Milton goes bird watching, wins Steve Hullett Invitational

There is playing good golf, and then there is shooting six-under par. That’s exactly what Max Milton did for Polson on Thursday, September 5, at the Eagle Bend Golf Club to place first at the Steve Hullett Invitational Golf Tournament in Bigfork.

Milton collected birdies on holes 2, 5, and 8 on the front nine to shoot a 33. While impressive enough, he opened up the back nine with a birdie on the 513-yard Par-5 hole 10. 

“Max hit driver 7 iron to about 15 feet and made the putt,” Polson Head Coach Cameron Milton said. “It was his 10th hole that helped separate himself from the field because it took him to -5 on the day.” 

He would remain consistent with par through the rest of the round except for his fourth birdie on the 15th hole, shooting an identical 33 on the back end of his round.

“66 is by far the lowest of a PHS player in the last six years,” Milton said. “It does not happen very often in Class A golf for sure.”  

Corvallis golfer Brady Powell shot a 32 on the back and had a 68 for second place, while the Blue Devils scored 300 as a team to place first. Polson placed second, scoring 311.

Pirate teammate Fox Johnson placed ninth with a +4 76, while Ronan’s Oliver Rowe tied for tenth while carding a five-over 77. The Chiefs’ Trey Samsel was 20th at the tournament, shooting an 82, and teammate Cooper Clary was 26th with an 85.

“The course played great,” Milton said. “Eagle Bend is one of the best courses in Northwest Montana.  It is a Jack Nicklaus design and is known for its quick undulating greens.”

Polson’s Carson Emerson was tied for 32nd with an 87 with fellow Pirate Jarrett Seifer.

On the girls’ side of the tournament, Polson’s Kila Cannon was eighth, shooting an 89, while Ronan’s Hanna Lytton was ninth with a 94. Fellow Maiden Emma Smith tied for 18th notching a 107, and Polson’s Johana Bieber was tied for 22nd with a 111.

Lady Pirate Madi Lake tied for 25th scoring a 116, and her teammate Sophia Matt was 28th with a 120.

The Polson girls team finished fifth in the tournament, while Whitefish won the tournament, scoring a combined +58. 

“I was extremely happy with both teams,” Milton said. “The boys shot the lowest score of the year and are trending in the right direction. We are a young team with no returning starters and three freshmen on the varsity.  I hope we can keep improving so that we can qualify for state.  On the girls side, we have four brand new golfers who are improving daily. Of our four golfers, three had their personal best including our lone returning starter Kila Cannon.”

Steve Hullett Invitational 

Thursday, Eagle Bend Golf Club 

BOYS

Team scores — 1, Corvallis 300; 2, Polson 311; 3, Whitefish 312; 4, Frenchtown 318; 5, Columbia Falls 329; 6, Hamilton 332; 7, Butte Central 336; 8 (tie), Ronan and Browning 340; 10, Bigfork 399; 11, Stevensville 428; 12, Libby 456. 

Top 15 Individuals

Max Milton, Polson    66 

Brady Powell, Corvallis    68 

Tyce O’Connell, Hamilton    71 

Otto Klein, Whitgefish    72 

Winslow Peters, Columbia Falls    73 

Josh Bender, Hamilton    73 

Mason O’Neil, Whitefish    73 

Fox Johnson, Polson    76 

Brayden Garr, Frenchtown    77 

Oliver Rowe, Ronan    77 

Silas Zetterberg, Frenchtown    77 

Bentley Cady, Columbia Falls    78 

Tag Jessop, Corvallis    78 

Aiden Rickels, Whitefish    79 

Brooks Day, Frenchtown    79 

Coby Powell, Corvallis    79 

GIRLS

Team scores — 1, Whitefish 346; 2, Frenchtown 360; 3, Hamilton 397; 4, Bigfork 407; 5, Polson 436. 

Top 15 Individuals

Katie Lewis, Fenchtown    78 

Stella Jaffe, Whitefish    79 

Cameron Burnett, Hamilton    83 

Keni Wade, Bigfork    83 

Bridget Anderson, Frenchtown    83 

Karlee Brown, Whitefish    84 

Ryhlee Scott, Whitefish    `88 

Kila Cannon, Polson    89 

Hanna Lytton, Ronan    94 

Caroline Owens, Whitefish    95 

Aubrey Tollefson, Frenchtown    99 

Heather Beerman, Hamilton    99 

Kelcie Sperry, Frenchtown    100 

Addy Bowler, Columbia Falls    102 

Keegan Campbell, Bigfork    102