Olivia Axmear never golfed until high school. The Nevada senior is now one of the top golfers in 3A
When it comes to golf, Olivia Axmear is a natural.
Axmear is in her senior year as a member of the Nevada girls golf team. But she has only played the sport for three years and two months after joining the team her freshman year.
“It was just the environment and the team,” Axmear said. “I really enjoyed that. After finding a natural talent, I really wanted to push myself to go to state one year, and that ended up happening the next year. That was pretty cool.”
As a sophomore, Axmear earned her way to the Class 3A girls state golf tournament at the River Valley Golf Course in Adel. She ended up placing 14th.
Last year, Axmear qualified for state once again. This time she brought her teammates with her.
Nevada placed eighth as a team during the 2023 state tournament at the Pheasant Ridge Golf Course in Cedar Falls. Axmear placed 14th individually for the second year in a row with a two-day, 36-hole score of 167.
She was not happy with that performance.
“I was really hoping for a top 10 finish,” Axmear said. “I used that to work hard in the summer."
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Axmear said she golfed in 10 tournaments all over Iowa last summer. She did so while also being a valuable member of the Nevada softball program.
“We make a deal where we don’t take batting practice until the (golf) season gets over,” said Nevada golf coach Michael Lawler. “Her season keeps going until state, so softball gets a little disgruntled.”
Lawler marveled at how much time Axmear was putting into bettering her game.
“The work ethic she has is second to none, and the competitiveness,” Lawler said. “She wants to improve and it’s still new to her, so there is that fresh passion.”
That work ethic paid off big during the 2024 Heart of Iowa Conference meet on May 1 at the Lincoln Valley Golf Course in Nevada.
Axmear carded a 4-over-par score of 76 to break the school record of 78 set by Claire Ausman in 2016. That score earned her HOIC medalist honors by five strokes over Roland-Story's Brinley Carlson.
“I went into it with a strong mindset,” Axmear said. “I double (bogeyed) the first hole, but I kept a strong mindset and kept pushing through. Persistence and perseverance really helped.”
Lawler was happy to see her get the school record.
“She put together a great round that day,” Lawler said. “She’d been close a bunch of times and it didn’t go her way. It was nice to see it happen.”
Axmear followed the HOIC meet by shooting a 77 at the Honey Creek Golf Course in Boone on May 3. On Tuesday, she carded a 36 during the Gilbert quadrangular dual meet at the Ames Golf and Country Club to tie Ausman's 2014 mark for the best 9-hole score in program history.
Her tremendous play has earned admiration from her teammates.
“It’s cool to see how much hard work she puts into it and encourages her other teammates,” said Nevada senior Reagan Schmidt. “I love to see her do well.”
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Axmear will go on to golf in college at the University of Dubuque. She is hoping to head into college with a lot of momentum after leading Nevada back to the 3A girls state golf tournament.
“We have been putting in a lot of work, following Olivia’s lead to try and get to state again this year,” Schmidt said.
Axmear said she is working a lot on her short game in preparation for the postseason. Nevada plays at the 3A Region 2 tournament held at the Nishna Hills Golf Club in Atlantic on May 15.
If she can make it through the regional meet, Axmear will get another crack at the Pheasant Ridge course. She said she would love to end her career by placing in the top 10 at state.
“I know she can,” Lawler said. “It’d be great to see it happen, and I hope it does.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Nevada girls golfer Olivia Axmear wants another trip to state meet
