The Evanston High School golf teams had a tournament to remember at the 4A State Golf Championship in Afton over the weekend, with the Lady Devils winning the team title, and the Red Devils finishing runners-up.

Lind a State Champion

Red Devils senior Ryker Lind won medalist honors, shooting under par on both days to finish with a two-day total of 134. The win gave the University of Wyoming commit a clean sweep for the 2024 season, winning every tournament he competed in.

Lind opened the tournament with a 66, then followed on Day 2 with a 68 to finish with a 134. Campbell County’s Jaxon Burr (71-70) and Cheyenne East’s Nash Coleman (73-68) tied for second, carding two-day totals of 141.

It’s been a long — and at times, tumultuous — road to a championship for Lind, who came about as close as one can get without winning last season. At Green Hills Golf Course in Worland, Lind was sitting at nine under par with four holes to play on Day 2, and found himself tied for the lead with 3-time defending state champion Parker Paxton from Riverton. On hole 14, Paxton hit an Eagle putt from off the green to take a two-stroke lead, then held on for the win.

This season, Lind wanted to make sure any late-round heroics would be his own, not that he needed any.

“It felt pretty good, honestly,” Lind said. “I’ve been chasing a state championship for a while now, and have come extremely close in the past, but never been able to finish it off. So now that I could make that happen, it has definitely taken some weight off my shoulders.”

Valli Vu Golf Course in Afton is a track Lind is very familiar with, though with as long as he is off the tee, it’s not particularly suited for his game. That said, Lind didn’t have to make many adjustments.

“I’d say the biggest thing I had to make sure I did well was chip and put it close from inside 100 yards,” he explained. “I may not be able to overpower it, but with hitting it how far I do I really had to make sure I could put the wedges close. Going into the second day I really just focused on playing my own game, and playing shot by shot. Another thing I tell myself is play to win; don’t play to not lose. I knew that the second I started playing to not lose I would’ve lost it. Once I knew I had it won, it honestly just took some stress off and I started playing more freely and living in the moment and just taking it all in and having fun.”

Lind’s older brother Braxton finished runner-up in this tournament back in 2020; asked if Braxton offered him any words of advice, Lind said he did.

“My brother has always been a big influence on my game, but I’d say the piece of advice I took the most from him — not just from his words, but from his experiences — was to play smart, and play one shot at a time,” Lind said. “He has told me that a lot this year — not just in high school golf, but in everything else — and it has really helped me stay focused through tough points in the round. It has helped me to keep my composure.”

Lady Devils

The Lady Devils had been playing strong all season, and after finishing runners-up at the 4A West Qualifier a week ago, coaches Jerry Carroll and Travis Robinette knew the team had the talent to win a state title.

Standing in their way were perennial golf powerhouses Sheridan and Kelly Walsh, with Jackson and Star Valley thrown in for good measure. When the dust settled, however, it was Evanston (519) at the top, by a mere three strokes over Sheridan (522). Kelly Walsh (525), Jackson (526) and Star Valley (540) rounded out the Top 5.

Lady Devil senior Hailee Ridenour closed out her high school career strong, carding a 170 to finish fifth, and earn All-State honors. Ridenour struggled to a 91 on Day 1, but stormed back on Day 2, firing a 79 to charge into the Top 5.

Junior Maddie Brown also earned All-State honors, carding an 86-87-173 to finish sixth.

Senior Marlee Torres finished tied for 11th (88-88-176), while Emme Fessler was 29th (104-94-198). Lizzie O’Connell rounded out the varsity contingent at 25th (111-93-204).

Red Devils

Evanston’s Cade Brady finished in a tie for 13th, carding an 80 on Day 1 and a 72 on Day 2 for a two-day total of 152. Parker Green and Brandon Blackwell finished in a 6-way tie for 28th, both carding a two-day total of 161. Green opened with a 78, and followed that with an 83, while Blackwell shot an 84 on Day 1, then shaved seven strokes on Day 2 to card a 77.

Maddox Robbins rounded out the Red Devils contingent in a tie for 49th (96-95-191).