The Montana State women’s golf team will host the Bobcat Desert Classic at the Golf Club of Estrella in Goodyear, Arizona, starting on April 13 and continuing through April 15. The event marks the conclusion of the team’s regular season before heading into the Big Sky Championship later in April.
The tournament features a three-day, 54-hole format with one round played each day. Thirteen teams and fifteen individuals are set to compete on the par-72, 6,218-yard course. Seven players from Montana State will participate, with five competing for a team score and two as individuals among an eighty-player field.
“It’s that time of year again – our tournament serves as the perfect warm-up for the Big Sky Conference Championship,” Montana State head coach Brittany Basye said. “Thirteen teams and 15 individuals will be competing, and it’s shaping up to be a strong, competitive field. This year, we’ll play 18 holes each day, which is a welcome change from the single-day 36-hole format.
“We’re taking seven players who have each contributed to our success this season. I expect every one of them to bring great golf to Estrella. We still carry great memories of Greeny’s dramatic win on the 18th green last year. That moment will be a source of motivation as we aim to contend for the team and an individual title this time around. This is our ‘home’ tournament. It brings a little bit of excitement with family and friends out watching us.
“Our focus is simple and something we hope to accomplish at every tournament: play hard, fight for every shot, and keep the pedal down. It’s go-time – all the hard work from this spring needs to show up on the course. After a few weeks of indoor preparation, it’ll be great to be outside in Arizona watching these ladies compete,” Basye said.
Seven Big Sky Conference teams are participating along with six other programs from across several states including California Baptist University and Wyoming. The Bobcats recently achieved their fifth top-three finish of their season at another Arizona event where they posted their best-ever result on a par-71 course with an overall score that placed them third as a team.
This year’s roster includes Lauren Greeny—last year’s individual champion—Norah Seidl, Eva Heinz, Maddie Montoya, Ashleigh Wilson (who recently matched one of program’s lowest scores), Sailor Graham and Lauren Nau.
The Bobcat Desert Classic has been hosted by Montana State for five consecutive years; last year’s edition saw them tie for second place out of ten teams while Greeny secured her third victory during that season after winning in playoff fashion.
