Griz golf team seeking spike in performance

The Montana women's golf team is three tournaments into its 2015-16 schedule, and the Grizzlies are shooting an average team score of 315, 10 shots higher than they did for the entirety of 2014-15. And first-year coach Matt Higgins isn't the least bit concerned.

"I'm not too worried about our results right now. Obviously we'd like to be shooting in the low 300s, but the girls are working hard through the coaching transition, and that's the key part of it," says Higgins, Montana's fourth coach since 2011.

"I think everyone is just getting used to a little different coaching philosophy. Practices are a little different than they're used to, but they are working hard and adapting to the different things I do compared to what the last coach did."

Playing three straight weeks, Montana finished 14th at the Hobble Creek Fall Classic in Utah, 11th at the Washington State Cougar Cup and 13th at the Rose City Collegiate in Oregon.

At those tournaments, the Grizzlies have had more team scores above 320 than below 310 and seven more individual rounds in the 80s than in the 70s.

"I think a lot of it is that they've been trying to prove themselves to the new coach coming in, and I think they lost some confidence in their games because they didn't think I had confidence in them right away," said Higgins.

"But I have full confidence in them, and I think they're starting to grasp that. They just need to gain some confidence within themselves and within the team. They're using the same white ball and same equipment they've always used. Nothing's changed. They just need to trust in their abilities."

Of course comparing this year's team with last year's isn't fair. Those Grizzlies had Tara Green and Barbora Bakova, two of the best golfers in program history. Green exhausted her eligibility; Bakova is playing at Coastal Carolina, which shot rounds of 292, 292 and 290 at its most recent tournament.

It's early in their careers, but sophomore Hailey Hoagland and freshman Sadie Crippen, the only two players with season stroke averages below 80 through three tournaments, may be on their way to filling the spikes worn by Green and Bakova.

Hoagland closed with rounds of 72 and 73 at Washington State to tie for 14th. Crippen opened her collegiate career with a 73 at Hobble Creek.

"It's never good to lose your top two golfers from the year before, but we've had Hailey and Sadie step up and help fill that void. They've given us a foundation this season with their scores."

Montana will play its final two fall tournaments the next two weeks, starting Monday and Tuesday at the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational in Tacoma, Wash. The Grizzlies will use a lineup of senior Phoebe Tan, junior Amanda Kahn, freshman Baylee Barckley, plus Hoagland and Crippen.

The Grizzlies will wrap up their fall season Oct. 24-25 at the Cal Poly Lady Mustang in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The first tournament of the spring won't come until late February in Phoenix, Ariz.

"These are two really important tournaments for us," said Higgins. "With any change like this program has had, you're either going to flat-line or even see some digression. Then you're going to see that big spike with growth. We're ready for that big spike.

"I think we're finally starting to see in practice some of the rewards of what we've been trying to do this fall. Now we just need to bring it out on the golf course when it counts."

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Players Mentioned

Barbora Bakova

Baylee Barckley

Sadie Crippen

Tara Green

Hailey Hoagland

Amanda Kahn

Phoebe Tan

University of Montana Athletics