Westfield senior Will Harvey tied for lead at 7-under-par with two holes remaining
Harvey is tied for the lead at 7-under-par with two holes remaining. During Wednesday’s weather delay, Harvey shared his approach to the 17th and 18th holes.
- Westfield golf leads by 27 shots with two holes remaining heading into weather delay.
- The Shamrocks finished as state runner-ups the past three years. Coach Josh Bryant and senior Will Harvey shared why the team won this year.
- Harvey is two holes away from capturing the individual state title.
CARMEL – As the Westfield boys golf team gathered outside their bus following an IHSAA decision to delay the state golf finals due to weather, senior Will Harvey overheard one of his teammates say, “I haven’t looked at the leaderboard until just now.”
With two holes remaining at the time of the delay, Westfield had a 27-shot lead at 9-under-par. The Shamrocks have finished as state runner-ups the previous three years. Harvey, who was on the team for each second-place finish, believes Westfield focusing on their shot rather than the score had the Shamrocks in prime position to capture the state title. When play resumed, Westfield finished 8-under-par as a team, 30 strokes better than second-place Homestead.
“Over the last few years, we’ve thought about scores and leaderboards too much,” Harvey said. “We focused shot by shot today, and like I said after Round 1, we knew if we kept our foot on the pedal, no one could touch us.”
Westfield shot 8-under on the front nine, including consecutive eagles on the second and third holes. Through 16 holes, the Shamrocks shot five birdies and four eagles.
“You can’t prepare to come out and expect something like that to happen on the front nine. It’s been an incredible day and testament to these guys. They’ve put the pedal down,” coach Josh Bryant said. “The attitudes this morning: it was a business trip to them. And that’s the mindset you must come into the second round with.”
Harvey and senior Jack Cesare established expectations and set the tone for the day before the Shamrocks traversed to the first tee. Per usual, Westfield’s bus ride to the Praire View Golf Club was filled with music and “electric” energy, according to Bryant. Upon arrival, Cesare and Harvey told their teammates, “This is the team. We are going to win the day.”
“It means a lot when you have Will and Jake, who are going to be Big Ten golfers, upper echelon guys that practice and play with you that speak confidence into you,” Bryant said. “When you hear it from your coach, you believe it because maybe the coach has to say that, but when you hear from your teammate, and they look you in the eye, it’s different. No fear was in anyone’s face, and you could see it would be a good day.”
The two seniors know the pain associated with a close defeat. Westfield lost to Guerin Catholic by one shot in 2022, finished two strokes behind Guerin the following year, and lost by five shots to Zionsville in 2024.
”Will and Jake have been in some heart-wrenching losses at states, and more than anything, it means a lot to them to do it with the friends and the guys they’ve pushed,” Bryant said. “It’s a family affair at Westfield and I couldn’t be happier for all those guys.”
When play resumed later Wednesday, Harvey birdied each of the final two holes to win the individual lead at 9-under with Luke Johnston (Evansville North) and Peyton Blackard (Gibson Southern) tied for second at -6.
Harvey, a Purdue commit, said he was “disappointed” about the weather delay but emphasized the need to “relax” during the break and “lock in” when play resumed. Bryant called Harvey a “seasoned” player and has no doubt his fourth-year player would excel on the final two holes.
And he did.
In addition to the individual title, a team state golf title will be placed in Westfield’s trophy case. For Bryant, a championship is the finishing touch on what he hopes every player experiences at Westfield: an enjoyable time.
“Certainly, winning a state championship is the ultimate goal for every team, but it really won’t change how we approach tomorrow,” Bryant said. “We will be getting ready for next year to create the same kind of experience. We want these guys when they leave Westfield to say, ‘I’m really glad I played golf,’ and the hardware is going to make it a little sweeter.”
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