Four Blue Ponies tee it up one last time

By Havre Daily Staff

The high school golf season is the shortest of all sports seasons in Montana. That doesn't mean however, that the Havre High golfers headed to the season finale this weekend, haven't been grinding hard, day-after-day, week-after-week, to get to this moment.

And now the moment is upon four Blue Pony golfers as they head to Hamilton for the Class A state tournament, which runs Friday and Saturday at the tough, Hamilton Golf Club.

"These kids have truly earned this opportunity," HHS head coach George Ferguson said. "And I'm so excited for them. That's the beauty and sometimes heartache of this sport, no one hands you anything. You have to go out and earn your spot, and the four players who have come this far have done that. And I'm really happy for them."

The Havre girls took fifth place at last weekend's Eastern A Divisional, advancing junior Shea Reber and sophomore Brenna Hanson to the state tourney, while the HHS boys placed seventh, and moved juniors Shane Patacsil and Reid Kato on to state. The group will see three of the four playing at the state tourney for the first time, as overall, the Blue Ponies were a very young roster this season.

Reber, however, is making her second straight trip to state, after she earned All-Conference honors at last weekend's Eastern A. Reber shot a personal best 94 to finish eighth on a tough, windy day in Billings.

"Shea is playing great golf right now," Ferguson said. "She is really peaking at the right time. She's hitting it well, and just getting better every single time she goes out on the course. Shea has really become one of the top golfers in Class A, and I'm very proud of her and I think she'll do really well this weekend, because not only is she playing at a high level, she's got experience on her side as well."

Experience may not be on the side of the rest of the Blue Pony team, but Ferguson insists, the Ponies have a chance to do big things in Hamilton.

"The kids we're taking to state are doing exactly what our main goal has been all season long," Ferguson said. "That's just get better, just keep working towards peaking at the right time, and they've all done that. Shane and Reid have really come on strong, and what can you say about Brenna, she's a first-year golfer who is already All-Conference, and this tournament is going to help her get better and better. So this group has already achieved everything we've set out to do this season, and that's a testament to how hard they've worked."

Hard of course, also sums up the state tournament. Hamilton is a hilly, and tree-lined layout with water and out of bounds in play. Add in some poor weather conditions expected for Thursday's practice round and Friday's first round, and the course will be as tough as it gets.

The field too is tough.

On the boys side, Polson, Whitefish and Livingston all will be gunning to unseat defending state champion Laurel, while the Polson girls will be the main rival for the defending champion Locomotives in the team competition.

For Havre, though, this week is about individual competition, as the Ponies aren't eligible for a team score. So, from that end, Ferguson said his players can just relax and focus on their ball, their game, and their scores.

"I just want the kids to go out and play their best golf of the season," Ferguson said. "This will be a great springboard into next season for not only these four kids, but for our entire program, because we were such a young program this year. So this weekend, it's about these four kids going out and focusing on just themselves, on their game, on shooting good scores and really enjoying the entire experience.

"There's nothing quite like the state tournament," he added. "It's a great atmosphere, and I want these four kids to just relax, have a great three rounds of golf, and play as well as they can possibly play."

The Class A state tournament begins Friday at 10 a.m. with the first 18 holes and concludes with Saturday's second round, which also starts at 10 a.m. at the Hamilton Golf Club. Fans can follow the action live on golf genius.com.