LAUREL — Holding a healthy lead entering the final round, Kalispell’s Ryan Porch played it safe on a blustery Saturday at the 99th Montana State Men’s Amateur golf tournament, clinching the championship with a 1-over-par 73 to win by nine strokes.

Eastern Montana gave the field all it could handle on the final day at Laurel Golf Club, with winds reaching gusts of 24 mph earlier in the day. Speeds calmed to the low teens by the time Porch and the other leaders teed off in the afternoon, but it was a factor

“It was difficult. It was extremely windy today,” Porch said.

“The first two days there was really no wind. Nothing that you really had to think too much about. Today it was definitely gusting.

“I defintely played smart off the tee. You have to take the wind into consideration. If the pin is tucked on the left side of the green and the wind is blowing 20 mph left to right, you still have to aim left of the green just to get the ball back to the center of the green.

“I was still trying to make birdies but I was more trying to play for par. Just get as many pars as I possibly could.”

Fighting the wind, Porch played the front nine 2-over-par, but still held a six-stroke lead over Billings’ Jim Bob Coleman. After the turn, his strategy began to pay off.

Porch parred six straight holes on the back nine and with each put more pressure on the field to make up shots.

The tournament was practically in hand when he sunk a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th green to card his first under-par hole of the day. He capped the tournament with a birdie on 18, a hole he birdied each round, to win the tournament.

He was the only finisher under par for the tournament, finishing at 9-under 207. Coleman and Corvallis’ Tyler Jessop finished tied for second at even par 216.

It’s the first state amateur championship for Porch, who has been close many times, finishing a runner up in 2014 and 2015.

He also finished second at the Big Sky Conference championships golfing for the University of Idaho.

“I’ve played with the lead in the past and haven’t quite executed,” Porch said. “This year, I gave myself a pretty big lead. I never really felt pressured from my competitors, it was more pressure that I put on myself. Overall, I was doing everything I could to make pars.

“The runner-ups the past couple of years have definitely motivated me. I was tired of seeing second place. I wanted my name on the trophy. To finally cap it off and win, and be the only guy under par, is pretty cool.

“It’s been a good year. I haven’t quite finished off some of the tournaments the way I wanted to. To finally win this, it feels way better. It’s a long time coming.”

Whitefish’s Mark Mance closed with a 4-over 76 to tie for fourth place at 3-over 219 and Kalispell’s Logan Iverson finished in a tie for 13th at 11-over 227.

Porch and Iverson, former teammates at Glacier High School, won the Barnett Cup as the top club duo through 36 holes, both golfing out of Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell.

Montana State Amateur

Saturday

Laurel Golf Club

Yardage: 6,923; Par: 72

Final Round

Ryan Porch, Kalispell 68-66-73—207

Tyler Jessop, Corvallis 72-75-69—216

Jim Bob Coleman, Billings 70-72-74—216

Jerry Pearsall, Billings 73-72-74—219

Mark Mance, Whitefish 69-74-76—219

Gordon Webb, Malta 72-78-72—222

Payton Taylor, Hamilton 72-77-74—223

Josh Hedge, Billings 72-73-78—223

Jake Hedge, Billings 75-71-78—224

Austin Walter, Billings 78-74-73—225

Sean Benson, Billings 71-74-80—225

Eli Rogers, Hamilton 71-70-84—225

Logan Iverson, Kalispell 70-79-78—227

Scott Eide, Belgrade 76-71-80—227

Mark Houser, Bozeman 74-76-77—227

Craig Hurlbert, Hamilton 72-77-78—227

Conor Rooney, Whitefish 74-79-75—228

Marcus Drange, Billings 72-75-81—228

Joe Cielak, Libby 77-80-72—229

Chris Delaney, Frenchtown 74-76-80—230

Bobby Anderson, Laurel 76-78-77—231

Shawn Tucker, Whitefish 74-76-82—232

Jake McKinney, Laurel 78-80-74—232

Caleb Stetzner, Anaconda 69-79-84—232

Brad Fox, Laurel 74-83-76—233

Liam Clancy, Park City 73-77-83—233

Paul O’Neill, Laurel 76-73-84—233

HoTae Kim, Billings 77-74-82—233

Brad Grattan, Whitefish 75-78-80—233

Bill Leach, Bozeman 75-78-81—234

Cody Babinecz, Great Falls 77-80-77—234

Bennett MacIntyre, Helena 74-78-82—234

Scott Larson, Kalispell 78-78-79—235

Chris Goldan, Bozeman 75-80-80—235

Jordy Donoven, Kremlin 73-78-84—235

Garrett Woodin, Billings 74-75-87—236

James Russell, Shelby 77-79-80—236

Easton Enott, Great Falls 73-80-84—237

Sean Ryan, Great Falls 75-81-81—237

Colton Hudson, Huntley 72-78-87—237

Cory Donahue, Anaconda 78-79-81—238

DJ Kovach, Billings 75-79-84—238

Eric Nell, Billings 82-80-77—239

Bob Hasquet, Missoula 79-79-82—240

Drew Vanyo, Big Sky 84-80-77—241

Chris Hunter, Billings 82-78-82—242

Ryan Keenan, Bigfork 75-83-84—242

Barron Culver, Helena 81-76-86—243

Jacob Richards, Billings 81-77-85—243

Cassidy Degele, Billings 81-76-86—243

Payton Stott, Billings 79-83-82—244

Parker Jones, Billings 77-86-81—244

Tyson Odden, Bozeman 80-80-84—244

Derek Fuhs, Bozeman 83-80-82—245

Mark Huitchinson, Billings 80-80-85—245

S. Paladichuk, Great Falls 83-80-82—245

Peter Benson, Billings 80-79-87—246

Ron Ramsbacher, Missoula 83-78-85—246

Bucky Crippen, Missoula 75-84-87—246

Troy Wolff, Frenchtown 86-83-78—247

Danny Friez, Forsyth 83-83-81—247

Caleb Trost, Billings 80-85-82—247

Christoper Seder, Billings 83-80-84—247

Camden Caraveau, Billings 78-83-86—247

Brock Copenhaver, Wolf Pt 84-81-83—248

Ron Garland, Bozeman 75-88-85—248

Sean Ramsbacher, Missoula 83-76-90—249

Cal Stacey, Billings 80-87-83—250

Riley Kaercher, Billings 81-81-88—250

Nick Dietzen, Helena 84-83-83—250

Chad Thelen, Bozeman 82-83-85—250

David Mitchell, Billings 82-84-86—252

Brady Cady, Billings 85-84-83—252

Taylor Kuntz, Great Falls 91-78-83—252

Mark Luce, Livingston 81-83-88—252

Greg Jones, Kalispell 79-81-92—252

Peter Brown, Colstrip 81-81-90—252

Mac Keating, Billings 78-87-88—253

Kevin Woodin, Billings 83-85-85—253

Tevin Lewis, Helena 84-82-87—253

Jonny Cielak, Libby 84-79-90—253

Darin Marker, Billings 83-80-91—254

Dalton Kangas, Billings 80-89-85—254

Dublin Sullivan, Butte 82-85-87—254

Winston Oppelt, Livingston 86-82-86—254

Colton Hunt, Billings 83-82-90—255

Jack Johnston, Missoula 85-84-87—256

Kevin Humphrey, Billings 88-77-91—256

John Bensch, Sidney 80-79-97—256

Cory Preshinger, Helena 87-81-88—256

Parker Elliott, Billings 78-94-85—257

Philip Holten, Columbus 87-89-82—258

Dylan Neutgens, Billings 87-83-88—258

Daniel Tedlund, Billings 88-81-90—259

Joshua Berry, Billings 83-81-96—260

Frank Jackson, Missoula 80-85-96—261

Bryce Mocabee, Huntley 86-85-90—261

Nate Anderson, Billings 85-92-86—263

Blake Hasquet, Missoula 87-90-86—263

Garret Nielson, Bozeman 91-85-88—264

J.R. Small, Bozeman 87-87-90—264

Charles Buckner, Livingston 93-85-87—265

Cole Noctor, Butte 83-93-89—265

Thom Peck, Havre 87-87-92—266

Derek Wolff, Frenchtown 88-88-91—267

Tucker Tucker, Great Falls 90-85-93—268

Sheldon Degele, Columbus 88-88-92—268

Ryan Swan, Billings 87-90-92—269

Ben Kaul, Great Falls 92-88-90—270

Matt Gruener, Lewistown 91-84-96—271

Dave Friez, Forsyth 91-86-94—271

Lane Bradley, Colstrip 89-86-97—272

Alex Hilario, Billings 91-86-97—274

Machias Smith, Billings 90-89-96—275

Palmer Moylan, Bozeman 92-84-99—275

Eric Gislason, Whitefish 84-95-97—276

Willie Eide, Bozeman 86-96-95—277

Sean Wilson, Billings 99-88-91—278

Colton Oppelt, Livingston 89-95-95—279

Jeff Tutt, Billings 92-95-93—280

Logan Allen, Billings 92-100-90—282

Benji Crippen, Missoula 94-86-104—284

Todd Mason, Bozeman 93-93-100—286

Matt Cords, Bozeman 97-92-98—287

Jared Kahler, Bozeman 94-99-95—288

Charles Devries, Billings 96-94-98—288

Arthur Tucker, Hamilton 93-93-103—289

Troy Stiles, Billings 89-93-110—292

Bob Degele, Columbus 98-97-101—296

Greg Rizzo, Corvallis 99-104-94—297

Kevin Murphy, Helena 96-94-107—297

Brett Markovich, Missoula 95-110-94—299

Gage Passon, Billings 83-79—DNF

Riley Mayo, Billings 89­—DNF