Short, Ray clinch junior series titles

Ava Ray joked that her younger sister Lexi copied her outfit for Saturday’s final round of the Johnson County Junior Tournament Series at The Legends.

That wasn’t entirely true — Lexi did have a different shirt on. But the siblings did show up with matching shorts, and they left with matching series championships.

Ava’s second-place finish in the high school girls division solidified her spot at the top of the final point standings, while Lexi shot a 42 to win the middle school girls division by three strokes and move into the overall series lead.

"I never really had a round that I was like, ‘Yeah, that was it. I did everything right,’" said Ava Ray, who carded a 79 to finish four strokes behind Franklin teammate Liv Parramore. "But then again, golf isn’t that type of game. … Today was definitely the best that I’ve played so far, but it’s still not where I need to be."

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In the high school boys division, 2020 Center Grove grad Peyton Short came into the final round with a comfortable points lead, and he knew he only needed a top-six finish at best to clinch the overall crown. He did more than enough, firing a 1-under-par 71 to tie Damon Dickey and Nate Olson for top honors on the day.

Coming in with a cushion helped relieve any pressure Short might have felt otherwise.

"It made me a little bit more loose on the first tee," he said, "and made me feel a little more confident in myself that I could hold onto it."

Franklin girls posted a 1-2-3 high school sweep, with Ellie Beavins (82) coming in behind Parramore and Ava Ray.

"We’re definitely really excited for this season," Ray said of playing for the Grizzly Cubs in the fall. "Since it’s (Beavins and Parramore’s) senior season and they’ll be leaving me next year, we want to give it everything that we’ve got this last year. We’re hoping for big things."

Short, meanwhile, is hoping for big things over the next few weeks. With Center Grove’s boys losing out on an official spring season, he’s treating this week’s Senior Open — which will also be played at The Legends — and next week’s Indiana Junior Golf team tournament as the Trojans’ postseason.

Being able to play in this series over the past month has helped him hone his competitive edge.

"I think this plays well into getting us sharpened up and competitive," Short said.

Lexi Ray’s victory Saturday gave her enough points to overtake close friend Ava Bunker for the middle school title. Bunker had won the first three legs of the series but did not play this past weekend, leaving a window open, and Ray took advantage.

"She works hard, so she deserves it," Ava Ray said of her younger sister.

Jack Besner shot a 40 to finish one stroke up on James Beetz in the middle school boys division, clinching the overall crown in the process.

In the middle school par 3 division, Kalen Rowland (31) and Matthew Ferguson (32) had the low rounds Saturday, but Sam Thomas claimed the series title.

Olivia Alvey (38) was the low scorer in the 10U division, with Graham Alvey (41) leading the way among 7U players.