Women’s golf closes out landmark season with program milestones

From hitting double aces in under a month to making regionals for the first time in program history, the women’s golf team had no shortage of fireworks this season. 

The team participated in the Big Sky Conference (BSC) Women’s Golf Championship in Litchfield Park, Arizona, from April 14 to 16. The tournament marked the end of the spring season and — according to Head Coach Brittany Basye — held memorable moments for a handful of athletes. 

“We played 10 tournaments this season, and we had five individual players win a tournament. That’s a 50 percent winning rate — that’s never happened in the history of [MSU] women’s golf,” Basye said. “With this latest tournament, we’re getting opportunities to go to regionals and we have the possibility to get to play in another national invitation tournament.”

Maddie Montoya — who entered the tournament as MSU's fourth player — became the third-ever MSU women’s golfer to win the Big Sky Individual Championship. “When we go to a golf tournament, we take five players and count our lowest four scores,” Basye said. “It’s kind of like a player’s position. Maddie was our fourth player and rose to the occasion.” 

In addition, Montoya earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament with her under-par score of 70, a first-time achievement in program history, according to Basye. “We’re going to get to play with teams that are ranked 50 in the country, while being ranked 137. Nobody would think [MSU] would be there, but we’re showing up. We want to make an impact.” 

Additionally, Becca Tschetter — who ended the season with a 75.5 scoring average — finished with two aces under her belt.

During last week’s tournament, Tschetter sank a hole-in-one on a 294-yard par-four. Just three weeks prior, Tschetter hit a par-three hole-in-one at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational in Maui, Hawaii. “That doesn’t ever happen. This is a once-in-a-lifetime shot. Some people play golf their entire lives and never hit a hole in one,” Basye said. “For her to get two of those in [three] weeks? It’s amazing.” 

Several athletes earned awards, including Tschetter, Lauren Greeny and Scarlet Weidig. “We had three players get honors, which is another milestone for [MSU],” Basye said. Tschetter was presented with a Second Team All-Conference award, displaying her top-14 placement in the BSC for both the fall and spring seasons.

Greeny became the fourth player in MSU history to earn a spot on the First Team All-Conference, which is given to the top seven players in the BSC for the fall and spring seasons, Basye said. 

Weidig was awarded an All-Conference Honorable Mention. Honorable mentions are given to the top 15 through 19 placements in the BSC for the fall and spring seasons.

Basye attributed these successes to the team’s dynamic. “I think [their success] comes from them feeding off of each other. Them being competitive, me being competitive and me pushing them to be the best that they can be. It's a lot of work, it's a lot of time, a lot of effort but they're up for the challenge, and we challenge them.” 

She also credited the team’s perseverance through Bozeman’s winter environment. “Here in the winter, there’s no way we can practice on the golf course, so we have to do the next best thing, which is practice [indoors]. We make it competitive so we actually have a focus,” Basye said. 

“I always tell them to practice with intention,” she explained. “Some schools where you can go outside every day — it’s like you have to go outside every day. We don’t get to do that. When we actually get to practice outside, it means something.” 

As this year’s season concludes, Bayse is prepared to keep the ball rolling for next season. “When I talked with the girls, I was like, let’s turn and burn —full steam ahead. We have four really good recruits coming in and we’ve created a winning culture here. The front windshield is bigger than the back, right? So we’re always looking ahead.” 

Montoya will be competing in Gold Canyon, Arizona at one of six regional sites for the NCAA Regional tournament. The tournament will take place from May 5 to 7, and other host sites include courses in Stephenville, Texas; Charlottesville, Virginia; Columbus, Ohio; Lexington, Kentucky and Norman, Oklahoma.

To learn more about women’s golf, visit msubobcats.com.