HHS golfers set for Great Falls Invite

The Havre High boys and girls golf teams got to start the high school golf season on a familiar course and against familiar opponents.

But the second varsity golf tournament of the season will be much different for the Blue Ponies.

Monday morning, the HHS varsity teams will compete at the prestigious Great Falls Invitational. The tournament is a two-day, 36-hole event featuring every Class AA school, as well as the Ponies and Whitefish from the Class A ranks.

Havre started off the season Tuesday with the Havre High Golf Tournament at Prairie Farms Golf Course. It was an especially good start for the Pony girls, who easily finished first in the team competition.

Senior Katie Beck led the way with a 97, while sophomores Payton Howard and Randi Gabrielson were right behind her. Seniors Boston Swensen and Nikki Gabrielson also played consistent golf at Prairie Farms, and will round out the Blue Pony varsity lineup in Great Falls.

Meanwhile, the HHS boys were led by Jerod Boles’ 85 on Tuesday. Boles will take the No. 1 spot for Havre in Great Falls, while fellow sophomore Jeff Miller, who shot 87 Tuesday, will play No. 2. Junior Wyatt Lindbloom shot 98 in his first HHS golf tournament and will man the No. 3 spot for the Ponies, while the last two varsity spots will be filled by freshmen this week. Kane Gabrielson, who shot 92 in the junior varsity meet Tuesday is now No. 4 for the Ponies, while Dustin Haas, who shot an outstanding 89 Tuesday, will play No. 5.

Monday and Tuesday will also be a great test for the Pony golfers as they play two difficult golf courses, though they won’t be playing the famed Meadow Lark Country Club. The course is usually part of the Great Falls Invite rotation, but a scheduling conflict means Anaconda Hills will be used instead. The format for the Great Falls tourney has the girls playing Eagle Falls day one and the boys at Anaconda Hills, with the two groups switching courses for the second day.

The Great Falls Invite, which gets underway Monday at 9:30 a.m., marks the start of a busy stretch of golf for the Ponies. Havre will then travel to East Glacier for back-to-back tournaments Aug. 29 and Sept. 6, respectively.