GOLF

Madison Branum, a rising sophomore at Indiana State University, won the Columbia City Women’s Championship.

It was not was easy, however, for the Class of 2018 graduate of River Bluff High School.

“I made some costly mistakes in the first round, but learned from them and, fortunately, played better in the last round,” she said. “I tripled the 11th hole the first day, but made par the second day.

“In the first round the longest putt I made was two feet. In the final round my putting was better.”

Branum made the Dean’s List in both semesters of her freshman year at Indiana State. The aviation management student-athlete was happy overall with her first year in college.

“ I started well, then struggled in the middle of the year, but finished strong in golf,” Branum said. “Academically, I was consistent and I am pleased overall.”

Golf is one of the few collegiate sports that encompasses both the fall and the spring semesters. Possibly the most challenging aspect is where the ‘weight’ of both seasons is placed. Typically, early fall is where the best tournaments of the entire year fall. Then, the tournament season crowds year end exams.

The saving grace for the NCAA is the fact that the golf athletes are usually good students, so grades are never an issue. In fact, the golf teams typically have among the highest GPAs consistently in the athletics departments.

Speaking of schools, while Branum graduated from River Bluff, she attended Heathwood Hall from first through 11th grade.

She has played golf for much of her life. In fact, her grandfather, John Summers, was a great golfer himself. He built Riverside Golf Center which is a Par 3 driving range that adjoins the Broad River, so Madison got started at an early age.

Her dad Jeff is quite the golf enthusiast and was beaming after her daughter’s victory.

“I am so proud of her,” he said. “She is improving, and she has worked really hard.“

My forecast is there will be much more to write about the rising sophomore at Indiana State, so stay tuned.

Steve Larick got off to a great start in the United States Senior Open.

Mike Ramsey sent me a screenshot of Larick that reflected him being in 1st place alone through 3 holes. He played well and shot one over par in the first round, but struggled the second day, eventually missing the cut.

Eddie Harget of Columbia also made the field, but he too missed the cut. It’s pretty special to have two players from the Midlands making this major championship field.

One of the major motivators going back to the very early 90s for this column has been to highlight just how incredibly special the Midlands has been through the years in cultivating golf talent.

Much of the focus is and will continue to remain on youth gof. If the column lasts long enough, the senior fruit will push through.