Kremlin’s Donoven 4 shots back with 18 to play

Jordy Donoven began the day with a share of the lead and struggled a little bit en route to a par-72 Friday at the 100th Men’s State Amateur golf tournament in Missoula.

But the 23-year-old from one of Montana’s smallest north-central communities certainly wasn’t feeling sorry for himself.

“I was just thinking, ‘Wow, this is big,” said Donoven Friday after the second round of the 54-hole tournament at Missoula Country Club. “I’m just a little farmer from small-town Kremlin who had no golf team and no real golf background growing up. And here I am, at the top of the leaderboard of the State Am.

“It’s a pretty good deal. I’m absolutely happy where I’m at.”

With 18 holes left in the prestigious tournament, Donoven is four shots back. Caleb Stetzner of Anaconda leads by one stroke over Joey Moore of Billings following Friday’s play. Stetzer, a Montana State-Billings golfer, fired a 6-under 65, a round that in a span of six holes included five straight birdies and an eagle.

Moore, a Billings West product and reigning Montana State Junior champion, fired a 69 on Friday. Montana Tech's Sean Benson and Payton Taylor of Hamilton both shot 68 and are tied for third at four-under 138.

Then comes Donoven, who shared the first-round lead with Moore after posting a 4-under 67. His 1-over 72 on Friday included four birdies and five bogeys.

Is victory possible for the southpaw?

“Absolutely I think I can win,” Donoven said. “That 67 on Thursday gave me some confidence. I know if I stick to the game plan and roll in a few putts, absolutely I think I can be right in there. Maybe put some pressure on the guys who are up there.”

Nathan Cachia is his caddy. Cachia was also best man at Donoven’s recent wedding.

“It’s good to have him on the bags,” Donoven said. “My round (Friday) was OK, a little bit of a grind but I didn’t play myself out of the tournament. So it’s good.”

Donoven, a recent graduate of Rocky Mountain College, grew up in tiny Kremlin and graduated from North Star High.

So how did he develop such a stellar golf game?

“That’s a great question,” he said. “I don’t really know. There are two little 9-hole (municipal courses) in Havre and during high school I got interested in golf. Just started developing a game, saw a little potential there and decided to pursue it a little bit after high school.”

Donoven ran track in the spring for much of his prep career, but not as a senior. He took that time off to hone his golf game. He made the team at Rocky Mountain, steadily improving all along. As a senior he was named team MVP.

“My four years at Rocky were great. Had a blast and met a lot of my best friends through golf,” he said. “My senior year I won the MSU-Northern Invitational in Shelby out at Marias (Valley Golf Club), so that was fun. Winning up on the Hi-Line was great. That was kind of the highlight of my college career.”

Donoven graduated last winter with a degree in Business Management and is finishing up an internship in Billings this summer. He recently was married to Haylee (Anderson), a Rudyard girl and former high school classmate at North Star.

“A lot is looking good for me at the moment,” Donoven said. “The golf’s good, the wife’s good. So everything is really great.”

Haylee, though, is not a golfer.

“But she supports me,” Donoven said with a laugh. “We actually just got back from our honeymoon and she let me come play in the State Am, so that’s a pretty cool deal.”

Donoven is playing in his fourth State Am; his best previous finish was 12th place in 2015.

“This year is by far my best year,” Donoven said. “I’ve never really been up near the top like this.”

And it’s apparently no fluke. Donoven finished second at the State Match Play tournament earlier this summer.

“It’s for sure the best summer of my golf career,” he said. “My short game has really been on point. On (Thursday in an opening-round 4-under 67) I made a bunch of putts and got up and down when I needed to. That was the deal. Then (Friday) I didn’t really hit the ball very well, but my short game saved me. I was able to get up and down when I needed to and held it together.”

His father, Dean Donoven, is a farmer near Kremlin.

“I’m an only child so the plan at some point is to wind up back on the farm,” Jordy said.

If that happens, it was suggested, he might need to build a little golf course on the place.

“Exactly,” he said. “That’d be good. Add a little more golf to the Hi-Line scene.”

The leaders are expected to tee off in Saturday’s final round at about 1:30 p.m. A total of 130 players are competing in the tournament at Missoula CC, which is playing about 6,570 yards this weekend.

MEANWHILE, at the 100th Women’s State Amateur tournament in Laurel, former Kalispell Glacier standout Teigan Avery took the lead following a 1-over 73. She takes a 5-shot lead into Saturday’s final round at Laurel Golf Club.

Kyla Clancy, who shot a 75 Thursday to lead after the first round, posted an 80 on Friday and is six shots back of Avery in third place. Anna DeMers is alone in second place, five strokes behind Clancy.