BOZEMAN — The Belgrade Invitational kicked off for high school golf teams early Monday morning, and two teams from Bozeman shined.
The girls got things rolling at Cottonwood Hills Golf Club. Bozeman High School dominated. Sami Yates led the way for the Hawks, shooting a 76, and Cooper Knarr was right behind her with a 78, as the team shot a total of 332 to go on and win its third invite.
“It’s great to have a home meet basically and I know they’re used to playing the course a little bit," said Bozeman head coach Ryan Nelson.
Nelson is excited to see how the unbeaten girls team can progress.
"I think they showed some confidence (Monday)," said Nelson. "Keep things on a roll, continue to play as a team, continue to work each week, continue to build the momentum -- I’m sure they’re really excited to win three in a row and hopefully they keep it going.”
For the boys at Riverside Country Club, Bozeman Gallatin High blew away the competition. The Raptors had a team total of 296 and were led by the Verge brothers -- Jordan shot an even-par 71 and Justus shot a 73. They have now won two out of three invites this season, and the one they lost the Verge brothers were playing in a different tournament in another state.
Their assistant coach was proud of his team, winning on basically its home turf and starting the new program off on the right foot.
“I think that helps a lot with them, just being comfortable not having to get up at 4:30, 5 in the morning like some of these other teams had to do," said assistant coach Matt Barefield. "As a coaching staff, we’re really excited. Having some really quality individuals on our team that can really start a tradition for us. Obviously, winning is the goal, it’s how they play that we really care about. We don’t care what they shoot, but how they play. I think starting the year like this is going to set a tone, especially for our younger kids.”
