Oct. 7—CARMEL — Taylor Snively had some goals she wanted to accomplish on the golf course her freshman year.
But after Saturday’s final round of the IHSAA State Finals, the Lady Eagles standout had to admit that she never really thought she would do what she accomplished — winning both the individual and team state titles.
“This definitely exceeded (my expectations,” Snively said. “It is definitely really cool. I had a lot of goals this year, but this is definitely a dream to win.”
Coming into the season, there were so high expectations around what Snively could do in her high school career after seeing her rise through junior golf ranks.
She did nothing quell those thoughts starting her season, shooting a 67 to earn medalist honors in her first high school event, then backing it up with another medalist honor and a 69 the next day.
Snively earned medalist honors in nine of the Eagles’ 12 18-hole tournaments (including state), averaging a 70.6.
Zionsville head coach Maggie Nobbe said what stands out about Snively is that as good of a golfer as she is — she is an equally good teammate and person.
“She is just as good of a person as she is a golfer,” Nobbe said. “It is so fun watching her out there — she’s aggressive and she grinds the whole day. She was locked in, but she was having fun and it was so fun to watch.”
Snively was just the third freshman ever to win the individual title and first to do it for the team champion since 1999.
She is the first Lady Eagle to win the individual title.
Snively said after the round that winning the team title with her friends and teammates was something she will always remember.
“I just telling myself all weekend, I am playing for the team,” she said. “I really wanted to win this as a team. And we got that done. It was just a bonus to win it individually. It was a lot of fun to play for and with my teammates.”
Snively put herself in position after a solid round 1, shooting a 72 to be in a three-way tie for first with Paige Giovenco of Floyd Central and Addi Kooi of Westfield.
All three played solid early, but it was Snively that made the first moves, birding one and then getting an eagle on the par-5 third to grab the lead.
“That was a lot of fun, especially the third hole,” Snively said of her start. “Getting an eagle and were the Eagles, so that’s always fun.”
She had a stumble on eight, four-putting for double bogey, but came back with a birdie at 11 to get back to 2-under.
After hitting into the bunker on the par-5 13th, Snively hit a great shot to save par, then made some key putts on the back, including a birdie putt on the par-3 15th.
Heading into the 18th, Snively had a five-shot lead individually and the Eagles were up eight — but for maybe the first time in two days, the nerves showed a little bit.
She hit her drive into the woods and had to re-tee. After a couple of good shots, she barely got it over the creek, resulting in a wry smile and a quick look at her coach.
“I kind of knew where I was at (leaderboard wise) on the last four or five holes,” she said. “I hit that tee shot on 18 and that rattled me a little, but coach helped me settle my nerves and we got it done. She was just keeping thing light. She knew we were in a good spot and I was in a good spot, so we were just trying to have fun and settle me down.”
It worked, as Snively hit the next shot onto the green and two-putted for a triple bogey — not an ideal ending but more than good enough for herself and the team — and set off the celebrations with her teammates.
“It’s pretty surreal, I’m not sure if it has sunk in yet,” Snively said. “My team is like my backbone. They are always there for me and I am there for them. The coaches, Maggie and Brian (Nobbe), are always there for us so it’s just amazing doing it together.”
Snively has a couple of events she plans on playing this fall and will continue to work on her game throughout the year.
She said she is wants to focus in on her wedges and some ‘simple stuff’ that can save her a shot here or there on the course.
And she knows that all the work will not only help her, but the team too. And she enjoyed every second of playing with her teammates.
“It’s going to be really fun next year,” Snively said “It’s going to be a little sad because Amaya will be a senior, but we did this this year, we are going to play our hardest next year and hopefully win again.”
Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.
