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Whitefish caps golf season at state tourney

JULIE ENGLER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 6 months AGO
by JULIE ENGLER
Julie Engler covers Whitefish City Hall and writes community features for the Whitefish Pilot. She earned master's degrees in fine arts and education from the University of Montana. She can be reached at [email protected] or 406-882-3505. | October 4, 2023 12:00 AM

Three Whitefish Bulldogs had a long drive to Sidney for the Class A State golf tournament. Whitefish Coach Tait Rocksund said the players represented Whitefish very well during the 36-hole tournament.

The course at the Sidney Country Club was in great shape and the weather was good. Players dealt with a bit of wind on day two but Rocksund said it did not have a big effect on the scoring.

Polson’s boys team and girls team won first place. Laurel and Corvallis finished in second and third, respectively, for the boys and Billing Central and Hamilton rounded out the top three in the girls division.

“Polson was able to secure state titles on both sides, which shows how competitive it was in the Western A this year for golf,” said Rocksund.

The top individuals were Hunter Emerson of Polson who shot 144 and Katie Lewis of Frenchtown with 148.

For the Bulldogs, Leia Brennan shot 209 over the course of two days, while teammate Ryhlee Scott shot 218. For the boys, Otto Klein scored a 184.

“I look forward to next year. We have a young team with a lot of talent,” said Rocksund. “If we can clean up our scoring shots, I like our chances to get both teams to state next year.”

Results:

Boys Team: 1. Polson 612, 2. Laurel 615, 3. Corvallis 635, 4. Livingston 641, 5. Billings Central 668, 6. Hamilton 702, 7. Lewistown 711, 8. Ronan 713

Top Individuals: 1. Hunter Emerson, Polson, 144; 2. Brady Powell, Corvallis, 145; 3. Aubrey Kelley, Livingston, 146; 4. Carson Hupka, Polson, 147; 5. Reece Malyevac, Libby 149

Girls Team: 1. Polson 736, 2. Billings Central 760, 3. Hamilton 767, 4. Frenchtown 799, 5. Sidney 808, 6. Dillon 809, 7. Lockwood 813, 8. Laurel 843

Top Individuals: 1. Katie Lewis, Frenchtown, 148; 2. Keni Wade, Bigfork, 60; 3. Ashley Maki, Polson, 161; 4. Jori Haugen, Billings Central, 170; 5. Kylee Seifert, Polson, 174

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