Hedge Wins State Mid-Am; Polson’s Thomas 5

Aug. 20 – BILLINGS – Jake Hedge of Billings grew up playing Yellowstone Country Club and on Saturday won the Montana State Mid-Am golf championship by four strokes on his home course.

The top 25-and-up golfers from around Montana competed in the 37th annual Mid-Am and Hedge — who played collegiately at Wyoming and Montana State-Billings — pulled away from fellow YCC member Christopher Hunter and Laurel’s Nathan Bailey on Saturday .

Bailey, who lost the Montana Men’s Amateur in a playoff to Billings’ Joey Moore in July to win the 2020 Mid-Am title, finished second to Hedge. He shot a final round 70 for a 54-hole total of 212.

Hedge shot a closing 71 to finish at 8-under 208. He shot a 65 on Friday to move into the final round tied with Hunter, who shot a 64 the same day. Hunter closed with a 76 to finish at 213, five strokes back.

Last year’s Mid-Am champion, Gordon Webb of Malta, shot 215 to finish fourth; in fifth place was PJ Thomas of Polson Bay Golf Course, who shot a closing 69 to finish at 1-over 216.

Missoula’s Bill Dunn was 11th with a 225. Dunn won this event in 2021 and in early August won the Montana Men’s Senior Amateur at Canyon River in East Missoula.

Whitefish’s Brad Grattan and Gene Walsh finished 2-3 at Canyon River; Grattan was the defending Senior Am champion. In fourth place was Tommy Lindell of Kalispell’s Buffalo Hill Golf Club.

Lindell was the second-best Flathead Valley finisher at the YCC; he shot 75-79-80 and finished 22nd at 234.

Full results can be found at msgagolf.com.