who tied for 12th at state last year, hasn’t played the course the way she wanted to over the past three seasons, but Friday was different.
Everything finally came together.
The Ball State commit was confident and had a positive attitude when she arrived at Prairie View, and after a solid showing on the range, the vibes were immaculate. “I was like, alright, let’s go low today,” she smiled.
“It was nice to be able to do that, especially for my last year,” said Ray. “I’ve wanted to play super well. I know I’m capable of doing it. So it’s just nice to finally see everything I’ve worked for show up.”
Ray helped the Grizzly Cubs qualify as a team for the first time in 24 years in 2023, then helped them qualify again last year (finished fifth) and this season.
“It’s pretty awesome,” she said. Everyone on that team is my best friend. I’m going to be pretty sad leaving them, but I’m also excited for Ball State.”
Josie Kelley, senior-driven Millers in position for special Saturday
The adrenaline was still pumping for Josie Kelley about 15 minutes after she stepped off the green on No. 18. It’s always an interesting shot into the green, she said. But she had yet to see the standings.
Kelley’s expression quickly lit up as she reviewed the leaderboard — she was tied for second and Noblesville was third at the time. “Oh dang, people played good today,” she remarked.
“I feel pretty good about where we sit,” Kelley said. “I mean, we’ll see what tomorrow has. You can’t win a tournament on the first day. It’s two days, so I’ll try to play my best tomorrow, too.”
The Eastern Kentucky commit will occasionally check the leaderboards during non-high school events, but in-season, she hands her phone to her coach and is all-in on the Millers.
“It just means so much to me and I don’t want to know (the leaderboard). I just want to play my own game,” Kelley said.
“I absolutely love my team. My teammates mean everything to me,” she continued. “I’m playing for something bigger than just myself. I’m playing for them and my school. It means a lot.”
Kelley, whose round included three birdies and an eagle, is one of four seniors competing for the Millers at state. They grew up playing together and have positioned themselves to challenge for a special finish Saturday, just three strokes off the lead as a team.
“I can’t believe the season’s almost over,” Kelley smiled. “I’m pretty proud of how we played this year and I’m so excited for tomorrow.”
Two sectionals and a regional later, Ressie Lemmon makes state debut
Ressie Lemmon’s hands were shaking as she stepped up to the tee box on No. 1 Friday morning.
“Yeah, there were definitely nerves,” she acknowledged. But after bogeying No. 1, the Mt. Vernon freshman told herself to breathe and focused on taking it one hole at a time. There were some residual nerves for her tee shot on No. 2, but Lemmon nailed her approach and settled in from there. She scored two birdies on the front, then overcame putting struggles out of the turn to finish the round tied for sixth at 2-over.
“I got into a good groove and started playing pretty well,” Lemmon said. “I didn’t want to play too aggressive — I only pulled my driver four or five times — and I think that was the way to go. It worked out really well.”
Lemmon’s journey to state was probably the most unique of anyone in the field. She was the leader in the clubhouse for her sectional at 4-under, but due to the event being canceled before half the field finished, they restarted the entire round the next morning.
“It was frustrating knowing I put up a good round and that it was just erased and didn’t matter anymore,” Lemmon said. “But in the end, I couldn’t control that. I just knew I had to come back the next day and play the same.”
The course played differently after all the rainfall, but that allowed Lemmon to play even more aggressively. She carded a 3-under with an ace and two birdies to claim individual medalist honors (again).
Junior Star makes history
Avery Lewis officially made Western Boone history Friday, becoming the school’s first girls golfer to compete at state.
“It’s so exciting,” the junior said, smiling from ear-to-ear. She’s tied for 32nd at 10-over 82. “It’s incredible to be out here and even have the opportunity to be out on this course no matter what happens.”
Lewis picked up golf after watching her watching her older sister play in high school — and admittedly didn’t like it much at first. But somewhere around eighth grade, the multi-sport standout (basketball and softball) found herself getting addicted to golf.
“I like the individualism, knowing that it’s just me and the game,” said Lewis, who hopes to play in college. “It was a challenge at first to figure out I don’t have anyone else to rely on, but I love that piece of it. It’s on me and I can do whatever I want with it.”
The state meet presented its own unique challenges for Lewis, who had not played Prairie View prior to her practice round Tuesday. She and coach Katie Pilkington spent that afternoon narrowing down where everything was on the course, determining distances and establishing which clubs she could use on what holes — but there were some hurdles on the back-nine (Nos. 1-9, she went off on No. 10) Friday they had to navigate on the fly.
“On one of them, we didn’t even know where the fairway was going,” Lewis grinned. “We looked out and were like, hit the driver, see what happens. It worked out OK.”
Lewis learned a lot, she continued, and has a significantly better understanding of the course for round two.
“Today went OK, but we’ll go into tomorrow even better,” she said.
2025 IHSAA GIRLS GOLF STATE FINALS DAY 1 RESULTS, SCORES
First round, Prairie View Golf Club (Carmel), Par 72
Team scores: 1. Zionsville — 305; 2. Noblesville — 308; 3. Carmel — 311; 4. Westfield — 318; 5. Hamilton Southeastern — 329; 6. Franklin — 331; 7. Northridge — 336; t-8. South Bend Saint Joseph, Batesville — 346; t-10. Carroll (Fort Wayne), Penn — 355; 12. Lapel — 360; t-13. DeKalb, Floyd Central — 361; 15. Lake Central — 370; 16. Castle — 377; 17. Bedford North Lawrence — 379; 18. Barr-Reeve — 399.
Top 15: 1. Maya Fujisawa Keuling (9), Carmel — 68; T2. Josie Kelley (12), Noblesville — 70; T2. Lexi Ray (12), Franklin Community — 70; 4. Taylor Snively (10), Zionsville — 71; 5. Kennedy Gutierrez (9), Valparaiso — 72; T6. Ressie Lemmon (9), Mt. Vernon (Fortville) — 74; T6. Hannah Ingersoll (11), Munster — 74; T6. Ava South (12), Batesville — 74; 9. Olivia Bailey (12), Rochester Community — 75; T10. Peyton Kauzlick (12), Noblesville — 76; T10. Piercey Dyer (11), Peru — 76; T10. Farrah Camp (9), Westfield — 76; T10. Alex Reschly (12), Northridge — 76; 14. Isabella Stanley (11), Hamilton Southeastern — 77; T15. Kaidyn Wardlaw (12), New Albany — 78; T15. Avery Lewis (10), Zionsville — 78; T15. Paige Henney (11), Zionsville — 78; T15. Olivia Patton (9), Zionsville — 78; T15. Lauren Deering (11), New Palestine — 78; T15. Olivia Fowler (12), Noblesville — 78; T15. Macey Riegsecker (12), Northridge — 78 T15. Karis Reid (9), Carmel — 78.
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.
Read the full article here