POLSON — With a strong opening round Friday, Frenchtown's Katie Lewis has positioned herself for another Class A girls golf crown.
Lewis shot a 3-over 75 on Day 1 of the the state tournament at the Polson Bay Golf Course to take a five-stroke lead over the field heading into Saturday's final round. Lewis is in search of her third consecutive individual title.
Lewis was consistently solid all day, carding a birdie on No. 5 and bogeys on Nos. 8 and 11. She had one double bogey when she took a 6 on hole No. 1, but other than that Lewis carded 14 pars.
Tied in second place are Bigfork's Keni Wade, Livingston's Anna Lende and Hamilton's Cameron Burnett after shooting matching 8-over 80s. Billings Central teammates Berkley Park and Jordan Nielsen each shot 82 and sit seven strokes back after the first round.
Behind park and Nielsen, the Rams are well out in front in the team standings with a cumulative total of 341. Central holds a 26-stroke advantage over second-place Whitefish entering Saturday. The Rams are seeking their team championship since 2010.
The individual boys competition is far from decided thanks to several below-par rounds on Friday.
Polson's Max Milton leads the way after Day 1, sitting 6-under par at 66. But Billings Central's Colin Jensen and fellow Ram Caleb Fornshell are nipping at his heels; Jensen finished Friday with a 5-under 67 while Fornshell fired a 4-under 68.
Laurel's Sam Norman, Livingston's Sawyer Gentry and Whitefish's Mason O'Neil remain in the mix after the first round. Each shot a 2-under 70.
Longtime Eastern rivals Billings Central and Laurel enter Saturday's final round chasing the team trophy. The Rams shot a collective 4-over-par 292 while Laurel checked in with a 9-over 297.
Central is in search of its first team title since 2015 while Laurel is looking to climb to the top of the podium for the first time since winning back-to-back in 2021 and 2022.
Class AA state golf tournament
Round 1
Friday at Polson Bay Golf Course
BOYS
Team scores: Billings Central 292, Laurel 297, Whitefish 306, Corvallis 309, Columbia Falls 324, Sidney 326, Livingston 328, Frenchtown 334, Havre 359.
Top 15: Max Milton, Polson, 66; Colin Jensen, Billings Central, 67; Caleb Fornshell, Billings Central, 67; Sam Norman, Laurel, 70; Sawyer Gentry, Livingston, 70; Mason O'Neil, Whitefish, 70; Aden Rickels, Whitefish, 74; Cam Hackmann, Laurel, 74; Tyce O'Connell, Hamilton, 75; Gabe Glassing, Laurel, 75; Tag Jessop, Corvallis, 76; Tate Jessop, Corvallis, 76; Ethan Miller, Billings Central, 76; Tanner Tiesen, Sidney, 76; ISaac Flamand, Browning, 77.
GIRLS
Team scores: Billings Central 341, Whitefish 367, Frenchtown 369, Hamilton 372, Dillon 380, Livingston 381, Bigfork 401, Sidney 425, Havre 440.
Top 15: Katie Lewis, Frenchtown, 75; Keni Wade, Bigfork, 80; Anna Lende, Livingston, 80; Cameron Burnett, Hamilton, 80; Berkley Park, Billings Central, 82; Jordan Nielsen, Billings Central, 82; Karlee Brown, Whitefish, 83; Stella Jaffe, Whitefish, 86; Alivia Kuhr, Laurel, 86; Kiya Ford, Billings Central, 86; Taylor Hadley, East Helena, 88; Skylar LaPierre, Dillon 89; Briley Alberi, Dillon, 89; Camille Poncin, Livingston, 89; Bryn Cianflone, Hamilton, 89; Brynn Drga, Miles City, 89.
