Blue Ponies set to let it fly at Prairie Farms

The Havre High golf teams got the 2019 season on the links off to a fast start at the Great Falls Invitational Monday and Tuesday, and the pace will keep up. The Blue Ponies' next tournament is one they look forward to the most.

The HHS varsity teams will be home Thursday morning to host the annual Havre Invitational, which is set for Prairie Farms Golf Course. Teams joining Havre Thursday include, Lewistown, Browning, Great Falls High, CMR, Sidney and Hardin, and new Blue Pony head coach George Ferguson is more than excited.

"I'm really looking forward to our invite," Ferguson said. "Knowing the past coaches and being around the Havre Invite because of the Havre Daily News all these years, I've always enjoyed that day so much. So, now that I'm coaching it, it's even going to be more fun.

"It's a big day for our kids, for our program, and our golfing community," he continued. "We only get to host one varsity meet every year, and playing on our home course is something that's very important to our kids. So it's going to be an exciting day."

Not only will the Pony golfers get to play on their home course but, against a tough field, they'll also be looking to make sure to utilize their home course advantage.

"Of course, we intend on playing some really good golf Thursday," Ferguson said. "Our kids know the course. They know the tee shots and the greens. They play there all the time. So that's a big advantage, just like it is for any team that hosts their own tournament. And we've got quite a few kids now who have played in this tournament at least once or twice, so I expect the kids will play very well."

Ferguson also said his varsity teams should play well because now they have some competitive rounds under their belts.

Havre wrapped up the season-opening Great Falls Invite Tuesday at Eagle Falls Golf Course, where the Ponies were the only Class A team in the field, which featured all 15 AA boys and girls squads.

"Great Falls was a great experience for our kids," Ferguson noted. "Both courses were really tough, and at times our scores probably weren't what some of our players were hoping for. But it was a really good test to start the season. Every group was filled with top-notch AA players, and both days, the courses presented so many different challenges, so what a great learning experience for our kids. And what I really liked was, the kids were very positive. No matter what their scorecards said, they were very positive and used the two days as a learning experience."

The Havre boys finished the two-day tournament, which began Monday at the difficult Meadowlark Country Club, with a 743. Junior Caleb Chambliss led the way for the Ponies with two outstanding days of golf. On Monday, Chambliss fired an 88, and followed that up with an 84 Tuesday. Sophomore Caleb Spangler posted a strong 89 on Monday, and a 94 Tuesday, while Josh Warp and Tyrel Kjersem bounced back from rough outings Monday to post scores of 89 Tuesday. Sophomore Theron Peterson rounded out the scoring for the Ponies with rounds of 103 and 98.

"I was really encouraged by what I saw from our boys on Tuesday," Ferguson said. "Meadowlark played so tough and beat some of our boys up pretty good. But they all responded really well Tuesday morning and played stretches of really good golf.

"I can't say enough about the two Calebs," he continued. "Caleb Chambliss played some very consistent golf, both days, and any time he had a tough hole, he'd bounce right back. And Caleb Spangler, just wow. It was his first high school golf tournament and he goes out to Meadowlark and plays great golf. So those two really sparked us, but all our boys played their share of good golf in Great Falls."

The young Havre girls team struggled under the tough courses in Great Falls, with Jocelyn Staples leading the way shooting rounds of 116 and 199, while Sophie Kirkpatrick and Carlee Kato rounded out the scoring for the Ponies.

"This was a pretty tough way to start the season for our girls," Ferguson said. "They just don't have a lot of experience on courses like that, but I wanted them to play because I think, in the long run, they will learn a lot from those two days. I know it was tough for them out there at times, but I also saw them staying really patient, staying very positive and staying focused on just playing competitive golf, and not worrying about their scorecard or their opponents. That's what I wanted them to do this week, and they did a great job of that. So, I think the experience in Great Falls will help them tremendously, and I expect that will start with Thursday."

Indeed. Ferguson said he is excited to see how playing in the Great Falls Invite translates to Thursday's 18 holes at Prairie Farms. Like he said, it's the Ponies' only varsity invitational, so, he wants to see his kids embrace being on their home course, but also playing their best golf so far.

"From what I saw in Great Falls, I think our kids will do very well in the Havre Invite," Ferguson said. "I think we'll see all of our kids improve their scores. I think they have some confidence now, and they're more tournament-ready, and when you add in the fact that they're all comfortable at Prairie Farms, I think that's a recipe for a really fun and exciting day for them, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do."

The 2019 Havre Invitational will shotgun start at 9 a.m. Thursday at Prairie Farms Golf Course. The Pony varsity teams continue their busy first week of the season with Saturday's Browning Invitational at the East Glacier Lodge Golf Course.