Bozeman’s Cooper Bourret eagled the eighth hole and shot an opening round 70 to take a one-shot lead after the first day of the AA State Golf Tournament Thursday at Northern Pines Golf Club. 

Bourret’s eagle capped off a 33 on the course’s front nine — his second nine of the day — and helped him overcome a triple bogey on the 17th hole. 

Helena Capital’s John Gilbert sits in second, while four players — including Glacier’s Sam Engellant — sit three shots behind in a tie for third. 

Engellant and the Wolfpack sit in third in the team competition with an opening round 302, just five shots behind leaders Missoula Sentinel. Bozeman is second after shooting 300 in the first round. 

“It was a challenging day out there,” Glacier coach Jim Ness said. “I wouldn’t say we performed at our best level. A lot of tall grass out there, course is playing fast, greens are playing fast. I’m proud of the kids, they hung in there, and there is a new day tomorrow.” 

Jonah Wynne (74) and Luke Sheppard (76) also sit in contention for the Wolfpack with Torren and Tanyon Murray not far behind. 

Flathead’s Dylan Morris sits tied for eighth after an opening round 74. Morris held the lead during his back nine after an eagle-birdie stretch at the 17th and 18th before fading slightly late. 

“The kids were steady today,” Flathead assistant coach Philip Jackson said. “Dylan Morris had a great round today, had a couple bobbles late, but bounced back and is in a great position to play well tomorrow. 

“As a whole, the entire field had a tough time on the greens, which is kind of expected, and I expect the kids to come back tomorrow and make some more confident putts.” 

The Braves sit in a tie for ninth in the team standings after shooting 330. 

Korbin Eaton finished with an 81 on the day to sit in a tie for 36th. 

On the girls’ side, Great Falls’ Hanna Boyd shot a 78 Thursday and leads Bozeman’s Kira Connell and Billings Senior’s Becca Washington by three shots. 

Abbi Townsend sits tied for 23rd after shooting a 94 to lead the Wolfpack girls — who are tied for seventh as a team after a first round 401. 

The Wolfpack have work to do on Friday to catch up to leaders Billings West at 350 after the first day. Billings Senior (352) and Gallatin (356) round out the top 3. 

“The tall grass got to us a little bit today,” Ness said. “It’s a little bit of an uphill battle for the girls.” 

Flathead’s Kyrie Gislason ended the day tied for 36th with an opening round 100, while teammate Becky Schmidt sits one shot behind Gislason in a tie for 40th. 

Coaches expect a bit stronger wind as the tournament wraps up on Friday. 

“I think it’s going to play a little tougher tomorrow,” Ness said. “It really becomes important to control your ball flight and trajectory, it adds another element that is a challenge for the kids.” 

Jackon agreed: “The wind is going to be a factor tomorrow and the greens will still be quick.” 

The second round is set to start at 10 a.m. 

AA State Golf Tournament 

Northern Pines Golf Club 

Thursday 

BOYS 

Team standings — 1, Missoula Sentinel 297; 2, Bozeman 300; 3, Glacier 302; 4, Billings West 308; 5, Helena Capital 309; 6 (tie), Billings Skyview and Butte 317; 8, Gallatin 318; 9 (tie), Flathead and Billings Senior 330; 11, Missoula Big Sky 341. 

Individual top 15 

Cooper Bourret, Bozeman    70 

John Gilbert, Capital    71 

Reid Wilkinson, Bozeman    73 

Sam Engellant, Glacier    73 

Hudson Goroski, Sentinel    73 

Jack Schaefer, Sentinel    73 

Jack Pinski, CMR    73 

Zander Brester. West    74 

Dylan Morris, Flathead    74 

Jack Mckee, Bozeman    74 

Willy Nowlen, Sentinel    74 

Jonah Wynne, Glacier    74 

Cole Lozier, West     75 

Ayden Platt, CMR     76 

Luke Nelson, Glacier    76 

Billy Benjamin, Skyview    76 

Isaac Mosser, Skyview    76 

Chase Choquette, Butte     76 

Glacier — Sam Engellant 73; Jonah Wynne 74; Luke Nelson 76; Torren Murray 79; Tanyon Murray 80. 

Flathead — Dylan Morris 74; Korbin Eaton 81; Isaac Gall 86; Hunter Fann 89. 

GIRLS 

Team standings — 1, Billings West 350; 2, Billings Senior 352; 3, Gallatin 356; 4, Bozeman 359; 5, Helena 381; 6, Belgrade 399; 7 (tie), Glacier and Helena Capital 401; 9, Butte 433. 

Individual top 15 

1, Hanna Boyd, Great Falls    78 

2, Kira Connell, Bozeman    81 

2, Becca Washington, Sentinel    81 

4, Quincy Weymouth, CMR    82 

4, Lilia Troxel, Belgrade    82 

6, Kiah Holmes-Morrissey, Gallatin    84 

6, Anna Fenhaus, West    84 

6, Live Kobold, Sentinel    84 

9, Addison Bleile, Gallatin    85 

9, Mielle Kavran, West    85 

9, Presley Clark, Hellgate    85 

12, Mia Taylor, Helena    87 

12, Paige Loberg, West    87 

14, Cat Helmer, Hellgate    88 

15, Payton Tryan, Sentinel    89 

Glacier — Abbi Townsend 94; Maggie Mitton 98; Kendall Tkachyk 102; Vaida Cole 107; Braelyn Ryan 111. 

Flathead — Kyrie Gislason 100; Becky Schmidt 101. 

    Glacier’s Sam Engellant tees off on the twelfth hole during the Class AA State Golf Tournament at Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell on Thursday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Butte’s Chase Choquette tees off on the first hole during the Class AA State Golf Tournament at Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell on Thursday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier’s Abbi Townsend tees off on the eighth hole during the Class AA State Golf Tournament at Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell on Thursday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Flathead’s Kyrie Gislason tees off on the fifth hole during the Class AA State Golf Tournament at Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell on Thursday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Flathead’s Dylan Morris tees off on the eleventh hole during the Class AA State Golf Tournament at Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell on Thursday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier’s Torren Murray hits his approach on the fourteenth hole during the Class AA State Golf Tournament at Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell on Thursday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 

    Glacier’s Tanyon Murray tees off on the thirteenth hole during the Class AA State Golf Tournament at Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell on Thursday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Bozeman’s Kira Connell tees off on the tenth hole during the Class AA State Golf Tournament at Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell on Thursday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Missoula Sentinel’s Hudson Goroski hits his approach on the fourteenth hole during the Class AA State Golf Tournament at Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell on Thursday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Helena’s Morgan May tees off on the fourth hole during the Class AA State Golf Tournament at Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell on Thursday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier’s Kendall Tkachyk tees off on the seventh hole during the Class AA State Golf Tournament at Northern Pines Golf Club in Kalispell on Thursday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider