Bulldog girls claim first in opening tourney
Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake Hayley Hileman tees off on the 10th hole of the Whitefish Lake Golf Club North Course during the Northwest A Kickoff Golf Tournament on Wednesday.
Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake Whitefish golfer Brendan Buls drives on the 14th tee of the North Course at Whitefish Lake Golf Club during the Northwest A Kickoff on Wednesday.
The Whitefish High School golf team teed off their season at the Northwest A Kickoff tournament at Whitefish Lake Golf Club last week.
The Bulldogs took third in overall team scores for the boys with 377, behind Polson, 327, and Columbia Falls, 351. The Whitefish girls took first in team scores with 377 also, led by strong second and third place individual scores from Hayley and Holly Hileman, who posted an 85 and 86.
Three Polson golfers, Carson McDaniel, Matt Hobbs and Trey Kelley, dominated the boys individual scores, but Whitefish sophomore Brendan Buls came in fourth, posting an 82.
First-year head coach Bill Kahle said he was happy with the early season play of his team.
“I think our team played really well. We have a really young team this year on the boys side. For a lot of them it was their first tournament,” he said.
Kahle said gaining experience for new golfers is key for setting the program up for long-term success. One new program he’s implementing is focused on individual goals, where each player sits down to write his or her expectations for the season, which could include things like breaking 80, shooting par a certain number of times on a course or more general improvements in swing technique.
“I’m a new coach and I’m following in some pretty gigantic footsteps,” he said. “Really, my goal this year is to make sure that the kids get better individually. I think we are going to be a very competitive team.”
Along with Buls and the Hileman sisters, Kahle said he expects big seasons from Paige Sproul, Gracie Young, Megan Archibald and Ryan Kemm.
Kahle credits the success of the kickoff tournament to Tim Olsen and his staff and the WLGC board, along with volunteers and others who helped out.
The Bulldogs continue the season at the Mission Mountain Invite in Ronan today.
Northwest A Kickoff
Wednesday
At Whitefish Lake Golf Club
Par 72
BOYS
Team scores — 1, Polson 327; 2, Columbia Falls 351; 3, Whitefish 377; 4, Frenchtown 405; 5, Browning 448.
Individual Top 5
1, Carson McDaniel, POL, 72; 2, Matt Hobbs, POL, 78; 3, Trey Kelley, POL, 80; 4, Brendan Buls, WF, 82; 5, Logan Peck, CF, 85.
GIRLS
Team scores — 1, Whitefish 377; 2, Polson 424; 3, Browning 456; Frenchtown NS; Columbia Falls NS.
Individual Top 5
1, Danielle Flynn, FTN, 83; 2, Hayley Hileman, WF, 85; 3, Holly Hileman, WF, 86; 4, Kiyara McCue, POL, 93; 5, Courtney Ockler, FTN, 94.