Local golfers dominate Flathead Valley Junior Tour
From Tee To Green- Tim Olson and Terry Nelson
The first of the series of Flathead Junior Tour events was hosted by Whitefish Lake Golf Club last Wednesday with nearly 50 players participating. The local players were fairly dominant in the event, with four local players winning their age bracket.
Ben Hilleboe fired a great round of 74 in winds that hit as high as 40 mph. on the South Course. Ben hit his irons flawlessly to win his age group by five shots over his nearest competitor. Derek Denning continued his excellent play with an 80 to win his age group by two shots over Zak Wooten. Tyler Holtet finished in third place with a score of 81 despite a quad and triple bogey in his round.
Alex Micklewright's score of 85 was the low round for the girls in the event. Playing in the 14-15 year old age group, Chelsea Ray fired a 92 over the South Course to win her age group by over 25 shots. Maresa Jenson was only able to complete 9 holes and posted a 38 at the turn.
This week the tour was at Meadow Lake on Monday, July 12 and in Libby on Wednesday the 14th. Next week the events will be at Buffalo Hills on Monday, July 19, and Wednesday at Polson, July 21, both start at 2 p.m. Interested players need to call the respective courses ahead of time and plan to arrive at least an hour before the tee time to register.
Corrections for
previous column
The old coach needs to apologize for mistakenly omitting Robert Sullivan in the list of previous local standout junior players to represent Montana at the America's Cup Tournament. Robert is not only an exceptional player but an outstanding young man as well. Also needed to correct is not giving Jackie Little credit for chairing the Ladies Invitational at Whitefish Lake Golf Club this week. Jackie has been in charge of the event for the last three years.
Montana State Amateur
Play begins for the 2004 Men's State Amateur Championship on Tuesday, July 20, with all four days scheduled for the North Course. Approximately 200 players are competing for the top honors of being the best player in Montana. Expect Jeff Ballard the winner of the 4th of July Tournament to be a strong contender in 2004. Local players could contend using their course knowledge and golf skills to challenge the leaders. Steve Gold, who won the 1st Flight in the 4th of July has his game cooking lately, including a 66 on the South Course Sunday afternoon. The State Amateur offers a great chance for golf fans to watch by following their favorite players or picking a spot to check how each group plays a hole.
Couple's Event
The next couple's event is set for Sunday, July 25. These fun events are scheduled for play to begin between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. so get your partner and register in the Golf Shop.