Luke Haarer Begins State Finals with 80 at Prairie View Golf Club

CARMEL — Westview's Luke Haarer finds himself positioned in the middle of the leaderboard following the opening day of the Indiana High School Athletic Association boys golf state finals held on Tuesday. This marks Haarer's first appearance at the state tournament since he qualified during his freshman year.

Haarer completed his first 18 holes with a score of 8-over-par, totaling 80 strokes, placing him in a tie for 56th. The junior started strong, remaining even-par after his initial seven holes, where he recorded a birdie on the fifth hole and a bogey on the fourth. However, he faced challenges on the final two holes of the front nine, finishing with two bogeys, and struggled further on the back nine with six additional bogeys.

At the top of the leaderboard, Center Grove's Drew Carlson, Castle's Alexander Cook, and Westfield's Hudson Kutchma all share the lead after Day 1, each posting impressive scores of 4-under-par, or 68. Bloomington South's Colton Watson is the only other competitor to finish under par, coming in at 1-under, with two additional players finishing even.

Haarer is set to tee off again on Wednesday at 7:50 a.m. from Hole 10 at Prairie View Golf Club, where he will look to improve his standing in the final round of the competition.