Montana
UC Irvine Anteater Invitational
Griz finish UC Irvine Invitational on positive note
2/26/2013 12:00:00 AM | Golf
Feb. 26, 2013
The Montana golf team shot a third-round 312 Tuesday on the second and final day of the UC Irvine Invitational at the Santa Ana Country Club in Santa Ana, Calif. It was the Grizzlies' best round of the tournament and a 21-stroke improvement on their opening round.
Montana placed two individuals in the top 25 but finished 11th out of 12 teams.
Sophomore Tara Green (82-73-76--231) shot her second consecutive round in the 70s to finish in a tie for 20th at +15. Senior Olivia Weber (77-80-77--234), who opened and closed with rounds in the 70s, tied for 25th at +18.
After opening with a 333 Monday morning, Montana shot a 316 Monday afternoon, then improved once again with Tuesday's 312. The drop in scoring was just the opposite of the Grizzlies' season-opening tournament last week when Montana played rounds of 314, 326 and 332.
"That's just part of the game and part of the challenge we face as we try to find our rhythm and consistency when we get these opportunities to play outdoors," said UM coach Emily Milberger, whose team spends its practice time between tournaments at Play Gr8 Golf's indoor facility in Missoula.
Green and Weber have been mostly consistent in their high level of play through the team's first two tournaments. The reason Montana came in at 312 Tuesday was the improved play of freshman Hayley Bingham.
After opening with an 85 Monday morning, Bingham shot a 78 Monday afternoon, then went lower still with a 76 on Tuesday. It was Bingham's second-lowest score of the year, trailing only the 73 she shot in the third round of Wyoming's tournament in October.
Bingham's 76 Tuesday gave Montana three golfers in the 70s for the first time in five rounds.
Bingham almost gave the Grizzlies three holes in one at the tournament when she hit the flagstick on No. 17, the same hole aced by Weber in Monday's opening round. Two holes later she eagled No. 1 when her approach from 70 yards out took one hop and found the cup.
She also had a birdie, two bogeys and two double bogeys in the third round.
"Hayley had a good day today," Milberger said. "She played really well. She had a couple of big holes that kept her from going even lower, but as she gets older she will keep getting more consistent."
Golf at the collegiate level is still a team sport, however, and four players' scores are counted against the team total. And that's why Montana has finished 11th out of 12 teams at both of its tournaments this season.
Milberger used junior Lindsay Reeve and freshman Phoebe Tan to team up with Green, Weber and Bingham at Cal State Fullerton's tournament last week. Monday and Tuesday she used junior Natalie Beard (93-88-83--264) and freshman Kyla Clancy (89-85-96--270).
Those four players have averaged rounds of 87.7 through the first two tournaments of the season.
"We're a young team, with three freshmen and a sophomore, and they are all gaining experience as we go by cycling through the rotation," Milberger said.
"Their consistency will come, and their scores will start dropping as a result, and when that happens it will move us to the next level."
Gonzaga (295-298-292--885) led the tournament from the opening round through the final round, finishing at +21. UC Irvine finished 22 shots back in second at +43.
Among the Big Sky Conference schools, Portland State (310-308-304--922) finished fourth at +58, and Sacramento State (308-313-320--941) came in seventh at +77.
Montana edged out Northern Colorado (329-330-305--964) by three strokes.
Gonzaga's Alice Kim (67-72-76--215) was the medalist after playing three rounds at one under par. She finished four strokes in front of North Dakota State's Amy Anderson (78-68-73--219).
Montana's next tournament will be Friday through Sunday, March 8-10, at the Western Michigan Invitational. The tournament will be held at the White Wing Golf Course in Rio Verde, Ariz.
