CMR, GFH golfers tee off to start new prep season
The Montana prep sports season is officially underway as golfers hit the links earlier this week for the first action of the new year.
Great Falls High is once again led by veteran coach Lance Olson, while former C.M. Russell High star Rylie Carmichael takes over the Rustlers golf squad after several years as an assistant.
Both CMR and Great Falls High saw some early success at the season-opening Great Falls Invitational and will head to the Billings Invite on Monday and Tuesday split between Peter Yegen and Lake Hills golf courses.
The Eastern AA tournament is scheduled for Sept. 21-22 in Bozeman, with the top-15 finishers advancing to the state meet the following week in Billings.
Here is a look at the Bison and Rustler golf teams for the 2023 season.
Great Falls High
The Bison girls finished 12th in the team standings following the Great Falls Invite on Monday and Tuesday, but Olson’s squad has plenty to look forward to this fall.
Great Falls High returns junior Hanna Boyd, who is coming off an All-State performance at the state tournament last season. Boyd finished sixth at the home meet with a two-day total of 165 in a field that featured all 16 Class AA schools.
“She puts a lot of pressure on herself and when she releases that pressure she starts golfing well,” Olson said. “She had a couple of rough starts both days, but she finished strong and I’m proud of the way she battled through that. The first couple of holes got her, but once she got through that she played really, really well.”
Boyd fully committed to golf following her eighth-grade year, so her rise has been the result of a lot of hard work, Olson said. This summer, Boyd was the youngest female golfer in the Montana State Amateur Tournament, and she also competed well in the Montana-Alberta Cup.
“She’s put herself in some pressure-packed situations and she’s learned from those experiences,” Olson said. “She’s probably one of the hardest workers at golf that I’ve had in a long, long time and the results are showing.”
Another bright spot for the Bison girls this season is the roster as a whole. This is the first season in about four years Great Falls High has had enough varsity golfers to qualify for a team score, Olson said.
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“I had 10 girls come out this year which is way more than I’ve had in a while, so it was great to see,” Olson said.
Also currently in the five-player lineup for the Bison girls are Callie Criss, Grace Woldtvedt, Neva Clark and Fara Hayes.
Michael Perkins is the No. 1 golfer for the Bison boys again this season after qualifying for state last fall.
“He’s a solid leader for me and he leads by example and shows the other boys what we need to do as a team and I’m proud of the work that he puts in,” Olson said.
The rest of the Great Falls High boys’ top five will be “fluid” this season, Olson said, with players 2-8 in the lineup being within a stroke or two of each other on average.
Connor Sturgis and Landon Donnelly will return to action in Billings, while Jake McCluey and Kaden Buchanan will join after Eric Bell and Ethan McCurdy saw action at the Nos. 4-5 spots at the opening tournament.
With only a pair of returning state qualifiers from last season, the Bison have been focusing greatly on the mental aspects of the game and looking to improve in the short game.
“It’s about mental toughness. We stressed doing a lot more mental work rather than technical work on the course,” Olson said. “And if we can get that short game under control, I think our scores are going to be where they need to be by the end of the season.”
C.M. Russell High
Carmichael takes the reins of a Rustler program after four years as an assistant to longtime mentor Brian Halverson, who announced his retirement earlier this year.
An All-State golfer for CMR and Halverson in 2014 and 2015 Carmichael golfed for one year at Rocky Mountain College in Billings before stepping away from golf for a few years to earn a business degree at MSU-Billings. She now owns and operates the White Bear Baking Company in Great Falls.
“Overall, I’m just grateful for the opportunity and excited to work with the kids,” Carmichael said. “It’s nice to be back at my alma mater and work with these kids. Halverson was a big impact in my life as a coach, so I’m hoping I can have the same impact for these kids, too.”
The CMR girls started out the year strong at the Great Falls Invite with a fourth-place showing as a unit. Leading the way was state qualifier Ryann Walker, who earned a two-day total of 175 to take 12th among golfers from all AA schools.
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“Our girls came ready right out of the gate,” Carmichael said. “All of the three teams above us are ahead of us in our division, but if we can keep that fourth spot, that would be incredible. I see a lot of potential in our girls and I’m excited to see them grow.”
Transfer Madison Hixson was just outside the top 15 for the Rustlers in 17th at the opening tournament, while sophomore and state-qualifier Quincy Weymouth returns to the lineup as well as juniors Taylor Thompson and Danica Lewis.
“Most are returners and they know the drill and are excited to be there, so I can only imagine that their scores are only going to get lower throughout the season,” Carmichael said.
Senior James Pinski — a state-meet qualifier — was the top finisher for the Rustler boys in Great Falls, followed by younger brother and freshman Jack Pinski.
“They have quite a competitive rivalry going on but I try to remind them that they’re teammates first,” Carmichael laughed. “James and Jack have huge potential.”
The varsity lineup at the Great Falls Invite included junior Mark Sondegaard, senior A.J. Wells and freshman Jackson Hageman.
“There were so many boys that came out for tryouts and I was able to keep 17,” Carmichael said. “There’s about six or seven who are competing for that No. 5 spot weekly. It’s going to be fun to see how the boys transform and grow and see how their scores can drop.”
With three golfers returning with state tournament experience, Carmichael said she’s excited to see the growth of the team over the course of the season.
“For these new guys that are coming out, it’s important to get them out in a competitive environment where they are scoring with other kids and can feel the pressure of that,” Carmichael said. “Golf is a very mental game, so I’ve got a lot of work to do with them with that. So, it should only get better throughout the year with more practices, more time with me and their swings and things like that.”
This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: CMR, GFH golfers tee off to start new prep season
