BUTTE — Defending champion Lauren Greeny of Bozeman and Corvallis' Macee Greenwood forged a tie atop the leaderboard in the first round of the 107th Montana women's State Amateur golf championship at Butte Country Club.
Greeny, a Montana State golfer, and Greenwood, who plays at Boise State, each shot 3-over 74 in Sunday's opening round. Greeny had 14 pars and added a birdie on No. 12. Greenwood, who won the State Junior Championship in both 2021 and 2022, collected 11 pars in Round 1 and made birdie on both No. 12 and No. 16.
Hanna Ports of Oro Valley, Ariz., a University of Montana golfer, sits two shots back at 5-over entering Monday's second round, as does her Griz teammate, Kylie Franklin of Chandler, Ariz.
Ports' twin sister Raina, also from UM, sits in fifth place after shooting 8-over 79 on Sunday.
The other amateurs breaking 80 were the group tied for sixth place at 9-over — Laurel’s Alivia Webinger and Great Falls’ Hanna Boyd. Rounding out the top 10 was a four-way tie for eighth place at 10-over between Fairfield’s Emma Woods, Missoula’s Elle Higgins and Laurel’s Kadence Fischer.
Greeny won last year's State Am in a playoff over ex-Rocky Mountain College golfer Valentina Zuleta at Green Meadow Country Club in Helena. Greeny sank an eagle putt in a playoff hole on No. 18 to prevail. Now on the roster at Utah Valley, Zuleta is not playing in this year's State Am.
The second round tees off Monday morning from Butte Country Club.
