CARMEL — Addison Meadows proved yet again that she is one of the best 102 girls golfers in the state. That’s how many players competed at the 2022 IHSAA Girls Golf State Finals on Friday and Saturday at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel. After shooting a +12 84 on Friday in round one, Meadows bounced back as she did last year to shoot a +9 81 to end her second straight State Finals with a two day score of +21 165. That score earned Meadows a tie for 28th overall and also earned her a spot on the Indiana High School Golf’s Coaches Association’s (IHSGCA) 1st Team All-State. No female golfer in Southmont history had earned that honor before.
“It’s not easy to get to where she has gotten and get to play in the State Finals,” Southmont coach Bill Whalen said. “There’s plenty of people who would love to have shot what she shot on this course. It’s not an easy setup what so ever. They began the season with over 2,000 girls golfers and she is able to be top 30 in the state. That’s quite a feat for Addison.”
Beginning her first round on Friday, Meadows immediately got off to a rough start. She triple bogeyed her first hole followed by a double bogey on her second. Meadows’ attitude and mental fortitude is one of her strongest qualities. She knows that she can’t let a bad hole or even a bad day effect her mentality. She was determined to come out on day two and have a better showing and thats exactly what she did.
“Attitude is everything when going into a large meet like state,” Meadows said. “I knew that if I wanted to do well overall, then I had to forget about my score on Friday and not worry about my final score. I had to take it shot by shot and hole by hole. I was nervous coming into the tournament on Friday but thankfully Saturday was a lot smoother.”
A season ago at the State Finals Meadows game with her driver wasn’t quite able to keep up with some of the competition she was playing with. That was a focal point that both Whalen and Meadows knew had to improve. If anyone has seen her play this season, you can tell there’s a drastic difference and Meadows has gotten stronger off the tee.
“That course is the longest that she’s played all season,” Whalen said of Prairie View. “The biggest difference I’ve seen this year from her is her ability to drive it further. You need that length to keep up with courses like that. She now has that in her arsenal and it’ll only continue to get better.”
A season ago when Meadows was able to make the State Finals as freshman, it was more about enjoying the experience and not worrying too much about how she played. This season after making it back for a second time, she’s beginning to take away lessons that she can use to improve for what is hopefully another two trips her junior and senior years.
“One of the biggest lessons I have learned the second time around at state was to be confident in each of my shots and club choices while respecting the course for its difficulties and not being scared of it,” Meadows said. Going into day one I was nervous and I think my score reflected that. Coming back for day two I felt more relaxed and my score showed that as well.”
These first two seasons of her career have been nothing short of historic for Meadows. She owns almost every record in school history and it’s scary to think how she’s only going to get better.
“She’s got to be one of if not the best girls golfer to ever come through this program,” Whalen said. “She holds so many records and was the first to make the all-state team in our program’s history. There’s times where things haven’t gone her way and she just pushes right through it.”
These two seasons have seen Meadows grow as a player as she looks to build off what’s been an unforgettable start to her career.
“My confidence has grown between freshman and sophomore year quite a bit I think,” Meadows said. I’m more calm about when I make a mistake or miss a shot. I understand that I won’t have a good round all of the time and I also trust my swing enough that I know I can have a good round whenever. Yes, state is hard but you need to focus, be patient, and stay calm between shots. My confidence stayed up this weekend because I had fun talking to the girls that I was paired up with. But overall I am more confident in my abilities and club choices.”
