Whitefish golf looks to competitive season ahead on the green

The Whitefish high school golf team ended last season with a bang — the boys became state champions, last year’s senior Cameron Kahle took the individual title for the second time and the girls placed fourth in a competitive field.

According to new head coach Tait Rocksund, the teams are looking for another season where they hope to be at the top.

“I think if we play the golf that we’re capable of on both the boys and girls’ side, we’re going to be very competitive for a state title and we’ll just have to see what happens when we get there,” he told the Pilot.

The Whitefish girls graduated five seniors last year, but the program has four strong girls signed up for the upcoming season. Returning senior Anyah Cripe will lead the Lady Bulldogs squad this year; another returner is junior Tallory Workman and the girls also have a senior transfer from Dubai and an incoming freshman, both with strong golf games according to the coach.

“The four girls we have out are very talented, so we are looking forward to that and just building some momentum with the girls team,” Rocksund said. “I think we are going to be kind of sneaky with how good we are this year.”

The girls finished fourth at state last year and hope to build on that this season.

On the boys side, the Bulldogs are riding seemingly endless momentum.

The boys team took the State A Championship last year under the leadership of high school standout golfer Cameron Kahle. Last spring the individual State A champion accepted an offer to play golf at the Air Force Academy. Kahle played outstanding golf by winning back-to-back state titles his junior and senior year at WHS, but he was also a leader on the Bulldog team.

“Cameron was such a great representation, and we miss him,” Rocksund said. “He’s a great golfer too, but him hanging out and being here for practice is really what we miss because he just brought all that intangible leadership.”

The boys team moves on this season without Kahle, but Rocksund says there are plenty of golfers already stepping up. One of them being Billy Smith — a current senior who in the championship last fall lost to Kahle on a playoff hole.

Smith put in a lot of work over the offseason in the golf simulator as well as from a physical standpoint, and the coach says he’s ready for some competition.

“Billy Smith is probably our top boy at this point returning, he’s getting some looks already from the Division I level,” Rocksund said.

Two more spots on varsity will be filled by returners Johnny Nix and Marcus Kilman, but Rocksund says the competition for the fourth and fifth spots is intense with several experienced golfers gunning for them.

The boys team also was able to play in the High School Golf Nationals this summer at Pinehurst Resort, and Rocksund says the experience only brought them closer together as a team.

“It was an experience of a lifetime really…” he said. “It’s not just about the scores, that extra team feeling and time together goes a long way.”

Golf will kick off its season on Wednesday, Aug. 18 against Laurel at Old Works Golf Course in Anaconda.