Oct. 24—LAPEL — Thanks to an old set of golf clubs and the inspiration of her late great-grandfather, Annabelle Marshall found a sport she both loved and at which she could excel.
Having played the game a relatively short amount of time — about five years — Marshall has learned quickly and burst onto the scene as a regional qualifier during her freshman year last season for Lapel.
“It really clicked for me when I started,” she said. “I was watching some (golf) videos, and I grabbed some of the old, dirty clubs from the garage, and I just started swinging. It was around when my great-grandpa passed. He loved golf, and he’s a great inspiration for me.”
Her sophomore campaign proved Season 1 was no fluke. Marshall earned medalist honors four times, helped Lapel win the Madison County championship and qualified individually for the state finals after a career day at regional. For her efforts, Marshall has been named THB Sports Girls Golf Athlete of the Year, edging teammate Jane Armington and Shenandoah’s Maddie Shelton.
“I’m so excited. I didn’t really expect it,” Marshall said. “It’s not something I really thought about, especially as a sophomore.”
She started the year strong and ended strong, showing the consistency she believes was her greatest improvement from last season.
She opened with an 85 for a fifth-place finish at the Pendleton Heights Invitational and earned medalist in her first nine-hole match of the year against Daleville with a 36. After finishing as Madison County runner-up for the second straight year and helping Lapel reclaim the team title, Marshall shot a 34 at the Tipton Golf Club in a three-team match against the Blue Devils and Alexandria.
The highlight of that match was her first career ace on the 115-yard, par-3 14th hole. Marshall’s pitching wedge into the wind bounced, hit the flagstick and fell into the cup for the hole-in-one. Weeks later, the Tipton players presented Marshall with the flag from that hole.
“When I got it, I remembered my great-grandpa. I know he had one, and he told me about his,” Marshall said. “It meant a lot. I’m really good friends with those girls, and that grew over the season and the summer. To see them show that respect and exchange some sportsmanship between us, that was pretty cool.”
She added a 36 for medalist honors against Delta in her next outing and a 39 in the regular-season finale at Anderson. She shot an 81, matching her career best, to tie for sixth at the Noblesville sectional as the Bulldogs advanced.
The next week at regional, Marshall lit up her home course at Edgewood with a 74, obliterating her previous best, and qualified for the state finals.
After struggling in the first round at state with a 94 — tying for 78th overall — Marshall rebounded on Day 2. She improved by 10 shots and moved up the leaderboard to tie for 61st after a second-round 84, putting her close to where she wanted to be, the top half of the field.
Her goal for her junior season is to return to state but not alone. The entire Lapel team returns, including, Marshall, Armington and standout freshman Claire Humerickhosue, hoping to better this year’s regional outcome that saw the Bulldogs fall nine strokes short of advancing.
Contact Rob Hunt at rob.hunt@heraldbulletin.com or 765-640-4886.
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