Blue Hawks Nygaard, Baxter earn State B golf berths
JOHN HAMILTON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months, 2 weeks AGO
THE BLUE HAWK GOLF TEAM – Assistant coach Mike Baxter, Aubrey Baxter, Solveig Nygaard, Blake Shusterman, Tristan Kelly, Lane Thilmony, Nathan Baxter, Billy Detlaff and head coach Doree Thilmony at the Old Works course in Anaconda during the Western B divisional tournament last week. (courtesy photo)
Old Works is a golf course unlike any other in Montana.
Fortunately for the Blue Hawks, Solveig Nygaard and Aubrey Baxter are also unlike many other golfers, as those two conquered the Old Works course and earned Western B All-Conference honors at the divisional tournament in Anaconda last week, and punched their tickets to the State B tournament in Billings this week in the process. That tournament was set to be played Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
Nygaard, a senior, and Baxter, a junior, qualified for this week’s State B golf tournament in Billings by finishing in the top 20 individually at the Western B, earning themselves yet another opportunity to compete against each other and all the other best Class B golfers in the process.
Solveig carded a 96 for eighth place individually and Aubrey scored a 97 to tie for ninth in Anaconda.
In Montana Class B golf, a top 20 place individually or a top three team place qualifies golfers for the State B tournament. All-conference honors are based on a top ten finish at the divisional tournament. Nygaard and Baxter have now checked all those boxes.
For the Thompson Falls boys, freshman Tristan Kelly shot a 90 to lead the Hawks finishing only three strokes behind the top 20 players, just missing a State B berth.
Senior Blake Shusterman shot a 96 at Old Works, Nathan Baxter carded a 102 and Billy Detlaff and Lane Thilmony got their first taste of Western B divisional golf on the difficult course, designed by the legendary Jack Nicklaus many years ago now, in Anaconda.
Coach Thilmony said the unique Old Works course is a challenging one to play, citing the very long fairways, slag bunkers and desert-like topography along the fairways. She said she will be taking away good memories from her 2026 Blue Hawk golf team.
“I appreciate Mike Baxter's technical skills with coaching and his patience with new golfers,” she said of her volunteer assistant coach and Aubrey and Nathan’s father. “We (also) want to thank Jesse Mosher and River's Bend Golf Course for allowing our high school golfers to participate on this great hometown course.”
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