A State golf: Whitefish girls eye state title

With three-time defending girls Class A state champion Polson already ceding a fourth-straight title, one of its toughest conference foes is looking to keep the crown in the Northwest when the state tournament tees off today at Hamilton Golf Club.

Whitefish, which easily won the Northwestern A divisional by 51 points, enters the tournament with one of the top golfers in the state and a team featuring three others that were on the team that lost the state tournament by six strokes last season.

Bulldogs junior Coral Schulz, who finished third in Class AA each of her first two prep seasons while golfing for Helena Capital, has won four tournaments this season including last week’s divisional by 11 strokes over teammate Katie Fyall, herself a Class A state placer last season, finishing sixth.

Fyall and Malia Morris were all-state golfers at last season’s tournament at Polson Bay Golf Club, and Georgia Donaldson finished tied for 22nd. All four Whitefish golfers placed in the top 10 at divisional last week.

“Whitefish, they had a good divisional,” Polson coach Bob Owen said.

Polson, which returns two golfers from last season’s state championship team, didn’t have enough players to field a full team this season.

Host team Hamilton won the Southwestern, Havre the Central and Sidney the Eastern divisionals. Sidney’s Kaelyn Volk, Miles City’s Megan Ryan and Laurel’s Morgan O’Neil all shot in the 80s at the Eastern A divisionals, and could challenge Schulz on the long track at Hamilton.

“It is a pretty good challenge,” Owen said. “It’s pretty long and there’s some course-knowledge type holes where they’re going to have to be on their ‘A-game’ to score well there.”

The Whitefish boys are also looking to top the state, after back-to-back second-place finishes.

The Bulldogs have plenty of depth and enough talent to challenge Southwestern champions Hamilton for the crown.

Cody Olson won divisional last week by a stroke over teammate Mitch Young, while Joey Walp finished seventh. The trio has traded places as the top card for the Bulldogs and will look to outduel a talented group of Broncs led by Josh Heath and Ky Burch.

Along with the boys from Whitefish and Hamilton, Anaconda’s Caleb Stetzner will be contending for an individual title along with Billings Central’s Liam Clancy, who shot a 70 to win the Eastern A divisional.

Libby’s Jonny Cielak, Lewistown’s Tyrell Walter, Miles City’s Deven Doughty, Hardin’s Larkin Chandler, Glendive’s Dennis Berg and Sidney’s Luke Beenken will also be in the mix.

Billings Central won the Eastern A and Lewistown the Central.

“I think Hamilton is going to be tough to beat on their home course,” Owen said.

“I definitely see them as a contender.”