Bulldog girls golf team nabs berth to state

MOSCOW — Jessie Webster-Merwin carded a 104, good for fifth place overall and largely instrumental in helping the Sandpoint girls golf team to a six stroke victory Tuesday at the 4A Region 1 golf tournament at the University of Idaho Golf Course.

Michelle Stone shot a 110 and Sandy Whalen a 113, deceptive scores in light of how windy and cold the conditions were. Despite having the top three lowest scores of 89, 92 and 95, the favored Moscow girls team was unable to field a complete team, opening the door for the Bulldogs.

“Our girls hung in there and battled down to the last hole,” said head coach Jim Alsager, cracking a joke about the wind, with gusts reaching 40-50 miles per hour. “We had some tracksters out there chasing their scorecards across the fairways.”

Colton Story had his best round of the season at the most opportune time to lead the Bulldog boys, finishing second overall with a score of 76 and qualifying for an individual state berth.

“He told me after he came off the 18th that had to be the most intense round he’d ever played,” said Sandpoint boys coach Mike Keough of his senior, who qualified by just two strokes. “He couldn’t afford to give up any strokes.”

Only the winning team and top three individuals advance to state next Monday and Tuesday at Jefferson Hills Golf Course in Rigby.

Chris Williams, who has signed to play at the University of Washington, shot a 6-under-par 66 to lead Moscow’s boys to a 55-stroke victory over Sandpoint.

At the University of Idaho Course, Moscow

Par 72

BOYS

TEAM SCORES (winner to state) — Moscow 304, Sandpoint 359, Lakeland 412.

INDIVIDUAL STATE QUALIFIERS — Chris Williams, Moscow, 66 (medalist), Colton Story, Sandpoint, 76, Garrett Adair, Moscow, 77.

MOSCOW — Williams 66, Adair 77, Shawn Hill 78.

SANDPOINT — Story 76, Dan Sommerfield 93, Chris Rhyne 98, Mike Lewis 92, Ben Murray 102.

LAKELAND — Nate Smith 93, Lucas Portello 107, John Rucker 106, Sterling Jones 106, Taylor Derrick 115.

GIRLS

TEAM SCORES (winner to state) — Sandpoint 462, Lakeland 468, Moscow incomplete team.

INDIVIDUAL STATE QUALIFIERS — Katie Greear, Moscow, 89 (medalist), Taylor Anderson, Moscow, 92, Cindy Pitkin, Moscow, 95.

SANDPOINT — Jessie Merwin 104, Michelle Stone 110, Sandy Whalen 113, Charissa Chatburn 135, Liz Stone 138.

LAKELAND — Chelsea Laud 101, Chelsea Bayley 118, Carson Sharrai 120, Hayley Palmiter 129, Sherri Glenn 159.

MOSCOW — Greear 89, Anderson 92, Pitkin 95.