Mackenzie-Olson wins State Mid-Am; Grattan 2nd at Masters-40

MSGAgolf.org 

POLSON — Ian Mackenzie-Olson and Nicholas Balcken came out winners at the 39th 

Montana State Men’s Mid-Amateur and Master-40 Championships, with dramatic finishes in both competitions. 

Coming into day three tied for the lead, Great Falls’ Mackenzie Olson racked up  

h five birdies and only one bogey to finish the day at 4-under 68 and 12-under 204 overall. The assistant superintendent at Meadow Lark Country Club had gone 35 straight holes without a bogey, but his first Montana state championship  didn’t come easy. Malta’s Gordon Webb put himself in position to tie Mackenzie-Olson with an eagle put on 18, but it just lipped out to leave him one stroke back. 

Webb, a Montana Golf Hall of Famer who on the State Amateur in 2008 and the Mid-Amateur in 2022, had eight birdies and four bogeys on day three for a 68.  

In third place was 2025 State Am champion Payton Taylor of Missoula, at 5-under 211. Rounding out the top five were Kalispell’s Travis May and Shelby’s James Russell, both at 212.  

The Master-40 also came down to the end: Helena’s Balcken, who began his round with a four-shot lead, double bogeyed the first hole and spent the rest of the day fighting off a host of pursuers.  

Playing two groups ahead, Whitefish’s Brad Grattan made a run with six birdies against two bogeys for a final round 68.   

Having settled down and collected two birdies, Balcken went into the 18th tied with Grattan. Needing a birdie, he made a clutch eagle putt instead to win by two strokes — his second MSGA championship to go with his State Match Play crown in 2025. Balcken finished at 9-under 207, Grattan at 209. 

In third place was recent Montana Golf Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Pearsall of Billings, who had a three-day score of 5-under 211. Spencer Williams (Helena) finished in fourth place at 213 and Ron Ramsbacher ended up in fifth place at 214.  

Along with the two championship trophies, the MSGA also awarded out the Gene Cook Cup — for lowest scoring two players from the same club — to Taylor and Logan Iverson of Missoula’s Ranch Club.  

Joe Tomes Award for the best score of players age 50 and older went to Grattan; the Dick Pitman Award for lowest individual round went to Russell, who shot a 64 in Friday’s second round. 

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