Great Falls High golfer Hanna Boyd named Girls' Athlete of the Fall
Another season culminated in another fine ending for Great Falls High golf’s Hanna Boyd.
The junior finished sixth at the Class AA state meet row at Lake Hills Golf Course in Billings at the end of September, earning her second straight All-State finish for the Bison.
The Tribune has named Boyd the 2023 Girls’ Athlete of the Fall season after finishing in the top six at the state meet for consecutive seasons.
Boyd fully committed to golf after her eighth-grade year, Bison head coach Lance Olson said during the season, finishing 35th at state as a freshman. Her hard work continued prior to her sophomore season, resulting in a big jump in the standings.
“She worked and worked and worked and her freshman year, it was just getting used to the tournaments and the pressure and seeing what that atmosphere was,” Olson said. “And last year during the offseason again she put a ton of work in and got some lessons and vaulted to sixth (at state). I was really proud of her on that one.”
Boyd’s lowest finish over six tournaments this fall was 11th at the Eastern AA Divisional in Bozeman with a two-day total of 180, but shaved 18 strokes off that mark for a 162 at state in Billings.
At the Belgrade Invite in late August, Boyd turned in a two-round score of 161, shooting a season-best round of 75 on the first day to take third overall.
She also had a fourth-place showing at the Billings Invitational with her lowest score of the season, firing a 157 over two days. In all, Boyd earned top-10 finishes in five of six tournaments and took seventh or better in four of those meets.
Olson said Boyd is highly competitive but learns to turn off the outside noise during the stress of a tournament.
“She puts a lot of pressure on herself and when she releases that pressure she starts golfing well,” Olson said.
Boyd was the youngest female golfer at the State Am last summer and also participated in the Montana-Alberta Cup.
“Those tees (at the State Am) were way farther back than she was used to, so that was a good experience for her,” Olson said. “And she went up (to Canada) and did really well up there.”
Boyd’s commitment to golf in the offseason and playing in multiple tournaments continued to pay dividends, Olson said.
“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.”
This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Great Falls High golfer Hanna Boyd named Girls' Athlete of the Fall
