Ports shoots final-round 74, leads Grizzlies in Arizona

Wednesday, April 3

Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club; Maricopa, Ariz.

Montana

Wyoming Cowgirl Classic

Photos: Wyoming Athletics

Ports shoots final-round 74, leads Grizzlies in Arizona

4/4/2024 4:03:00 PM | Golf

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By: Montana Sports Information

Raina Ports shot a final-round 74 on Thursday to tie for 47th as the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic wrapped up at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz.

Ports, who shot rounds of 79 and 72 on Wednesday, opened her final round with a double-bogey on her first hole, the par-5 13th, then played the next 17 holes at even par, with three birdies.

Montana will compete next week at the Bobcat Desert Classic. The Big Sky Conference Championship will open in a week and a half, on Monday, April 15, at Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, Ariz.

"She did great today and will have a chance to be top five, even in the mix (at the Big Sky Championship)," said coach Jimmy Mee. "She has the game to go and compete."

Montana shot a 313 on Thursday after posting scores of 307 and 307 on Wednesday. The Grizzlies finished in 18th place in the 21-team field.

"It was a battle out there today," said Mee. "The conditions were easy but nobody was hitting it very well. We were kind of scraping it around the whole time."

Kendall Hayward (77-76-79) tied for 77th, Elle Higgins (78-80-76) tied for 83rd, Hannah Ports (73-81-84) finished 101st and Tricia Joyce (82-79-85) tied for 112th.

Higgins, accustomed to posting birdies aplenty for a tournament, had three over 54 holes at Southern Dunes, one on Thursday on her best round of the week.

"Elle did a good job of battling today," Mee said. "She's not hitting it very well, so she posted a score today that was fine. When you don't have it, you don't have it, but she stayed in it better today."

Competing as an individual, Kate Bogenschutz (78-86-84) finished 116th in the 118-player field.

Sacramento State (280-289-291) finished 4-under as a team to come in three strokes ahead of Long Beach State (287-291-285).

Three teams – Boise State, New Mexico State and San Diego State – tied for third. The top 10 teams in the standings all shot 300 or better for all three rounds.

New Mexico State's Emma Bunch (70-66-71), under par all three rounds, won the tournament at 9-under. Eight players finished under par, including three from Sacramento State.

Montana will be off on Friday, then on Saturday will travel to Goodyear, Ariz., for its first look at the Golf Club of Estrella. The Bobcat Desert Classic beings on Monday.

"We'll work on chipping and putting and speed work, get out on the course a little bit," said Mee. "We need to get back to the basics of alignment and process, make it simple then go from there."