Women’s Golf Fights for Top-Three Finish in Montana

This article was written before the final round of the Yellowstone Intercollegiate.

Women’s golf hit the road for its second tournament of the 2026-2027 season. The Bison went to Bozeman, Montana, for the Yellowstone Intercollegiate, hosted by Montana State. The Bobcats hosted ten schools in the tournament, including Montana and North Dakota, making this a heated event, with in-state rivals Weber State and Southern Utah also taking the trip to Bozeman. On the golf side of things, Montana State leads after the first two rounds, sitting at 586(+10). Weber State is in second with a 592(+16); right behind them sits NDSU with a 594(+18). The Bison opened the tournament with 299(+11), which placed NDSU in a three-way tie for third place with Cal, Baptist and UND. In the second round, the Bison separated themselves from those two schools and finished with a 295(+7), the second-best score from the round. NDSU will head into the final round with a high chance of a top-three finish and a real chance to take home a victory.

On the players' side, senior Norah Roberts sits tied for fifth place with two others. Roberts has a 146(+2). Roberts shot two rounds of 73(+1) with five birdies and 24 pars. Roberts sits seven strokes off the lead and three strokes off second place heading into the final round. Freshman Belle Kongshaung and senior Hannah Dunk sit tied for 15th-place with five other golfers. The pair sits at 150 (+6), and both opened with a 76(+4) and a 74(+2). Dunk has two birdies and 26 pars, while Kongshaung has four birdies and 24 pars.

Junior Avery Bartel sits in a four-way tie for 22nd with a 151(+7). She opened the event with a 77(+5), then closed with a 74(+2). The highlight of the first day for Bartels and the rest of the team was her eagle on the final hole of the evening. Outside of the eagle, she had four birdies and 19 pars. Sophomore Jeri Lafleche shot 152(+8) through her opening rounds. She opened strong with a 74(+2), with three birdies and 11 pars. In the second round, she shot a 78(+4) with two birdies and nine pars. Finally, sophomore Bella Leonhart sat in a four-way tie for 56th place with a 161(+17). She opened with an 82(+10) and closed with a 79(+7). Leonhart shot three birdies and sixteen pars.

The final round of the tournament takes place on Sept. 21, with tee-off set for 9:30 a.m. CST.