Ryggs Johnston, Larry Barber Win 17th Flathead Beacon Pro-Scratch Invitational
The duo finished with a score of 130 across two days of play in the better-ball tournament
By Mike Kordenbrock
Pro golfer and Libby High grad Ryggs Johnston, playing with amateur partner Larry Barber, notched a first place finish Tuesday at the 17th annual Flathead Beacon Pro-Scratch Invitational.
The duo finished with a score of 130 across two days of play in the better-ball tournament, narrowly edging out the duo of Ryan Oliver and Trevor Hudecek, who took second place with a score of 131.
Third place honors went to Brandon Dixon and Thomas Korsholm, who ended the competition with a score of 134.
The competition, featuring 36 teams this year, kicked off Monday afternoon at Eagle Bend Golf Club in Bigfork, before continuing on Tuesday at the Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell. The total purse this year was $14,500.
Johnston said that his participation was something of a last-minute thing, with Barber, a fellow Arizona State golf alum, needing a pro after his original partner dropped out. The timing worked out nicely, as Johnston is back in Libby right now during a lull in the DP World Tour.
The two have known each other for years, and Johnston has played in the Beacon Pro-Scratch in the past. It sounded like a fun idea, so he got onboard.
While Johnston said that he went into it planning on playing to have a good time, some of those deep-down competitive feelings that he’s used to on the pro tour started to creep in once they reached the back nine.
Barber and Johnston were down three going into hole 10, and managed to dig deep and get things tied back up as the second day of play progressed. By the time they reached hole 18, Johnston found a 12-foot putt standing between himself and a win. As he described it, he “ended up rolling it in.”
“I knew it was to win and you know’ it’s not the biggest tournament I’ve ever played in, but it still meant a lot, and it was fun to feel that kind of pressure a little bit to make a putt to win a tournament,” Johnston said. “Because no matter how good you are at golf, you don’t get that that often.”
This year’s results also brought to an end Jimmy Mee and Kyle Weaver’s two-year winning streak. The team won the competition in 2024 and 2023, but finished this year in a three-way tie for fourth place with a score of 135.
