Christmas 7—WHITEFISH — Andrew Medley strung together two birdies on the front nine, then eagled No. 10 to start the back on the way to a 65 at the 85th annual Earl Hunt Memorial Fourth of July Golf Tournament at Whitefish Lake Golf Club.
Medley’s bogey-free round included birdies on the sixth, seventh, 12th and 17th; he owns a three-stroke lead at the annual event. The Scottsdale, Arizona golfer won this event in 2012 and 2016.
With defending champion Drew Kittleson not in this year’s field, there will be a new champion — and it could be Whitefish’s Arthur Doorn, who eagled both No. 10 and No. 17 on the way to a back-nine 31 and a 3-under 68.
Mike Mezei and Jason Johnston are next at 70, and Joey Moore of Billings, who won this event in 2017 and 2021 and was runner up last year, shot a 70.
Also firing a 69 was Brad Grattan of Whitefish, competing in the Senior Championship Flight; Tom Shae and Marty Mehl, also of Whitefish, came in at 73 and Missoula’s Rick Reimers and Ron Ramsbacher shot 76 and 78.
The Women’s Open is led by Butte’s Patricia Joyce, who shot a 4-under 68. Bozeman’s Cora Rosanova is next at 72, and Glacier and Griz grad Teigan Avery is at 73.
Joyce finished the front nine at 33 and had six birdies to go with two bogeys.
Flathead graduate Marcella Mercer and two-time defending champion Jasi Acharya both shot 74. Rosanova won this event in 2020.
The tournament runs through Saturday.
85th annual Earl Hunt Memorial 4th of July Golf Tournament
Whitefish Lake Golf Club
Thursday
Men’s Open
South Course
Championship flight
Andrew Medley 65
Arthur Doorn 68
Mike Mezei 69
Jason Johnstone 69
Joey Moore 70
Bryce Reed 71
Paul O’Neil 71
Scott Friggle 71
Brian Hanson 71
Cameron Hackman 71
Carson Hackman 72
Kade McDonough 73
Bennett MacIntyre 73
Jim Bob Coleman 73
Kevin Kolb 73
Eli Rogers 74
Mark Mance 74
Tristan Hanson 74
Joe Wagner 75
Brian Noonan 75
First flight
Brady Cady 69
Shawn Tucker 70
Dan Conkling 73
Connor Rooney 75
Ben Sidor 75
Tanner Hanson 75
Ken Bush 75
Maxwell Milton 76
Jarek Shepherd 77
Paul Veroulis 77
Second Flight
Dutch Teders 75
Tim Kiley 77
Kyle Sheppard 77
Hank Miller 78
Quinn Haigwood 78
Gregory Newton 79
Tyler Schiff 0
Daniel Knechtel 80
Jake Lindsey 80
Brad Cox 80
Third flight
Mike Levin 74
Matthew Peschel 75
Isaac Mosser 76
Jeff Fairlee 76
Kelly Kolstad 78
Trey Atkinson 79
Ken Bush 75
Maxwell Milton 76
Jarek Shepherd 77
Paul Veroulis 77
Second Flight
Dutch Teders 75
Tim Kiley 77
Kyle Sheppard 77
Hank Miller 78
Quinn Haigwood 78
Gregory Newton 79
Tyler Schiff 80
Daniel Knechtel 80
Jake Lindsey 80
Brad Cox 80
Third flight
Mike Levin 74
Matthew Peschel 75
Isaac Mosser 76
Jeff Fairlee 76
Kelly Kolstad 78
Trey Atkinson 79
Palmer Coleman 79
Eric Anderson 80
Odin Kruse 81
Kevin Ryan 81
Fourth flight
Levi LaPrath 80
Rich Nickerson 80
Blake Hilburn 81
Dave Knight 84
Calem Geddes 85
Trevor Brown 85
Travis Tuss 86
Brandann Rohrer 86
Jeff Bengtson 86
Otto Klein 89
Senior Men’s Open
North Course
Championship flight
Brad Grattan 69
Tom Shea 73
Marty Mehl 73
Rick Reimers 76
Ron Ramsbacher 78
Joe Cielak 79
Michael Burney 80
Greg Hetzer 82
Dwight Jack 82
Gene Walsh 82
Dave Lucey 82
Andy Breidenbach 83
Kirk Bennett 83
Rod Brady 83
Randy Emmons 83
Walt Barnes 83
Steve Gold 84
Dow Powell 85
Gary Holt 86
First flight
Mike Lincoln 77
Steve Wood 78
Vincent DePinto 7 9
Mike Managhan 79
Larry Schwenke 79
Bryon Mayala 79
John Hawkins 80
William Copeland 81
Bill Le Lievre 82
Dave Streeter 83
Second flight
Greg Selmanson 76
Chris Vidulich 80
Mark Stella 82
Bob Slaven 84
David Golden 84
Dan Wagner 84
Neal Bouma 85
Barry Fenn 87
Dan Rohrer 87
Robert Sandman 88
Women’s Open
North Course
Championship flight
Patricia Joyce 68
Cora Rosanova 72
Teigan Avery 73
Marcella Mercer 74
Jasi Acharya 7 4
Anna DeMars 78
Katherine Wills Byl 79
Kinsey Irving 80
Chloe Tanner 81
Bella Johnson 81
Shealyn Hafer 82
Carly McNaughton 8 3
First flight
Kathy Dodd 76
Marcy Holt 79
Bobbie Lacklen 81
Stella Claridge 82
Louise Cholette-Haley 82
Lauren Mayala 83
Nancy Brooks 85
Linda Ray 85
Ashley Spouse 86
Sonja Olson 87