Golf, golf and then some more golf

The Montana golf team, sequestered as it's been inside the Bill Ruegamer Indoor Golf Facility since playing its last tournament nearly a month ago at the Grand Canyon Invitational, is going to get its wish for outdoor golf. And then some.

The Grizzlies are traveling to Arizona this week and will play seven days and nine rounds of competitive golf at three tournaments over a span of 11 days. The team will also get three other days of practice rounds prior to each of the tournaments.

"I think everybody is a little apprehensive about taking this long of a trip, but I'd rather be doing that than doing what we're doing right now," said first-year coach Kris Nord, whose team's upcoming schedule coincides with spring break.

"This group takes care of business in the classroom anyway, but they'll be able to focus on golf. We'll be on the course for 10 days, maybe 11, which is what we need right now."

Montana will get a practice round on Friday at the Oakcreek Country Club in Sedona, then compete at the 54-hole Red Rocks Invitational on Saturday and Sunday.

Then it will be on to Chandler for a practice round on Monday at the Ocotillo Golf Club. The Portland State/Eastern Washington Invitational will be played Tuesday through Thursday, with 18 holes each day.

Following a day free of golf on Friday, Montana will have the option of teeing it up somewhere on Saturday before a practice round on Sunday at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa. The 54-hole Wyoming Cowgirl Classic will be played on Monday and Tuesday.

"It will be a good test," said Nord. "I think it's going to be tougher mentally than physically. I'm glad we're not doing 36 holes on any of the days at our mid-week tournament, because those can be really long days.

"We'll be getting a ton of play in and compressing it into a tight period, but that's the best use of our time and budget. We're definitely maximizing what we're able to do. We'll be traveling less and golfing more."

Nord will go with his usual five-player lineup of seniors Hailey Hoagland and Kari Opatz, junior Baylee Barckley, sophomore Teigan Avery and freshman Faith D'Ortenzio at the team's first tournament, which is hosted by Northern Arizona.

Barckley led Montana at its most recent tournament, the Grand Canyon Invitational, in late February, tying for 19th after shooting rounds of 76, 77 and 73. Hoagland led the Grizzlies at their spring opener, the Battle at the Rock. She shot rounds of 74, 76 and 77 to tie for 34th.

Hoagland (76.4), Barckley (77.1) and Opatz (78.4) all have season scoring averages better than 79.

The opening tournament of the trip will be a large one, with 18 teams competing, seven from the Big Sky Conference, and more than 100 golfers.

After Sunday's final 18 holes, the team will pick up sophomores Abby Pfeifer and Caylyn Villatora from the airport. Both players will compete at the second and third tournaments of the trip as individuals.

Villatora played at two tournaments in the fall, averaging 81.8 over six rounds. Nord, who took over the program on an interim basis last summer and was named permanent coach in January, will be seeing Pfeifer in a tournament setting for the first time. Pfeifer did not compete in the fall.

"I have not seen Abby play since I took over," said Nord. "We need to get both of them back into playing mode. I'll get some information on everybody on the roster next week, which is what I need."

The Portland State/Eastern Washington Invitational will be a smaller tournament, with only six teams and nine additional individuals.

Portland State has the field's best Golfstat ranking of 83. The other five teams (Montana, Eastern Washington, Montana State, Seattle and Missouri-Kansas City) all have rankings between 157 and 189.

Montana will be playing at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic, which will be another larger tournament, for the 12th consecutive year.

After returning home, Montana will not play again until the Big Sky Conference Championship, which will open on Friday, April 20, at the Boulder Creek Golf Course in Boulder City, Nev.

"The only thing I'd do differently with the schedule is not do one of these next three tournaments, then go back and play another in mid-April, so we'd get a week of practice, then a tournament, then a week of practice before conference," said Nord.

"But if the weather cooperates and we can practice outside in Missoula in April, we'll be fine."

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Players Mentioned

Teigan Avery

Baylee Barckley

Faith D'Ortenzio

Hailey Hoagland

Kari Opatz

Abby Pfeifer

Caylyn Villatora

University of Montana Athletics