Hedge wins State Mid-Am; Polson’s Thomas 5th

BILLINGS — Jake Hedge of Billings grew up playing Yellowstone Country Club, and on Saturday he won the Montana State Mid-Am golf championship by four strokes on his home course.

The best golfers age 25 and up from around Montana competed in the 37th annual Mid-Am and Hedge — who played collegiately at Wyoming and Montana State-Billings — pulled away from fellow YCC member Christopher Hunter and Laurel’s Nathan Bailey on Saturday.

Bailey, who lost the Montana Men’s Amateur in a playoff to Billings’ Joey Moore in July and won the 2020 Mid-Am title, finished second to Hedge. He shot a final-round 70 for a 54-hole total of 212.

Hedge shot a closing 71 and finished at 8-under 208. He shot a 65 Friday to enter the final round in a tie with Hunter, who shot a 64 the same day. Hunter closed with a 76 and ended up at 213, five strokes back.

Last year’s Mid-Am champion, Gordon Webb of Malta, shot 215 to take fourth; in fifth was PJ Thomas of Polson Bay Golf Course, who shot a closing 69 and ended up at 1-over 216.

Missoula’s Bill Dunn was 11th at 225. Dunn won this event in 2021 and in early August won the Montana Men’s Senior Amateur at Canyon River in East Missoula.

Whitefish’s Brad Grattan and Gene Walsh finished 2-3 at Canyon River; Grattan was the defending Senior Am champ. In fourth was Tommy Lindell of Kalispell’s Buffalo Hill Golf Club.

Lindell was the next-best Flathead Valley finisher at YCC; he shot 75-79-80 and finished 22nd at 234.

Complete results can be found at msgagolf.com.