Griz open Big Sky Championship on Monday

The Montana women's golf team will compete at the Big Sky Conference Championship this week at Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, Ariz. The tournament will be played on Wigwam's Blue Course.

The Big Sky's 10 teams will play 18 holes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with the first group going off at 6:30 a.m. local time each morning. The Blue Course is a par 71, played at 5,981 yards.

This is the third consecutive year the Big Sky Championship will be contested at Wigwam Golf Club.

"It's a second-shot golf course," said coach Jimmy Mee, whose team is trying to crack the top five for the first time since the 2015 Championship. "Tee shots are pretty easy and it's not overly long."

Montana will compete with a team of Kate Bogenschutz (1), Hannah Ports (2), Raina Ports (3), Bella Johnson (4) and Katie Lewis (5). Freshman Hope Torres also is on the trip as a potential alternate.

"It will get her some experience," said Mee of Torres. "She's excited to see what it's all about and it will be nice for the girls to have another friendly face on the course."

Raina Ports will be playing in her fourth Big Sky Championship.

She's improved her finish each year, tying for 28th as a freshman at Talking Stick Golf Club, then finishing 21st and tying for 14th the last two years at Wigwam.

Ports opened with a 70 last April at the Championship, then went 76-74. Her tie for 14th was Montana's best finish since Jessica Ponce tied for sixth in 2022.

Hannan Ports, who has finishes of 47th and 43rd, will be playing in her third Championship. Bogenschutz and Johnson both made their Championship debuts last season, tying for 24th and 27th, respectively.

Based on the national rankings, the favorites are Sacramento State (No. 75) and Northern Arizona (79). Those two teams have won the last six Big Sky titles, the Hornets the last three.

Montana State (107), Northern Colorado (128) and Weber State (145) also rank in the top 150.

Idaho (200), Portland State (205), Eastern Washington (221), Idaho State (223) and Montana (238) all rank in the 200s.

"The field is tough," said Mee. "We just have to get off to a decent start each day. At too many tournaments we have players who are 3-over through three holes, then we're battling the whole time.

"We have to have a good game plan, then get off to a good start where we're not reeling from the opening holes."

Montana won the Championship in 2006 and finished in the top five in 11 of 12 years between 2004 and '15.

The Grizzlies' best finish over the last nine years has been seventh, which they finished in 2018 and the last two seasons.

Montana won the 2006 title with a team score of 904. In 2024, the Grizzlies had their best three-round score in program history, 889, and placed seventh.

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Players Mentioned

Kate Bogenschutz

Bella Johnson

Katie Lewis

Hannah Ports

Raina Ports

Hope Torres

University of Montana Athletics