North Dakota State has been on a hot start to the season, with a first-place finish in their home opener, a second-place finish in the Payne Memorial, and now a true gritty bounce-back win in the Eagle Invitational to secure the Bisons’ second straight second place. On Sunday, September 22, and Monday, September 23, NDSU headed west to Worley, Idaho, to play at the Circling Raven Golf Course in the Eagle Invitational hosted by Eastern Washington University, where the Bison planned on playing a two-day, three-round 54-hole tournament, but this was shortened to a two-round 36-hole tournament. Unsatisfactory green conditions and the Circling Raven caused the shortage. Twelve teams would join the Bison in Idaho, with California State University of Northridge taking the top step with a score of 575 (-1). North Dakota State would fall just three strokes short with a score of 578 (-2).  

Round one

After the first of two rounds in Worley, Idaho, The Bison Women’s golf team sits in sixth place with a stroke total of 297 (+9). The tournament was cut from a 56-hole format to a 36-hole format due to the conditions of the greens on the course at the Circling Raven Golf Course.  These rough conditions did not stop Elise Hoven from having a fantastic bounce-back performance, finishing in a five-place tie for second place with a score of 70 (-2). Hoven’s late eagle on hole 17 and her 13 birdies and two birdies would help catapult her towards the top of opening day charts. Behind Hoven was Norah Roberts, who finished in an eleven-place tie for 17th place with a 74 (+2) score. Tough and close competition would see Roberts’s good performance fall lower on the charts.  Roberts would have 15 pars but only a single birdie; a double bogey on the second hole would be the thorn in her side on day one, but besides that, she continues to deliver consistent performances.  Finishing one stroke behind Roberts with a stroke total of 75(+3) and in a four-way tie for 28th place was Madi Hicks. Hicks would have nine pars and three birdies. Another pretty consistent performance from Hicks that would not be helped by the highly competitive field this week in Worley. Hannah Dunk would find herself in another tight race for position with a 12-place tie for 42nd with a 78 (+6). Dunk would have eight and three pars, and her unfortunate two double bogeys on holes three and 15 would see her drop on the leaderboard, never less an excellent performance in rough conditions.  Cora Larson would finish in a 3-way tie for 54th, finishing one stroke behind Dunk with a 79 (+7). Larson would only shoot one birdie but would eleven pars. Finally, the last Bison to participate on the first day was independent golfer Anna Huettl. Huettle would finish in a tie for 72nd place with an 83 (+11). Huettl would shoot eleven pars but would struggle with three double bogeys. Considering the conditions and the tough competition, NDSU showed great adversity and more consistent performances. The team’s ability to consistently shoot double-digit pars is why they continue succeeding.  

Round Two

 Round two was a fantastic bounce-back from the previous day. The Bison dominated the field with a team score of 281 (-7); the second-closest school was Montana State, at 286 (-2). NDSU would climb the ladder to second place in the tournament with a combined tournament score of 578 (+2). Norah Roberts and Madi Hicks would lead the Bison in round two. The duo would each have a stroke count of 69 (-3).  Elise Hoven would stay hot from her round-one performance with the same score of 70 (-2). Hannah Dunk and Cora Larson would share a score of 73 (+1). Independent golfer Anna Huettl would improve her score with a 76 (+4).

The Women’s Golf team had a fantastic bounce-back performance, taking advantage of the shortened tournament to clinch back-to-back second places and have three golfers inside the top ten. The team continues to show its ability to improve as the tournaments go on. The ability to adapt and learn in the middle of the game will be beneficial as we get later into the season and competitive tournaments like this become more common. 

The final standings of The Bison are as follows. 

Elise Hoven- Tied for 4th-  70 (-2)/70 (-2) /140 (-4)

Norah Roberts- 8th place – 74 (+2)/69(-3)/143(-1)

Madi Hicks- 9th place- 75(+3)/69(-3)/144(E)

Hannah Dunk- Tied for 35th- 78(+6)/73(+1)/151 (+7)

Cora Larson- Tied for 38th- 79(+7)/73(+1)/152(+8)

Anna Huettl- Tied for 61st- 83(+11)/76(+4)/159(+15)

The Bison will travel to the Diane Thomason Invitational in Iowa City, hosted by the Iowa Hawkeyes.