Griz wrap up fall season in Washington

The Montana women's golf team will conclude its fall schedule early next week when the Grizzlies compete in the two-day Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational in Lakewood, Wash.

The 54-hole tournament -- 36 holes on Day 1, 18 on Day 2 -- will be played on Monday and Tuesday at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club.

Competing for Montana will be sophomore Kylie Esh, junior Faith D'Ortenzio, sophomores Allison Sobol and Brooklyn Van Bebber and freshman Tricia Joyce.

At the Grizzlies' first two tournaments of the fall -- the Battle at Old Works in Anaconda and the Rose City Collegiate in Aurora, Ore. -- Montana finished seventh and 11th while averaging a score of 313.3.

"I'd love to see us score better as a team. We've been on the high side," said coach Kris Nord. "That needs to come down across the board.

"I'd love to have a breakout performance from some of the kids. They could have an impact if they went and played good golf. A couple of the kids could go score at this course."

It's a course Montana knows well, having played in the tournament the previous five falls.

D'Ortenzio, who shot a 77 in the final round last fall, will be playing the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational for the third time.

Esh, Sobol and Van Bebber all played last year as freshmen. Esh carded a second-round 74, Sobol a final-round 74.

"It's very similar (to the Missoula Country Club) in that it's tree-lined, but it's much more difficult. The greens are a little larger and faster and there are more overhanging trees," Nord said. "You can be in the fairway and not have a clear shot.

"It really pays off to be able to hit a low ball, a high ball, work the ball left to right or right to left. You have to be able to work it to get to some of the greens."

The tournament will feature 17 teams, plus a handful of individuals from Washington, which ended the 2018-19 season with a top-25 Golfstat ranking.

Montana tied for 14th last year, with rounds of 312, 313 and 304. Baylee Barckley (74-75-72) tied for ninth in the individual standings.

The top five teams last fall were Santa Clara, Houston Baptist, Grand Canyon, Boise State and Cal State Fullerton. All five teams will be back at next week's tournament.

"It will be tough. The field is really competitive, probably the toughest field we'll play in this fall," said Nord. "I'd love to see us move up the ladder and not be near the bottom of the rankings at the end of the tournament."

After opening their fall season at the Battle at Old Works and Rose City Collegiate, the Grizzlies took a break from stroke play last weekend when they hosted the Griz Match Play Challenge at the Missoula Country Club.

On Day 1, Montana knocked off Montana State 4-1, a result that came after the Bobcats had finished higher than the Grizzlies at the first two tournaments.

Facing an even stronger Eastern Washington team on Day 2, Montana went back and forth with the Eagles before ultimately dropping a 3-2 decision. Four of the five matches were not decided until the final hole.

Sobol and senior Teigan Avery both went 2-0 over the two days, while Joyce went 1-0-1.

"It was a lot of fun. I've received nothing but positive comments from the coaches and the players," said Nord.

"I loved how our team handled it. We competed well and gave ourselves a chance to beat Eastern at the end, and that's where we wanted to be. We didn't play badly. They made some good shots and took it from us."

After the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational concludes on Tuesday, Montana will not compete again until the Lady Thunderbird Invitational in St. George, Utah, in mid-March.

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Players Mentioned

Teigan Avery

Baylee Barckley

Faith D'Ortenzio

Kylie Esh

Tricia Joyce

Allison Sobol

Brooklyn Van Bebber

University of Montana Athletics