Griz open fall season in Utah

The Montana women's golf team will open its five-tournament fall schedule next week when the Grizzlies compete at the Kelsey Chugg Invitational in Eden, Utah.

The 11-team, 54-hole tournament will be played at Wolf Creek Golf Course, with 36 holes on Monday, 18 on Tuesday, with play starting at 9 a.m. both days.

The tournament will be an early Big Sky Conference preview, with Idaho, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Portland State and host Weber State competing.

This will be the third time in four years that Montana has played in the Kelsey Chugg Invitational early in the fall season.

The team tied for fifth out of nine teams in the fall of 2021 and finished eighth out of 10 teams in the fall of 2022.

The Grizzlies open the season heavy on experience, with seven of last year's eight players returning. Only Tricia Joyce was lost to graduation.

Back are junior Raina Ports, who set a program record last year with a season scoring average of 75.42. Elle Higgins, now a sophomore, had the fourth-best average (76.15) in program history.

Ports earned honorable-mention All-Big Sky honors following the season.

Redshirt sophomore Kendall Hayward ranked third on the team last year with a scoring average of 77.81.

Higgins will compete next week in the No. 1 spot, Ports in the No. 2 spot, Hayward in the No. 3 spot.

Sophomore Kate Bogenschutz, who competed in four of nine tournaments last year, qualified for the No. 4 spot. Junior Hannah Ports will play at No. 5.

Competing as individuals on Monday and Tuesday will be fifth-year senior Madison Cecil, senior Kylie Franklin and freshman Bella Johnson, of Billings.

In qualifying on Saturday at the Ranch Club, the Grizzlies had four players go under par, three of whom finished 3-under.

"I want to see if we can maintain that same attitude and outlook we've had in qualifying and see if we can do it in a tournament," said second-year coach Jimmy Mee.

"If we can do that, if we can keep our emotions in check and not get riled up, we should be fine. Obviously we want to shoot good scores but if we can take that next step and not give any shots away and treat every shot like it's the most important shot, it will be fun to see what they can do."

Montana finished seventh at last year's Big Sky Conference Championship despite shooting rounds of 293, 295 and 301. The Grizzlies' three-round total of 889 was their best ever at the Big Sky Championship by 13 strokes.

Higgins shot an opening-round 68 and held the Day 1 lead at the Championship. She ended up tying for 16th, with Joyce tying for 19th and Raina Ports finishing 21st.

This season will be Mee's first full-time in the head coaching position after taking over for former coach Kris Nord in December. Mee had been working as an assistant coach in the program previously.

"I'm definitely a lot more comfortable knowing what each of them needs and where we can help them to the best of our ability," said Mee, who will continue to be assisted by Jeff Allen.

"Basically our whole team is back, so I feel more comfortable knowing where I can be of most benefit to each of the players."

The only Grizzly not competing next week: freshman Anna Stensrud, of Missoula.

Mee will take either eight players or his entire team to the first four tournaments of the fall, beginning next week in Eden, Utah.

Montana will play at the Eagle Invitational in Worley, Idaho, on Sept. 22-23, at the Tri-State Invitational in Spokane, Wash., on Oct. 6-7, and the Portland State Invitational in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 14-15.

The Grizzlies will travel with five players to the final fall event, the French Broad Collegiate Invitational in Arden, N.C., in late October.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kate Bogenschutz

Madison Cecil

Kylie Franklin

Kendall Hayward

Elle Higgins

Bella Johnson

Tricia Joyce

Hannah Ports

Raina Ports

Anna Stensrud

University of Montana Athletics