For the second straight year, Glacier High School’s Ryan Porch fell just short of becoming the second Class AA state golf champion in school history. And once again, it was Billings West’s Brandon McIver who got in his way.
McIver won his third straight individual title and helped the Golden Bears win their fifth team championship in six years. McIver carded a 70 in the first round and a 72 in the final round of the AA tourney in Butte over the weekend, good enough to beat Porch by one stroke.
Porch, a junior, had a two-day total of 73-70-143 to give him his second straight Class AA runner-up finish. McIver beat Porch by six strokes last year. Porch was trying to become the first Wolfpack champion since Larry Iverson III, who won in 2007 and 2008.
Porch’s efforts helped lead the Wolfpack to a second-place finish behind West. The Wolfpack have finished in the top three at the state tournament in each year of the program’s existence.
Logan Iverson finished tied for fifth with a 147. He placed sixth last year.
Glacier’s girls also turned in a solid performance, finishing fifth overall. The Wolfpack carded a two-day total of 704, which was 47 strokes behind overall champion Bozeman.
Hannah Davis was the Wolfpack’s lone all-state finisher, coming in 15th with a score of 92-82-174. The top 15 golfers at the state tournament qualify for all-state.
Flathead’s boys and girls both finished 12th.
In Class A, Polson won the girls title by 20 strokes over runner-up Livingston, shooting a 784 over two rounds. The Pirates were led by a balanced attack that featured four golfers in the top 15.
Makaliah Wilson had Polson’s top score with a 194, which was one stroke better than teammates Jaylin Kenney and Anna DiGiallonardo. Erin Tabish of Whitefish placed third overall to pace the Bulldogs’ fourth-place finish.
The individual champion was Laurel’s McKenzie Webinger, who shot a 158. Runner-up Kyla Clancy of Billings Central finished with a 162. Tabish’s score was 165.
In Class A boys, Whitefish senior Reed Platke, who will play at Washington State University next year, tied for fifth place in the final performance of his accomplished career. Platke was the Class A state champion his sophomore year and placed second at state as a freshman and junior.
Platke’s two-round total score of 150 was 11 strokes off the pace set by winner Eli Rogers of Hamilton. Rogers shot a 6-under 66 in the final round to lead Hamilton to its second straight Class A crown.
As a team, Hamilton shot a 614, which was 38 strokes better than second-place Livingston. Whitefish finished third overall with a score of 653.