CLE ELUM, WA – The KPAX Athletes of the Week have all the clubs in the bag covered.
Two Western Montana boys won subregional Drive, Chip and Putt competitions in Cle Elum, Washington on August 13th. Kalispell’s Alex Hausmann took the boys 12-13 year old age group. Polson’s Maxwell Milton topped the 7-9 year old boys.
Drive, Chip and Putt contestants take three shots at each station. Each swing can net up to 25 points. The total of nine shots is added up for a final score.
Hausmann scored 148 points, edging Logan Medcalf of Lynden, Washington who finished second with 143. Hausmann reached his total with 55 points in chipping, 48 in driving, and 45 in putting.
Milton won a very tight battle in his division. His 119 points just beat out the 116 of Yul Koh from Surrey, British Columbia and the 115 of Hunter Paquin from Hayden, Idaho. Milton scored 55 points in putting, 40 in chipping, and 24 in driving.
Both Montana winners originally qualified for the subregional by placing in the top three at a local Drive, Chip and Putt at Canyon River in East Missoula last month. Neither won that competition, with Milton second in his age group and Hausmann third. But they came through at the bigger stage.
Sarah Halferty of Helena also clinched a spot in the next round with a second place finish in the girls 14-15 year old age group. She finished with 134 points, just behind Angela Park of Kennewick, Washington who totaled 138. Halferty totaled 52 in putting, 42 in driving and 40 in chipping.
Now Hausmann, Milton and Halferty will move on to the Regional level at Chambers Bay outside Tacoma, the course that hosted the U.S. Open in 2015. They will compete against 11 others in their age groups on September 9th. The winners there move on to the national championships at the Masters next year.
