Monday, October 26
The Cliffs at Walnut Cove; Arden, N.C.
Montana
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French Broad Collegiate Invitational
Photo by: Ryan Brennecke / University of Montana
10/22/2026 5:58:00 PM | Golf
The Montana women's golf team will conclude its four-tournament fall schedule next week when the Grizzlies travel to Arden, N.C., for the French Broad Collegiate Invitational.
The two-day, 54-hole event, named after the French Broad River, will be played on Monday and Tuesday at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, which hosted the PGA Tour's Biltmore Championship Asheville last month.
"That speaks for the course if the PGA Tour hosts an event there," said coach Jimmy Mee. "It's an unbelievable golf course."
Mee and the Grizzlies just haven't seen it at its best yet.
The 2024 tournament, which would have been Montana's first go at the course, was canceled due to the damaging effects of Hurricane Helene.
Last year's event was nearly wiped out by three inches of rain, though teams eventually got through 36 water-logged holes.
Next week's forecast calls for all sun and low 70s for highs. "We haven't gotten the full experience," said Mee.
"Golf is a lot more fun when the conditions are at least reasonable. It doesn't take much. Above 50, winds below 20, maybe some sunshine."
Freshman Zoe Bar-Or and Bella Johnson will be Montana's No. 1 and 2 golfers after tying for first and finishing sixth, respectively, at last month's Sun Mountain Intercollegiate at the Missoula Country Club.
Katie Lewis, who tied for 13th at the Sun Mountain Intercollegiate, and Kate Bogenschutz, who tied for 10th, will compete next week, as will freshman Ellie Sticha, her first tournament in Montana's top five.
Sticha competed at the Yellowstone Intercollegiate in Bozeman and Sun Mountain Intercollegiate as an individual and made the top five for North Carolina through qualifying.
Montana finished sixth out of six teams at the fall-opening Bear Brawl in Greeley, Colo., shooting rounds of 311, 310 and 314.
The Grizzlies were 10th out of 11 teams at the Yellowstone Intercollegiate, carding rounds of 305, 318 and 302.
After opening the Sun Mountain Intercollegiate with a 308, the Grizzlies closed with rounds of 295 and 299 to win their first tournament since 2021.
"We've slowly gotten a lot cleaner," said Mee. "We're not stringing six bogeys in a row together or three doubles in nine holes. We're competing better, not shriveling up when things go poorly.
"We've gotten more comfortable in tournaments and they've also bought in. They are thinking a little more clearly, that it needs to be a next-shot mentality instead of dwelling on what's happened."
After closing the Sun Mountain with rounds of 70 and 73 to tie for first, becoming Montana's first tournament winner since 2021, Bar-Or heads to North Carolina with a fall scoring average of 75.44.
Lewis is averaging 77.11, Bogenschutz 77.67 and Johnson 78.89.
After the French Broad Collegiate Invitational concludes on Tuesday, Montana won't compete again until heading to Palm Desert, Calif., in February for the Mountain Classic Match Play at The Classic Club.
"The fall goes by so fast, the blink of an eye," said Mee. "The weather has been great so we've been able to get some great work in, but it goes so fast.
"I like how competitive everyone is in qualifying. It's no longer a foregone conclusion who will be traveling to events. That's good."
The two-day, 54-hole event, named after the French Broad River, will be played on Monday and Tuesday at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, which hosted the PGA Tour's Biltmore Championship Asheville last month.
"That speaks for the course if the PGA Tour hosts an event there," said coach Jimmy Mee. "It's an unbelievable golf course."
Mee and the Grizzlies just haven't seen it at its best yet.
The 2024 tournament, which would have been Montana's first go at the course, was canceled due to the damaging effects of Hurricane Helene.
Last year's event was nearly wiped out by three inches of rain, though teams eventually got through 36 water-logged holes.
Next week's forecast calls for all sun and low 70s for highs. "We haven't gotten the full experience," said Mee.
"Golf is a lot more fun when the conditions are at least reasonable. It doesn't take much. Above 50, winds below 20, maybe some sunshine."
Freshman Zoe Bar-Or and Bella Johnson will be Montana's No. 1 and 2 golfers after tying for first and finishing sixth, respectively, at last month's Sun Mountain Intercollegiate at the Missoula Country Club.
Katie Lewis, who tied for 13th at the Sun Mountain Intercollegiate, and Kate Bogenschutz, who tied for 10th, will compete next week, as will freshman Ellie Sticha, her first tournament in Montana's top five.
Sticha competed at the Yellowstone Intercollegiate in Bozeman and Sun Mountain Intercollegiate as an individual and made the top five for North Carolina through qualifying.
Montana finished sixth out of six teams at the fall-opening Bear Brawl in Greeley, Colo., shooting rounds of 311, 310 and 314.
The Grizzlies were 10th out of 11 teams at the Yellowstone Intercollegiate, carding rounds of 305, 318 and 302.
After opening the Sun Mountain Intercollegiate with a 308, the Grizzlies closed with rounds of 295 and 299 to win their first tournament since 2021.
"We've slowly gotten a lot cleaner," said Mee. "We're not stringing six bogeys in a row together or three doubles in nine holes. We're competing better, not shriveling up when things go poorly.
"We've gotten more comfortable in tournaments and they've also bought in. They are thinking a little more clearly, that it needs to be a next-shot mentality instead of dwelling on what's happened."
After closing the Sun Mountain with rounds of 70 and 73 to tie for first, becoming Montana's first tournament winner since 2021, Bar-Or heads to North Carolina with a fall scoring average of 75.44.
Lewis is averaging 77.11, Bogenschutz 77.67 and Johnson 78.89.
After the French Broad Collegiate Invitational concludes on Tuesday, Montana won't compete again until heading to Palm Desert, Calif., in February for the Mountain Classic Match Play at The Classic Club.
"The fall goes by so fast, the blink of an eye," said Mee. "The weather has been great so we've been able to get some great work in, but it goes so fast.
"I like how competitive everyone is in qualifying. It's no longer a foregone conclusion who will be traveling to events. That's good."
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Players Mentioned
Tuesday, October 20
Tuesday, October 20
Monday, October 19
Saturday, October 17
