LAUREL - Macee Greenwood and Billy Smith claimed State Juniors Championships on Tuesday afternoon at Laurel Golf Club.
For Greenwood, she’d played the course earlier in high school, which helped lend a hand to the two-day tournament.
“On the front nine, there's just places to know you need to miss on this side or that side. I feel like I struggled with that, and a little bit, too, on the back," Greenwood said.
Smith, however, was brand new at Laurel Golf Club. He didn’t even get a practice round in before teeing off on Monday morning.
“The greens and the fairways are super tight. You have to hit it really straight. Playing with a kid from Laurel on the first day helped, kind of showing me where to hit it a little bit," Smith said. "Overall, it was tough trying to figure out where to hit it. A lot of blind tee shots.”
The two western Montana standouts are hoping state tournament victories in Laurel will prove to be a springboard to success throughout the summer.
“These past two weeks I’ve played phenomenal golf. The qualifier I played in last week I had nine birdies and shot 63. I couldn’t play any better," Smith said.
“I feel like my game is coming along nicely now that I putted. It’s like I hit the ball good and then can’t putt then it’s flipped. Golf is funny like that," Greenwood said. "For these next tournaments I just hope it all comes together and I can post a score.”