Center Grove girls golf coach Cale Hoover made it a goal of his to get his best player to trash-talk an opposing player, albeit subtly, this season.
In senior Lucy Young, he knew he had no chance.
“That’s not going to happen. She’s like the nicest kid in America,” Hoover said. “Just a good kid and a good student. You couldn’t ask for more.”
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
On Friday, Young, the Trojans’ No. 1 player for a second consecutive season, leads her team into the Whiteland Sectional at The Legends Golf Course. She’ll do so having so far accrued a 74.5-stroke average so far this season — a five-shot improvement over a year ago.
The progress isn’t an accident.
Young, who played No. 5 for the Trojans as a freshman and No. 3 as a sophomore, knew she wasn’t going to get better unless she put in the time when few, if any, other people are paying attention.
“As a freshman, she was shooting in the high 80s and low 90s, but she kept grinding,” Hoover said. “I think it’s just working. Practicing. She’s continued to work on her craft and has improved every aspect of her game.
“Her game is nice and steady with very few mistakes. Also, she’s a very good putter.”
Young’s memorable senior campaign peaked — so far, at least — at the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference meet at Wood Wind Golf Club in Westfield. Playing a course she had never set foot on before, Young medaled by carding a career-best 67. The Trojans finished second as a team behind Carmel.
“It was really exciting,” said Young. “I had a couple shots that were really lucky. I chipped in for an eagle on one of the par 5s and chipped in another time to save par on a par 4.”
The regular-season portion of Center Grove’s girls golf season went by faster than Young thought it would.
Her goal now is to make the postseason last as long as possible.
Center Grove looks for its fifth consecutive sectional title as a team, but knows Johnson County tournament champion Franklin makes for a sizable roadblock. The Grizzly Cubs haven’t won the sectional trophy since 2005.
“We want (Young’s) score to be right around par, but, really, it’s about leading our team,” Hoover said. “This is one of those trophies we want to bring home.”
