April arrives, golf season heats up

The Montana women's golf team will spend spring break in Arizona, a working trip bookended by tournaments that lead up to the Big Sky Conference championship later this month in Nevada.

The Grizzlies will compete Monday and Tuesday at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic at the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa.

After getting in three rounds at different courses Wednesday through Friday, Montana will compete the following Monday and Tuesday at the Bobcat Spring Invitational at the Golf Course of Estrella in Goodyear.

After spending a few days back in Missoula, the team will be off to Boulder City, Nev., for the three-day Big Sky championship, which will be played at the Boulder Creek Golf Course April 18-20.

"We've got a bulk of our season coming up the next three weeks, so even though we're on spring break and want to have some relaxation and team bonding, we're also on this trip for a purpose, and that's to try to get better and focus on our games," said coach Matt Higgins.

Montana's seven non-redshirt players will be making the spring break trip.

Freshman Baylee Barckley, sophomore Hailey Hoagland, junior Alexa Schendelman, junior Amanda Kahn and senior Hayley Bingham will be playing as the Grizzlies' top five at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic. Freshman Sadie Crippen and senior Phoebe Tan will compete as individuals.

The tournament will feature 19 teams, with nine of the Big Sky's 12 schools competing, including preseason favorites Idaho and Northern Arizona.

Montana will play Mesa Country Club on Wednesday, the Silverleaf Club on Thursday and Superstition Mountain on Friday, rounds that will determine the team's top five for the next tournament.

After a day off from golf on Saturday, the Grizzlies will play a practice round at the Golf Course of Estrella on Sunday before the Bobcat Spring Invitational.

"It will be a nice little trip. We'll be playing some pretty nice tracks, and the forecast calls for mid-90s. It's going to be nice to be in the warmth," said Higgins, who took his men's and women's teams at Concordia-St. Paul on annual spring break trips as well.

"It's a great time of team-bonding from what I've experienced in the past. You get to go out there and work on your game without interruption. The players are on vacation from school, so their focus can be on golf."

Montana, which finished 12th out of 15 teams at the Fresno State Classic and 13th out of 15 at the Sacramento State Invitational this spring, has had just two rounds out of 18 better than 310 since its season began last September at the Hobble Creek Fall Classic.

The team's season scoring average is 316.3, up considerably from the 305.8 it averaged in 2014-15. Only Barckley, at 78.8, and Hoagland, at 78.9, have season averages better than 80. Last year all seven players on the active roster had season averages in the 70s.

"It's important for us to get off the course at these next two tournaments feeling like we've actually played well," said Higgins. "I don't know that we've had that as a team yet or even as individuals. Some have, but we have yet to put it together at one time."

After returning from the Bobcat Spring Invitational, Montana will travel to the Big Sky championship on Saturday, April 16. The conference meet will be played Monday through Wednesday, April 18-20, with 18 holes each day at Boulder Creek.

"This trip comes at a good time for us," said Higgins. "We come back from this trip, then head right into conference, which is where we want to be playing our best. The timing works out pretty well."

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Players Mentioned

Baylee Barckley

Hayley Bingham

Sadie Crippen

Hailey Hoagland

Amanda Kahn

Alexa Schendelman

Phoebe Tan

University of Montana Athletics