BILLINGS — Eryn Ellis, who won the Frontier Conference golf title as a senior for Rocky Mountain College this past spring, shot a 3-under-par 71 Thursday to take the lead after Round 1 of the Montana Women’s State Amateur at The Briarwood Golf Club.
Ellis birdied eight of nine holes at one point in her round, starting from the par-5 fourth to the par-3 12th. Ellis was 6-under after her birdie on No. 12 but made a double bogey on 13 and bogeyed 17 to finish at 3-under.
Butte’s Tricia Joyce and Whitefish’s Coral Schulz are tied for second at 73. Joyce, who will play golf for the University of Montana starting in the fall, was tied with Ellis after a bogey-free, 3-under-par front nine, before shooting a 2-over 38 on the back. Both Joyce and Schulz made five birdies on the par-74 course, which features six par-5s, including four on the front nine.
Bozeman’s Kameryn Basye is fourth after an even-par round of 74. The Weber State sophomore-to-be also made five birdies, including the 17th and 18th holes.
Click here for the full Women’s Amateur leaderboard.
Meanwhile, two-time Women’s Senior Amateur champion Susan Court leads the senior field through one round after shooting an 8-over-par 82 Thursday. The Helena native shot a plus-1 39 on the front nine, which tied her with Billings’ Laura Wilson, but Wilson struggled to a 50 on the back while Court shot 43. Court won the Senior Am the last time it was in Billings in 2014. She also won in 2010.
Wilson is in fourth at 89. Briarwood member Lisa Forsberg is second after an 84. Lolo’s Carol Key is in third with an 87.
Click here for the full Women’s Senior Amateur leaderboard.
Round 2 tee times begin at 8 a.m. Friday.
