Keenan steady on links for Vals
The one thing you can say about Sara Keenan's golf game so far this spring is that it's been very consistent.
In two outings, Keenan has tied for medalist honors with an 86 at Marias Valley Golf and Country Club in Shelby last month, and then last week in Missoula at the Loyola Invitational the sophomore carded rounds of 87 and 90 at Larchmont Golf Course and the Missoula Country Club to finish third with a 177 total.
Today, Keenan will be looking for another similar showing on her home course in the Bigfork Invitational. The 18-hole event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at Eagle Bend Golf Course with 11 schools in attendance - Bigfork, Cut Bank, Eureka, Fairfield, Loyola, Plains, Seeley-Swan, St. Regis, Shelby, Superior and Thompson Falls.
"She's a good little player," Bigfork coach Steve Hullett said of Keenan.
"She hits the ball long, she has a good overall game. She has her moments and she needs to work on that."
Hullett said one area she continues to work on is her putting.
Keenan's two main challengers today in the medalist battle will be Morgan Stevens of Shelby and Maggie Crippen of Loyola. Keenan and Stevens shared first place at the Shelby Invitational, while Crippen was second and 11 shots in front of Keenan at the Loyola Invitational.
Shelby has another top-10 caliber golfer in Claire Hooper, which will make the Coyotes a heavy favorite in the team battle.
On the boys side, Steven Schuster and Kyle Parker had been Bigfork's leaders in the first two outings.
Schuster tied for ninth at Shelby with a 90, while Parker, 79-82-161, placed fourth at Missoula.
Bigfork's boys were fifth at Shelby and third at Loyola.
"He's a solid player, he just needs to work on his overall game," Hullett said of Schuster.
"(Parker) is a good player. He has all the things you need, and the length. It's just a matter of him putting it all together and keeping it all together."
Schuster and Parker are juniors.
On the team front for boys, Loyola is the team to beat, led by Carter Bermingham,
Tim Swanson and Jesse Whidden. Those three finished 1-2-5 at their tournament. Bigfork is by far the next best team on the links today for its meet.