State A golf preview: Schulz, Whitefish shooting for crown

Whitefish senior Coral Schulz hasn’t shied away from the spotlight in her impressive high school golf career.

She’s gotten better each season at the state tournament, finishing third in Class AA as a freshman at Helena Capital. Schulz led state for the Bruins her sophomore season before another third place finish.

She broke through last season after moving to Whitefish, running away from the Class A field with a four-stroke victory, helping the Bulldogs to a team state title.

With nowhere to go but up, the Class A field enters a largely unknown golf course, beginning Friday at Sidney Country Club. The far Eastern outpost of Class A, Sidney is only played by a handful of teams each season.

To counter any unkown issues, Schulz said she has been practicing what she can control: chipping, putting and hitting the ball straight.

“I’m going to have to chip and putt a lot there because the greens are totally different,” Schulz said.

“I’ve also been trying to work on my swing. I don’t know a lot about the course, but being straight on any course is good.”

The Bulldogs have another strong contender for a state title, with fellow all-stater Katie Fyall returning after finishing tied for fourth last season. Holly Hileman, who finished 32nd at state last year, was tied for fourth last week at the Western A divisional round.

Individually, Laurel’s Morgan O’Neil, who finished second last season, is one of the top contenders to unseat Schulz.

“(O’Neil’s) one of my good friends,” Schulz said.

“It’s kind of bittersweet because it’s my last tournament for high school, but I’m really excited for it.”

The Whitefish boys also field a strong team, winning the Western A last week, led by Joey Walp, who finished a stroke back of winning the tournament.

Billings Central’s Liam Clancy is the top returning finisher after state champion Caleb Stetzner and Anaconda dropped down to Class B.

Polson’s Carson McDaniel is among a group of contenders that includes Butte Central’s Tyge Yelenich, Hamilton’s Josh Heath and Max Toenjes and Miles City’s Deven Doughty.