HELENA — Calm, cool and collected.
That’s how Helena Capital junior John Gilbert appeared Friday afternoon in Butte while sinking a birdie putt to secure his Class AA state championship. But that level of comfort on the golf course is only natural for someone who swung a club for the first time at the age of 2.
“That was when I first started swinging and getting used to the clubs,” said Gilbert while taking a break from hitting his iron at the Green Meadow driving range in Helena. “And then I picked up competitive events when I was around 9 or 10.
“And then I started going out of state for them. And I played pretty good in some of them. And that’s kind of when I got the spark or realization that I might be somewhat decent.”
And all those years of repeating swing after swing culminated in Friday’s third playoff hole with a state title up for grabs.
“I was super comfortable because I’ve already been used to those spots on the course,” said Gilbert, who outdueled Missoula Sentinel's Jack Schaefer for the title. “And I had pretty much exactly the same putt, and I was pretty glad I could make it just to celebrate with my teammates and coaches and all the other players that congratulated me — it was a special moment.”
And even though Gilbert still has one more year of high school left, he recently announced his commitment to play Division I golf for Washington State University.
“I’ve always loved it there, and I really felt a connection with the coaches,” said Gilbert. “And just the effort they’ve put into me compared to the effort that other schools put into me; there was just something special with the coaching staff there. And I love the campus, and the course is amazing. And I don’t know why I wouldn’t want to go there with all those different reasons.”
