Glacier, Polson win team titles; Pack’s Cunningham, Tanner are medalists

After Trevor Cunningham of Glacier and Carson Hupka of Polson ended up tied at the end of 36 holes at the Kalispell Invitational golf meet Wednesday, it was decided a little playoff was in order.

It turned into a big playoff.

“It took five holes,” Cunningham, a sophomore, said when it was all over and he’d taken medalist honors. “My heart was pumping on those playoff holes, I tell you.”

It capped a banner day for the Wolfpack, who won the boys team title and saw Chloe Tanner take medalist honors for the first time on the girls side. Tanner shot Wednesday’s low round of 77 to win by one.

Cunningham, meanwhile, closed with a 1-under 70 at the Buffalo Hill Golf.Course, while Hupka shot a 69. The duel almost ended in regulation, on the 18th green.

“I didn’t know where I was standing until one of my teammates (Torren Murray) came up and told me I needed a birdie to win,” Cunningham said. He knocked his approach to 12 feet, but his birdie putt lipped out.

After scorecards were counted the pair went and played 18 again. And again. And then two more times. Each time Hupka hit driver from the tee while Cunningham hit a 4-iron, and then both players made par 4s.

Finally it was decided to play the “19th hole,” a makeshift par-3 that employs the practice green near the clubhouse.

Hupka ended up well short of the green before Cunningham knocked his tee shot to around five feet. His two-putt par won it.

Cunningham led four Glacier players — Torren and Tanyon Murphy and Sam Engellant — in the top six, and the Wolfpack scored 286 Thursday to win the team title by 17 strokes over Missoula Sentinel (299 Thursday, 595 total).

Polson, with Hupka leading the way, took third at 606.

Sentinel’s Kade McDonough, who narrowly missed a birdie putt on 18 that would have put him in the playoff, was third with a total of 142.

Tanner’s Thursday round allowed her to overtake Bigfork’s Keni Wade and Hellgate’s Anna Stenrud — both shot 78 at Northern Pines on Wednesday — for medalist honors with a two-day total of 157.

Wade won a “scorecard playoff” to finish second.

Polson, with Ashley Maki taking fourth at 165, won the team title by 30 strokes over Great Falls CMR. The Lady Pirates had four golfers finish in the top 17.

Great Falls High’s Hannah Boyd (166) was fifth and Lev Heaney of Missoula Big Sky (170) was fourth.

Glacier finished fourth in the team race while Flathead was eighth.

Kalispell Invitational

Wednesday, Buffalo Hill

BOYS

Team scores — 1, Glacier 578; 2, Missoula Sentinel 595; 3, Polson 606; 4, Hamilton 661;

5, Missoula Big Sky 663; 6, Great Falls CMR 672; 7, Whitefish 675; 8, Great Falls 691; 9, Columbia Falls 703; 10, Missoula Hellgate 727; 11, Bigfork 778.

Top 25 Individuals

Trevor Cunningham, Glacier* 71-70—141

Carson Hupka, Polson 72-69—141

Kade McDonough, Sentinel 70-72—142

Torren Murray, Glacier 72-73—145

Sam Engellant, Glacier 75-71—146

Tanyon Murray, Glacier 74-72—146

Colin McCarthy, Sentinel 71-76—147

Christian Lund, Polson 71-80—151

Jack Pinski, CMR 77-75—152

Hudson Goroski, Sentinel 80-74—154

Carson Towe, Big Sky 78-76—154

Gabe Shepard, Sentinel 78-77—155

Carson Bay, Sentinel 77-79—156

Riley Brown, Whitefish 77-79—156

Cole Dickemore, Hamilton 73-84—157

Michael Perkins, Great Falls 77-80—157

Wes Weber, Glacier 75-82—157

Colin Wade, Bigfork 83-75—158

Tyler Williams, Flathead 80-78—158

Tyce O’Connell, Hamilton 80-80—160

Korbin Eaton, Flathead 79-82—161

Josh Bender, Hamilton 76-86—162

Kaden Yeager, Big Sky 80-83—163

Espn Fisher, Polson 81-83—164

Hunter Emerson, Polson 74-91—165

GIRLS

Team scores — 1, Polson 731; 2, Great Falls CMR 761; 3, Hamilton 768; 4, Glacier 775; 5, Hellgate 784; 6, Sentinel 818; 7, Whitefish 827; 8, Flathead 843; 9, Great Falls 843; 10, Bigfork 859; 11, Columbia Falls 918.

Individual Top 25

Chloe Tanner, Glacier 80-77—157

Keni Wade, Bigfork 78-80—158

Anna Stensrud, Hellgate 78-80—158

Ashley Maki, Polson 86-79—165

Hanna Boyd, Great Falls 86-80—166

Lev Heaney, Big Sky 87-83—170

Ryann Walker, CMR 88-86—174

Emma Hollingsworth, Hamilton 92-83—175

Addie Tyree, Sentinel 91-90—181

Quincy Weymouth, CMR 91-91—182

Kylee Seifert, Polson 91-94—185

Brooklyn Brown, Hamilton 92-94—186

Leia Brennan, Whitefish 92-96—188

Madison Hixson, CMR 98-90—188

Kila Cannon, Polson 93-96—189

Cameron Burnett, Hamilton 100-91—191

Clare Konen, Polson 92-100—192

Landrie Anderson, Hellgate 96-99—195

Addy Bowler, Columbia Falls 103-94—197

Ryhlee Scott, Whitefish 103-95—198

Abbi Townsend, Glacier 103-97—200

Payzlee Boyce, Flathead 97-104—201

Braelyn Ryan, Glacier 106-98—204

Presley Clark, Hellgate 111-94—205

Opal Murray, Sentinel 104-107—211

Becca Vosen, Flathead 109-103—212

Kendal Wierson, Sentinel 107-105—212