ANACONDA Jason Johnstone fired a 75 to sit in a tie for first place, and teammate Nick Obie was just one stroke back as Havre blistered competition during the first day of the Class A state golf tournament Tuesday.
With a team total of 307 strokes, Havre was 19 strokes ahead of second-place Whitefish, who had 326. Billings Central was third (327), followed by Lewistown (330) and Columbia Falls (334).
"The boys are playing very, very strong," Havre coach Keith Evenson said. "It's been windy, and the people here are amazed the kids could shoot that well. But then they realize the kids play in Havre, and they're used to playing in breezes."
Johnstone is tied with Whitefish's Drew Krause for the individual lead.
Trent Normandy is sitting in fifth place, just two strokes behind Johnstone, after a first-day score of 77. Kevin Harada, currently in 10th place, still has a shot at claiming the individual title after shooting a 79.
Troy Toner is 16th overall after shooting an 82.
"The kids have really high hopes to play well (Wednesday)," Evenson said. "They're looking for a first-place trophy, and leading by 19 strokes we should do very well."
Julie Wagner was the top golfer for Havre's girls team with a 102 after the first day.
The girls finished the day with a team total of 444, far behind leader Miles City, which finished with a 398.
Also for Havre, Katie Miller and Mikyla Veis each shot a 111, and Alysia Kato scored a 120.
Havre's Jessica Sande, who had been the Ponies' top finisher at several tournament this year, was disqualified after signing a scorecard that had been incorrectly tabulated.
"If a player signs an incorrect scorecard, which this player did, then that person is disqualified," tournament director Steve Wickliffe said, adding he believed Sande's stroke total was approximately 100.
