Bulldog golfers sink top-five scores at state tourney
The Whitefish girls golf team, left to right: Annie Nixon, Megan Archibald, Gracie Young, Ella Shaw and Kendall Reed. (Photo courtesy of Bill Kahle)
Whitefish golfers capped off their strong seasons with two top-five finishes at the Class A State Tournament in Sidney.
The girls finished third overall, just behind first-place finisher Sidney and Lewistown.
Megan Archibald led the way for Whitefish at 10th place (194). Ella Shaw came in just behind at 11th (194) and senior Gracie Young came in tied for 13th (200).
Kendall Reed (225) and Annie Nixon (244) also added to the team effort.
“I was so proud of the girls,” head coach Bill Kahle said. “We had three girls qualify for all-state — Gracie, Ella and Megan.”
It was also the final weekend on the course for Young, the lone senior on the girls team.
“Gracie has been our team captain and a leader on the team for the last couple years. I was very proud of the way she handled the entire weekend, She had a lot of pressure on her and in my opinion played well over the weekend,” Kahle said.
On the boys side, Whitefish came in fifth overall.
Brendan Buls was the top finisher for the team with a 170. Cameron Kahle (181), Andrew Brozek (181), Grant Kahle (196) and senior Jamie Schwartz (197) rounded out the rest of the team’s scores.
The Whitefish boys did not have a top-15 finisher.
Kahle said the girls shaved off five strokes between the first and second days of the tournament, while the boys cut their score down nearly 50 strokes.
“We had several personal best tournament scores on both the boys and girls side,” Kahle said. “What a great way to both finish off the year and set the foundation for the next few years for our young team.”
Kahle pointed to his staff of coaches, including Doug Reed, Jeff Doorn, Sharon Kahle and Tait Rocksund, as well as the Gary Norby Junior Golf Foundation.
He also thanked the Sidney booster club and course professionals.
Looking ahead, the Bulldogs will return a young squad with some solid state-level experience next year.
“We only had one athlete on the boys side and two on the girls who had even been to a state tournament, so for them to go and kind of work the jitters out and understand what the pressure and intensity level is like at the state tournament, that’s what we were really looking for,” Kahle said. “What a great way to put an exclamation mark on a great season. I really like the way the future of Bulldog golf is looking right now.”
Class A State Golf Tournament
at Sidney Country Club
Par: 72; Yardage: B-6455, G-5537
Final
Boys
Team Scores — 1, Laurel 654; 2, Polson 663; 3, Billings Central 666; 4, Hamilton 670; 5, Whitefish 717; 6, Livingston 722; 7, Stevensville 727; 8, Frenchtown 479; 9, Belgrade 798; 10, Lewistown 799.
WHITEFISH (717) — Brendan Buls 93-77-170; Cameron Kahle 91-90-181; Andrew Brozek 99-82-181; Grant Kahle 95-101-196; Jamie Schwartz 107-90-197
Girls
Team Scores — 1, Sidney 722; 2, Lewistown 773; 3, Whitefish 815; 4, Miles City 860; 5, Polson 866; 6, Havre 877; 7, Libby 913; 8, Browning 978.
WHITEFISH (815) — Megan Archibald 101-93-194; Ella Shaw 99-97-196; Gracie Young 94-106-200; Kendall Reed 116-109-225; Annie Nixon 124-120-244