EVANSTON — Evanston’s Purple Sage Golf Course played host to the Wyoming Golf Association State Amateur Tournament Friday-Sunday, June 29-July 1.

PGA professional Scott Ehlers told the Herald the tournament ran smoothly and competitors from around the state spoke highly of the course and community.

“We received many compliments regarding both how challenging and what great condition our course in,” Ehlers said.

“Everybody seemed to have a great time enjoying the tournament and the Evanston community.”

In the men’s championship flight, Pinedale native and University of Utah golfer Jordan Costello was crowned state champion. Costello had the first-round lead coming into the clubhouse with a two-under-par 70 in Friday’s action and finished with an 18-hole round of 73 on Saturday. 

Logan Hensley of Casper had the same two scores in opposite order, tying with Sheridan’s Kirby Coe-Kirkham for the best score on Saturday with a round of 70, leaving Hensley and Costello tied at 143 entering Sunday’s final round. Coe-Kirkham will compete for the University of Wyoming.

Henley equaled his score from the previous day with another 70, but Costello fired a scorching five-under-par 67 on Sunday to win the Wyoming State Am with a three-day total of 210, three strokes ahead of Hensley’s 213 tally.

An accomplished violinist, Laramie product and University of Wyoming golfer John Murdock IV placed third with a 216 total, scoring 75, 71 and 70 over the course of the three-day tourney.

2008 WGA state champ Steve White of Jackson placed fourth, finishing with a combined score of 217, one stroke better than Wyoming Cowboy golfer and Phoenix native Daniel Starzynski’s fifth-place finish.

The men’s first-flight had a decidedly Evanston flavor with Jesse Lind and David O’Connell Jr. tied at 144 entering Sunday’s final round, but incoming Cheyenne East senior Blake Danni, two-strokes back coming into Sunday, closed with a final-round score of 71 to win the title. Danni was also the 4A individual medalist in his junior season, winning in Evanston last fall. Recently-graduated Casper Kelly Walsh senior John McGinley placed second, one stroke back at 218, thanks to his first-flight best round of 70 on Sunday. Utah State golfer and former Green River Wolf Philip Kalivas placed third with a three-day total of 224. Former PGA professional and Evanston resident Brad Morrison came in fourth with 225 score, while Lind finished fifth at 227. O’Connell ended one stroke back and tied for sixth place with his 228 score.

It was an all home-course finish in the men’s second flight with Wes Albertson coming out on top with a 224 aggregate. Albertson was followed by Noah Linford at 227, Chris Gerrard at 230, Parnell Lym at 232 and Miles Law at 234.

Hunter Robbins of Evanston won the men’s third flight with a 238 score. Robbins was followed by Worland’s Aaron Grosch with a 248 and Steve Baldwin of Rawlins with a 254.

Net division placers for the third flight were Tim Elder of Laramie in first place with a net score of 207, with Evanston’s Matt Robbins and Travis Robinette tying for second place, each with a 222.

The men’s fourth flight was won by Red Devil golfer Dominic D’Anzi with a combined round of 248. Tim Herold and Dan Mayer of Evanston were separated by one stroke for second and third place in gross scores, with a 255 and a 256, respectively.

There was even more pageantry and drama on the women’s side of the Wyoming State Am. In the championship flight, 13-year-old golf sensation Ali Mulhall, with strong Evanston ties, battled University of Wyoming golfer and Natrona County product Caitlyn Skavdahl for all the marbles. The two competitors were tied at 142 going into Sunday’s final round. Mulhall bested Skavdahl, a two-time Class 4A individual medalist, by one stroke on Sunday to claim the title with a combined score of 219 to 220. 

Mulhall’s younger sister, Molli, became the youngest player to ever compete in the State Am at the tender age of 9.

The Herald hopes to put together a story on the Mulhall girls and their Evanston connections in a future issue.

Evanston’s Kalle Lunsford owned a 12-shot lead over Annalyse Johnson of Casper entering Sunday’s competition and held on to win by four strokes, 242 to 246 in the women’s first-flight division. Nicole Klungness of Casper was the low net winner with a score of 222.

Kim Porter of Evanston won the women’s second flight with a 254, 19 strokes better the second-place finisher Abigail James of Sheridan’s 273.

Caleigh Essert of Torrington claimed the America’s Cup flight championship coming in at 225. Evanston natives Kyra Sponenburgh and Lexi Cornell fared well in that division.

All told, 110 golfers took part in the 96th annual Wyoming Golf Association’s State Amateur tournament.