Columbus North’s Erin Hopkins watches her tee shot on the par-3 second hole during the Franklin Regional at The Legends Golf Club.
Rob Baker | For The Republic
FRANKLIN — Erin Hopkins didn’t know the stakes when she stood over a par putt on her 18th hole on Monday afternoon. According to the Columbus North senior, it wouldn’t have mattered if she did.
A make would have given her a round of 75 and the third and final individual state qualifying spot out of the challenging Franklin Regional at The Legends. But Hopkins’ putt narrowly missed the mark, leaving her with a 4-over-par 76 and putting her in a playoff with Corydon Central’s Emma Rowland.
Rowland won the first extra hole, ending Hopkins’ high school golf career a few days earlier than hoped. Despite that end result, though, the Bull Dogs’ No. 1 player was pleased with her play on a soft, rain-saturated course that played longer than it looked.
“Overall, I had a solid round today,” Hopkins said. “The front nine was a little better than the back; didn’t end quite as well. It’s definitely bittersweet because this is going to be my last high school match, but overall I’m proud of how I did today. Seventy-six is good for me, so I’m happy with how it went today.”
“She played great all day long,” North coach Scott Seavers added. “We knew it would come down to one stroke. I’m just proud of her for what she’s done for Columbus North girls golf; she’s represented us well.”
The Bull Dogs wound up ninth in the team standings with a total of 386. Senior Lindsey Hartwell had an 82 out of the No. 2 position, followed by senior Kara Buntin at 106, senior Ana Pavlov at 122 and sophomore Harper Andersen with a 129.
“We scored a little higher than our season average today, but we were kind of expecting that with the wet conditions,” Seavers said. “I’m so proud of all these girls; I’ve got four seniors, and they’ve added a lot to our program, and I’m going to miss them.”
Three other locals finished up their seasons competing as individuals. Brown County senior Lilly VanNess carded an 88, Columbus East senior Grace LaSell shot 95 and Jennings County’s Grace Oden finished with a 126.
Franklin (319), Batesville (321) and Center Grove (327) claimed the team qualifying spots to state. East Central’s Rowan Pies was medalist with a 68, and Floyd Central’s Paige Govenco claimed the second individual qualifying spot with a 70.
Hopkins is not locked in on a college decision yet, but she’s leaning toward going to Indiana University to study business and taking a break from the sport. If this indeed was her last time playing as part of a team, it’s an experience she has thoroughly enjoyed.
“It’s just really meaningful, the last four years,” she said. “I have a great team, and it’s sad that the season is ending, but we still have a lot of really good team culture. We’re all really close, so it’s been good.”
