Swinging into the new season: a look at women’s golf

The MSU Women’s golf team is gearing up for the busiest part of the spring season. Starting with a Feb. 27 to 28 tournament in Phoenix, the team will travel to Arizona for four different tournaments before the Big Sky Conference Championships in Litchfield Park, Arizona. 

“Each tournament we play is getting us prepared for [the] conference at the end of the semester. [The] Conference is a really important tournament for us to perform well with all the emotions and nerves surrounding it. If there is any other one I can say that means a lot to us is our Bobcat Desert Classic at Estrella,” senior Jordan Briggs said. 

The Bobcat Desert Classic will be held on April 8 to 10 in Goodyear, Arizona at the Golf Club of Estrella. In a location with a snowy winter, such as Bozeman, it’s impossible for the team to practice outside on grass. The transition from indoor turf to grass is one challenging aspect the team has to face as the spring season gets underway. Indoor mats use rubber tees, which don’t allow the golfer to create divots. This difference can affect a golfer’s game.

“I think once we get ourselves adjusted to transitioning from indoor practice on turf to outdoor on grass, we will be a group to watch out for,” Briggs said. “The talent and skill on our team is deep and strong. I think we all believe we are capable of winning, not just in season tournaments but [the] conference as well, and that has always been the goal. We are not just golfers, we are athletes and all very eager to prove ourselves this semester. I think we are going to have fun this spring, with lots of golf and memory-making to look forward to.”

The team was just in Palm Desert, California on Feb. 12 to 14 for the Mountain Match Play tournament. It was a great chance for them to play on grass for the first time during the spring and begin getting adjusted to a busier traveling schedule. 

“The mountain match play classic is such a fun tournament. It was our first time seeing grass in one to two months so that is always interesting and exciting. We definitely were a bit rusty the first two days of competition and played two teams that are really good and definitely made us work. The last day, I think we all found our rhythm again and dominated our match against Portland State. All in all, the tournament was a great way to get us going for the rest of the spring semester with our eye on the prize, Big Sky Conference,” Briggs said. 

Once this team can get some more time on grass and iron out the wrinkles they’ll be definitely one to watch out for come playoff season. Coming off a 7th place finish at the Mountain Match Play and a bit of a bumpy fall season, the ‘Cats should have some big motivation to turn their games up another level at the Big Sky Conference Championships.  

To follow along with the golf team’s accomplishments, check out their Instagram at @msubobcatsgolf. For more information about the Women’s team specifically, check out: https://msubobcats.com/sports/womens-golf