Montana State’s Lauren Greeny captures second straight women’s State Am title

BUTTE — For as polished a performance as Lauren Greeny delivered Tuesday at the Butte Country Club, there were a few moments of fleeting frustration.

For example, after a solid drive and approach shot on hole No. 15, she ended up three-putting and settling for a bogey.

"I think I took some anger out on that next drive," said Greeny with a laugh. "And then after that I was pretty solid."

That might be an understatement. Greeny's three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the 107th women's State Am only ballooned as the day went on with little drama on the back 9. And the Montana State University golfer ultimately cruised to an 11-stroke victory to seize her second straight State Am crown after winning 2023's tournament at Green Meadow Country Club in Helena.

This year, she saved her best for last, carding a 2-under 69 in Round 3 which was a tournament-low mark.

Bozeman's Greeny, who finished with a three-round tally of 74-75-69—218, is the first to win consecutive women's State Am crowns since Billings' Rachel Warren (2007-08) and Columbus' Jasi Acharya (2004-05).

Helping Greeny pull away was a six-birdie performance in Round 3 after totaling four birdies across the first two rounds.

"I was trying to just keep my head in it and play steady," said Greeny. "Try and make as many birdies as I could."

Boise State golfer and former Corvallis state champion Macee Greenwood and the University of Montana's Kylie Franklin finished tied for second at 229. Montana State's Scarlet Weidig and Montana's Hannah Ports tied for fourth (231) and Montana Tech's Emma Woods and Montana's Elle Higgins tied at sixth (233).

In the Senior Am, Missoula's Jo Smith carved out a piece of Montana State Golf Association history by becoming the first person to win that tournament four times with her other victories coming in 2021 (Meadowlark Country Club), 2020 (Riverside Country Club) and 2018 (Missoula Country Club).

Smith finished with a three-round tally of 88-86-86—260 while unseating two-time defending champion Deb Porcarelli of Great Falls. Porcarelli took second place at 266 followed by Susan Court, a Helena resident and three-time Senior Am champion.

"I had the feeling that I wasn't playing very well," conceded Smith. "But then when you're all finished it just seemed like not everyone was having their best game. This is a tough course. It has to be one shot at a time. Always one shot at a time."

Helena's Darah Newell Smith won the fifth iteration of the women's Mid Am with a three-day gross of 228 while fending off defending champion Jackie Mee who took second at 238, followed by Bozeman's Susan Haskins at 248.