BILLINGS — Scobey junior Cooper Axtman won his third consecutive Eastern C divisional golf title this past Tuesday at The Briarwood, but it didn't come without some adversity.
Axtman went seven consecutive holes carding bogey or worse and found himself two shots back with three to play. But with how difficult the course was playing, Axtman knew a few pars could get the job done.
"Getting all those bogeys and stuff, it really gets to a guy eventually, especially when you can't putt," Axtman told MTN Sports. "I think that break on 16 got my mind back where I needed it to be. Just in that mindset like, 'You're still in this. You're in second place, dude. Go out and get a couple pars here and I think you'll get it done.' And that's what I did."
Those three consecutive pars led Axtman to a three-shot victory.
He hopes to carry that winning momentum into next week's Class C state tournament at Sidney Country Club. Axtman has back-to-back fourth-place finishes at state, but he'll feel right at home this coming week.
"Last year hurt. Last year was tough. I'm hitting the ball a lot better this year. I feel like when I'm playing confident I'm the best in the state," Axtman said. "(Playing at Sidney) does give me a lot of confidence. I love that course. I've played it a lot in my life, 20 times probably. Hopefully we can go out there and execute and do what we're trying to do."
He and his Spartan teammates are also looking for a repeat as team champions. All four Scobey golfers finished inside the top 10 at divisionals.
"Big-time competition," Axtman said. "I was telling Evan (Tande) on 16 that I hope we go 1-2-3, but I really hope that I'm 1. We have a lot of competition, but it's always friendly. We're always friends at the end of the day."
Axtman hopes to feast on a familiar course as he aims for his first individual state title May 20-21 in Sidney.
