Griz golf program adds another

It's the dream of millions, of golfers at all levels, to drain a putt on No. 18 at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, a course made famous by hosting the Masters each spring.

The hole named Holly, a dogleg right, rises to an elevated green, positioned close to the course's famed clubhouse.

With only 300 or so members at any given time, sinking a putt on the final hole is, for most, a bucket-list item unlikely to be realized.

Not so for Jessica Ponce (pon-SAY), who signed a National Letter of Intent recently and will join the Montana golf team as a freshman in the fall.

Ponce, of Beaverton, Ore., holed a putt on the 18th green back in 2015 as part of the national Drive, Pitch and Putt competition, exactly one Sunday before Jordan Spieth did the same to win the Masters.

Ponce won local and sub-regional qualifiers at Meriwether National Golf Club in Portland, then claimed the Rocky Mountain regional at The Promontory Nicklaus Course in Park City, Utah.

With her family on hand to support her, Ponce would finish fifth out of 10 national qualifiers in the skills challenge at Augusta National in the 14-15 age group.

All the participants got to extend their stay and watch one of that week's pre-tournament practice rounds.

"To be able to have that experience with my family, it's definitely a treasured moment," Ponce said.

It came before she'd ever considered Montana. That changed after she met Shanda Imlay, director of Oregon Junior Golf, a former UM student and high school classmate in Missoula of Griz golf coach Kris Nord.

"She initially piqued my interest. That's when I contacted Kris about my interest in Montana," Ponce said.

"When I visited campus, I just fell in love. It had that very traditional look that I wanted in a college but it was also modern. I thought it was a good balance."

Ponce, who is of both Filipino and Vietnamese descent and is a first-generation American, is a student at the International School of Beaverton but she competes for Westview High.

The Wildcats won the Oregon Class 6A state title in 2017, with Ponce tying for second as a sophomore. Last spring they placed second for the second time in three years, with Ponce recording her third top-10 finish.

She has twice represented Oregon at the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in San Diego.

"Her swing is real sound, and the improvement is there over the last three years. I think her best golf's ahead of her. That's why we went after her," said Nord.

"Her entire family drove over from Portland when we flew her in, so I got to spend some time with her whole crew. I really like them and the support system she has."

If Ponce's connection to Montana began with Imlay, it grew deeper when she made her official visit and played a round of golf with the team's lone senior, Baylee Barckley, who is from Canyon Lake, Calif.

Both grew up learning the sport in the same organization, Murrieta Valley Junior Golf. Ponce lived in Southern California through the age of 12, when her family moved to Oregon.

"I was able to ask her questions from the eyes of a golfer for the University of Montana. It was nice to get her opinion and viewpoint," Ponce said.

"It just seemed like everything was interconnected in some way. It was cool how everything about the University of Montana came into view."

Ponce becomes Nord's third addition to next year's roster. Tricia Joyce, of Butte, and Emmy Sundby, of Rapid City, S.D., signed last month.

"First and foremost I think this group is going to fit in real well and work hard," said Nord. "And all three are great students, so right off the bat there are fewer things to worry about."

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