Bozeman golf tournament dominated by Bobcats

For the first time in over a decade, the MSU women’s golf team competed at home against 11 other teams from across the West. Over the course of two days, the Bobcats played through soggy grass and drizzly, cool weather to finish in first place. 

The Yellowstone Intercollegiate Tournament was held at the Riverside Country Club and consisted of two rounds of 18 holes on Monday and a final round on Tuesday. In their second tournament of the season, the Bobcats came out on top, both in team and individual placings. 

This was the first team championship for MSU in 23 years, according to the MSU athletics website. Not only did the team dominate, but MSU went home with two out of three individual placings. 

“We finished fourth last week, and then getting the win this week — it’s just so nice,” said junior Norah Seidl. “It’s just very good momentum for the fall, and we’re only getting closer as a team.” 

The team was made up of five golfers in total and the scores of the top four finishers were counted. For this tournament, MSU’s team consisted of seniors Maddie Montoya and Lauren Greeny, juniors Seidl and Eva Heinz and freshman Ashleigh Wilson. 

There were also individual athletes competing: freshmen Sailor Graham and Lauren Nau. They placed 5th and 27th out of 66 total players. Graham shot 2-under-par, and Nau shot 3-over-par. 

Overall, the Bobcats finished 16 strokes under par in the tournament. In every round, the team finished under par, beating the other teams by over 15 strokes. Right behind MSU was California State University Northridge, which finished one stroke under par for the tournament. 

MSU secured a first-place individual finish by Heinz and a third-place finish by Seidl. Heinz finished the first round with 62 strokes, an MSU record. The record was previously held by Greeny, who finished with 66 strokes at the 2025 Grand Canyon University Invitational in February.

“After that first round of 62, it’s hard to see my rounds of plus one as even good,” Heinz said. “I’m proud of myself for not letting it slip away.” 

In the final round, Seidl pulled out a 68-stroke game, keeping the lead and securing the win for the ‘Cats. Between all three rounds, Seidl ended 3-under-par, Heinz ended 9-under-par, Montoya ended 1-under-par, Wilson finished with par and Greeny was 2-over-par. 

“We can always lean on each other — if one person’s doing bad, another person is making up for it,” Montoya said. “We believed we could, and we did. It was very exciting to have this feeling where everyone came together, and it all worked out.” 

The weather on the tournament days was not ideal. According to the golfers, a wet course makes playing slightly more challenging and they have to play more aggressively than on a dry green. On both days it rained continuously on the course — but according to Montoya — after some adjustments, playing in it was peaceful. 

“We love the rain. We love playing in the rain,” Heinz said. “It was kind of just a drizzle all day and yesterday as well, but it makes you be more steady, be more intentional. You have to think about things a little bit more because there are more variables that come into play.” 

The Bobcats have not hosted at home since 2012, according to the MSU athletics website. This was the first time this team has played a tournament on their home course, and many Bozeman community members and family members showed up to support the golfers.

“It was so fun seeing everyone out there, the fans, the community, the volunteers,” Montoya said. “Just being out in our home course, sleeping in our own bed, it was just such a cool feeling that I was glad to experience.” 

To follow the women’s golf team this season, visit https://msubobcats.com/sports/womens-golf/schedule.