BUTTE \u2014 The Class AA state golf tournament required three extra holes to determine its boys champion on a cool, occasionally rainy Friday afternoon at the Butte Country Club. <\/p>\n
Helena Capital’s John Gilbert and Missoula Sentinel’s Jack Schaefer both finished the second round with a two-day total to send the round into a playoff. They both bogeyed the first hole, then parred the second. <\/p>\n
On the third playoff hole Schaefer bogeyed and Gilbert, a junior, then sank a birdie putt to slip past Schaefer and claim the individual crown in dramatic fashion a year after settling for a tie for fifth. <\/p>\n
“It feels great, I’ve wanted to be a state champion since I was a kid,” said Gilbert. “First year I missed it a little bit. Second year I was leading with nine to play and kind of choked. But it feels good to put two good rounds together and be a state champ.” <\/p>\n
WATCH THE STATE AA ROUND 2 RECAP: <\/p>\n
State AA Golf: Helena Capital’s John Gilbert, Billings Senior’s Payton Tryan win championships; Missoula Sentinel boys, Bozeman girls claim team titles<\/p>\n
Both Gilbert and Schaefer carded a two-round 72-69\u2014141 to force sudden death. Great Falls CMR’s Jack Pinski, the Eastern AA champion, finished in third with a 72-72-144. Helena’s Austin Kaufman and Sentinel’s Derek Schaefer tied for fourth at 150 and Kalispell Glacier’s Luke Nelson placed sixth with a 151. <\/p>\n
Schaefer’s runner-up finish helped pace the Spartans boys to their first team championships since 2020. Sentinel finished with a 596, Capital took second with 611 followed by Gallatin (625), Glacier (627) and Bozeman (638). <\/p>\n
In the girls’ tournament, Billings Senior’s Payton Tryan built off her four-stroke first-round lead to win the individual title with a 76-77-153. She’s the third straight Bronc to win the girls title after Becca Washington last season and Kenzie Walsh in 2023. <\/p>\n
Your 2025 State AA Golf Champions: <\/p>\n
Boys individual: John Gilbert, Helena Capital
Girls individual: Payton Tryan, Billings Senior
Boys team: Missoula Sentinel
Girls team: Bozeman#mtscores<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/eJ6YfHuGzN<\/a><\/p>\n