UM golf team to judge competition in Big Sky

The University of Montana golf team will come back from Arizona knowing a lot about the future. 

The Griz will know where they stand against the rest of the Big Sky Conference, and they’ll know the ins and outs of the same course used for the Big Sky Championship. 

After an eighth-place finish out of 16 teams in the Wyoming Invitational on Tuesday in Chandler, Ariz., the team is set to take part in the 18-hole Big Sky preview tournament Thursday in Phoenix at the Foothills Golf Club.

All of the teams in the league will be present except for Portland State, and Montana is looking to use this tournament to see just how good the rest of the conference stacks up. 

“This one is good because we can see what we need to do in the next couple of weeks to get ready,” said freshman Carissa Simmons. 

With the Big Sky Championship starting on April 23, Montana will have its first real chance to see what the rest of the conference has to offer first hand, because all the tournaments so far haven’t had the whole conference field. 

“All the other tournaments are fun, but this is what we’ve been preparing for all year,” Simmons said. 

On Tuesday, the team enjoyed its best overall finish this season, but the women aren’t satisfied.

“Sure, our scores have come down a little, and we’re a little more consistent, but we’re leaving strokes out there,” said UM head coach Joanne Steele. 

In the most recent tournament, Simmons shot a 79, 78 and 77, while sophomore Jacqueline Olson, who is consistently the team leader, shot an uncharacteristic 80 and 82 in the final two rounds. 

“Right now the challenge is getting us all together at one time performing well,” Steele said. 

Of all the teams in the Big Sky, Eastern Washington has proved to be the toughest competition, consistently featuring all Eagles players in the mid 70-stroke range.  Northern Arizona follows them up as a very tough team, but Montana has a shot to challenge those teams. 

“If we all play our games and pull together we can come out on top,” said sophomore Alyssa Williamson. “There’s a few tough teams, but golf is anyone’s game and on any given day, someone different can come out on top.”

Williamson’s scoring on Tuesday was another example of the team’s fluctuating performance as she started with an 83 and finished strong with a 76 and 77. 

The key to overcoming this trend will be crucial if the team expects to make a strong showing in the championship. 

“If you have a bad first round, the key is getting back on track and getting over the fear of what you did the day before,” said Olson. 

She said people on the team are getting better at blocking out the negative thoughts that revolve around a bad shot made the day before as they approach the same shot the next day. 

“We’ve been getting really good at focusing on the positive as a team rather than the negative, and I think that will be a key heading into these last tournaments,” Olson said.