Griz golfers open fall season in Utah

The Montana women's golf team will open its fall season next week at the Hobble Creek Fall Classic.

The two-day, 54-hole tournament will be played Monday and Tuesday at the Hobble Creek Golf Course in Springville, Utah.

The tournament will be the first of four for the Grizzlies this fall, with competitions coming weekly, with the Big O Classic in Omaha, Neb., capping the season off on Oct. 3-4.

Montana also will compete at the Kelsey Chugg Invitational in Eden, Utah, on Sept. 19-20, and the Eagle Invitational in Spokane, Wash., on Sept. 26-28.

All nine players on the team will compete at the first three tournaments this fall, with five going in as Montana's official scoring squad, the others playing as individuals.

"The fact everybody gets to participate, I don't weigh the top five scores any heavier than people playing as individuals," said coach Kris Nord.

"They all matter equally. We just want to see how they handle the competition. For the freshmen, how they handle the opening nerves of college golf. It's different than junior golf."

Five players had a season scoring average in the 70s last year. Four of them are back, led by senior Jessica Ponce, whose average of 77.12 ranked second to Kylie Esh's 76.65.

Ponce was especially solid in the spring. Over five tournaments and 15 rounds, she shot 78 or better in 12 of them. She went 72-75-73 at the Big Sky Conference Championship to tie for sixth.

Seniors Tricia Joyce (79.60) and Emmy Sundby (79.90) also cracked 80 for 2021-22, as did junior Meredith Boos (79.86).

"We feel we're very talented if everybody is on their A game, but I've probably said that for the last five years," said Nord.

"We do have some good, talented golfers out there. I just hope we can get six or seven of them showing us some real good consistency."

Esh was the face of the program for years. She led the team in scoring as a sophomore, junior and senior, and her 77.01 career scoring average is the second-best in program history.

Now it's Ponce's turn.

"This is going to be a new role for Jessica but I do believe she is ready to embrace it. She's really grown since her first year," said Nord.

"She was quiet and reserved. She's not flamboyant now, but she's coming out of her shell. She's a good leader."

Being a senior leader is a role Ponce has been preparing for since she was a freshman.

"I was fortunate enough to have those conversations with (Kylie) and those have really helped me navigate how I'm going to take on that role for this year and for this team," she said.

"I learned a lot from her and she's always a text away. I can always count on her, but I'm my own person, and I want to bring my own identity into it.

"And it wasn't just Kylie but Teigan (Avery) as well and past players before that. I really looked up to them. I had really great conversations."

Ponce had two of her first three collegiate seasons impacted by the effects of COVID. Her freshman season ended in March of 2020. Her sophomore season didn't commence until the following March.

Given a full school year to compete last year as a junior, Ponce averaged 78.0 in four fall tournaments, including tying for first at the Griz Invitational, then 76.5 through five spring tournaments.

"My goals have stayed the same since I was a freshman, to improve, to work on the things that need to be worked on and to stay consistent and play well for the Griz," she said.

She is joined in this year's senior class by Sundby and Joyce, both of whom competed alongside Ponce at the Big Sky Championship in Arizona in April.

Ponce closed the tournament with a third-day 73. Sunday posted a 74, Joyce a 76.

"We all have experience from conference. Now we want to keep that momentum going and stay competitive. It's been good. I'm excited for the season. I'm looking forward to it," said Ponce.

Sundby enters her senior year on a roll from last spring.

She averaged an 81.14 as a freshman, then played just one of Montana's four events in the abbreviated 2020-21 season.

Last fall she shot in the 80s in nine of 11 rounds before breaking through in the spring, when eight of her nine rounds were in the 70s.

"She's worked hard at it. She's played more tournaments in the summer, so she's started getting more consistent. She's handled the competition better," said Nord.

"We've had discussions of her embracing competition and beating the kids in her group and kind of getting an edge to her. I think she's heading in that direction and that's good."

Madison Cecil, whose first season with the Grizzlies was in 2021-22 after transferring from Murray State, joins Boos in the junior class.

Kylie Franklin, who shot an opening-round 75 at the Battle at Old Works and a first-round 74 at the Griz Invitational last fall, is the lone member of the sophomore class.

The freshman class is made up of Kendall Hayward and Hannah and Raina Ports. All three are from Arizona, where they take their junior golf seriously.

"I don't expect them to be freshmen very long," said Nord. "They've played a lot of tournament golf down in Arizona. They've faced tough courses and tough competition.

"They are all talented, so I hope the transition to college is a little quicker. They are stronger and more physical than the kids we've had in the past."

The Hobble Creek Fall Classic will play 36 holes on Monday, 18 on Tuesday. The field will be made up of golfers from 17 teams.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Meredith Boos

Madison Cecil

Kylie Esh

Kylie Franklin

Kendall Hayward

Tricia Joyce

Jessica Ponce

Raina Ports

Emmy Sundby

University of Montana Athletics