Maggie Crippen surges ahead of field on Day 1 of 4th of July Tournament

WHITEFISH — Maggie Crippen had just one problem on Thursday at the end of her first round at the 81st Annual Whitefish Lake Golf Club 4th of July Tournament.

“I know that I’ll probably have the worst derby partner tonight, so I’m not too thrilled about that,” Crippen said with a smile.

Such is life at the top of the leaderboard.

Crippen raced out to a three-stroke lead over the field in the Ladies’ Championship Flight with a first-round 68 on the North Course. Fellow Missoula native Kylie Esh sits in a tie for second with Butte native Hailey Hoagland after both women fired a 1-under-par 71 in Round 1.

“I didn’t have a bogey,” Crippen said.

“I’d never done that before, so it was kind of cool for me. I was nervous coming down the stretch. But yeah, I was really solid. I made the putts I needed to make for par that were like six or eight feet, and then I was just really patient and made birdies and eagles when the time came.”

On the men’s side, local players occupy five of the top six spots on the leaderboard after Day 1.

Kalispell’s Logan Lindholm, who in 2013 became the first northwest Montana golfer to win the Montana State Mid-Amateur championship, shot 5-under 66 on the South Course, placing him in a tie for first with Billings’ Joey Moore, the reigning MHSA Class AA state champion.

Prep standout Ryggs Johnston of Libby, a fourth-place finisher at last year’s 4th of July Tournament, sits a stroke off the lead after posting a 4-under 67. He’s closely followed by a trio of Whitefish residents, all of whom are well within striking distance with two rounds remaining.

Brad Grattan shot 3-under 68, Conor Rooney rounded out the top 5 with a 2-under 69 and Mark Mance finished the round at 1-under 70.

Whitefish Lake Golf Club head pro Tim Olson said the South Course presents a challenge and requires “spectacular golf” to score low, but he added that it also contains opportunities for the top competitors to make up ground.

“For our lower handicaps, our South Course — it’s a course where we can go low,” Olson said.

“There’s a lot of birdie opportunities, a lot of risk and reward. For the better players, there’s a lot of birdies out there for those guys.”

Olson’s point was proven Thursday.

Low scores were posted by a handful of players, but the field as a whole found the course challenging. Only 10 golfers in the Men’s Championship Flight scored at or below par.

Both defending champions were among those who struggled in Round 1.

Andrew Medley, the men’s champion in 2016, carded a 6-over 77, while Sadie Crippen, who edged her older sister Maggie by a stroke to win last year’s ladies’ title, shot 11-over 83.

“Just trying to have fun,” Sadie Crippen said.

“I haven’t played much this summer, so I’m honestly just happy to be golfing.”

Maggie Crippen also was quite happy given her performance, which included eight consecutive pars to begin the round.

She picked up a birdie on No. 9, drained a six-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 16th and closed with another birdie on No. 18.

It was quite the start for Crippen, who is looking to avenge last year’s narrow defeat at the hands of her sister.

“It’s always competition,” Crippen said.

“I’m three years older than her, and she’s two years behind me in school. … I’m not working right now, so I’ve got time to practice. She’s been working and I’ve been golfing.”

The top 5 men will tee off on the North Course on Friday over the course of an hour, beginning at 9:40 a.m. The ladies will play the South Course, with Hoagland first among the leaders off the tee at 10:20 a.m.

The Crippen sisters, paired together for Friday’s round, will begin their rounds at 10:30 a.m.

The men’s derby will follow the full day of golf at 5 p.m.

Though Maggie Crippen said it is nice to be on top after one round, she knows there is still work to be done.

“Can’t win a tournament in a day,” Crippen said.

“The short tees are nice, because it gives you a lot of chances to go low. But there were still some tough pins. You still have to shoot the score, even if it is short.”