Ted Shultz | The Republic
Ava Bunker won a state championship in golf Saturday, only the second freshman ever to win medalist honors at the Girls Golf State Finals.
CARMEL — Ava Bunker didn’t just win a state championship in golf on Saturday, she did it in a dominating fashion.
The Columbus North standout became only the second freshman ever to win medalist honors at the Girls Golf State Finals. Her nine-shot win at Prairie View Golf Course ties for the second-biggest margin of victory in the 50-year history of the state tournament.
“With my confidence and everything, I definitely wanted to (win state),” Bunker said. “I’m happy that I did, and I knew that I could win if I worked hard enough.”
Bunker, who was playing as an individual after the Bull Dogs did not advance out of last week’s Franklin regional, led from start to finish. Her rounds of 3-under-par 69 on Friday and 1-over 73 on Saturday were two of the top three 18-hole rounds of the tournament. Her 2-under 142 total is tied for the fifth-best in state finals history, and is tied for the best 36-hole score since the tournament moved to Prairie View in 2014.
“It was a great weekend for Ava, and I’m really happy for her, and I’m proud of her,” North coach Scott Seavers said. “It shows what kind of talent she has.”
Bunker is the second Columbus North High School female golfer to win state medalist honors, joining Holly Anderson in 2016.
“I’ve been fortunate to have really good girls that wanted to play for Columbus North and were willing to work at it and get better and have lofty goals,” Seavers said. “It’s fun for me and fun for her teammates.”
