Marnee LaBrel, Fort Benton and Haylee Folkvord, Red Lodge Battle For Golf Ind. Championship In State
May 21, 2009 By Austin McGrann of Fort Benton High School
Haylee Folkvord was clinging to the lead when her second shot on the par-5 18th hole found the sand trap flanking the right side of the fairway.
With Fort Benton's Marnee LaBrel breathing down her neck, Folkvord knew she had her work cut out.
And that's when the Three Forks sophomore rose to the occasion.
Folkvord punched her ball out of the bunker to the rough beyond the green, and then she chipped close enough to the hole for a one-putt to finish with a bogey and win the State B girls golf tournament Wednesday at Pryor Creek Golf Course. Folkvord shot an 84, finishing with a two-day total of 163, just one stroke better than LaBrel, who fired an 80 on Wednesday.
"She played really good," Folkvord said of LaBrel. "She had four birdies, at least. It was kind of scary coming down to the 18th hole when I knew it was that close."
Of the championship, Folkvord said, "It hasn't really kicked in yet, but I think it's going to be pretty good when it does."
Folkvord's victory also clinched the team title for Three Forks, marking the Wolves' third championship in a row and their seventh in nine years.
Shelby Mack (87-91-178) and Allie Sauvageau (95-88-183) also placed in the top 10 for Three Forks, which fired a two-round total of 718, six strokes ahead of second-place Missoula Loyola.
"Our team is awesome. I love them to death," Folkvord said. "We have fun and we play every day together. We deserve it."
Columbus, with 779, Fort Benton, with 786, and Red Lodge, with 796, rounded out the top 5 in the team competition.
Folkvord held a three-stroke lead entering the second round after shooting a 79 on Tuesday. Tia Roller of Red Lodge entered Day 2 in second place and shot an 83 on Wednesday to finish in third, at 165.
Last year's champion, Missoula Loyola's Kelsie Crippen, shot a second-round 84 to finish with 167 and place fourth. Jessica Waldner of Cut Bank, with 169, finished in fifth after shooting a second-round 85.
Folkvord's ability to chip and putt with precision allowed her to hold off LaBrel, who had the best second-round score of any golfer.
"I think it just came down to my short game both days," Folkvord said. "It really saved me. It was a lot better than the tournaments before."
"I was really happy to see how she got out of that sand trap," said longtime Three Forks coach Jeff Strickland. "It was a bit flat but it had good spin. She was able to get it back on the green for a one-putt. It came down to the short game."
Folkvord navigated the second round with five pars and one birdie, the latter coming on the par-5 15th.
Her championship was the second for the Folkvord family. Folkvord's sister, Hillary, won the tournament as a senior at Three Forks in 2005 before going on to play at Montana State. |
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