BOZEMAN, Mont. — The Montana State University golf team opens its 2025-26 campaign on Monday, traveling to Albuquerque, N.M., to compete in the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational.
The 54-hole tournament, hosted by the University of New Mexico, will consist of 36 continuous holes of golf on Monday followed by a third and final round on Tuesday. Monday’s first round is set to begin with a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start at the par-72 UNM Championship Course.
“It’s finally time to go compete, and the fact that we are competing at UNM makes it all the better,” head coach Brittany Basye said. “The golf course is awesome and, I believe, sets up nice for our players. We have had a good couple of weeks to prepare for this tournament, but getting back into tournament competition is round by round. Sticking to our game plan will be key for the team and trusting our process. This will be one of the better tournaments we have competed in thus far as a program. The girls need to go compete, commit to each shot, and enjoy the walk.”
The Bobcats, who are ranked No. 3 in the 2025-26 Big Sky Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, are one of 15 teams set to compete in Albuquerque this week. The field also features fellow Big Sky frontrunners Sacramento State and Northern Arizona, who are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the Coaches’ Poll, respectively. Other teams making the trip to the UNM Championship Course include BYU, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Fresno State, Long Beach State, Mercer, New Mexico, South Alabama, Southern Miss, UNLV, UTEP, and Washington State.
The Cats will open the season with a lineup featuring seniors Lauren Greeny and Maddie Montoya, junior transfer Norah Seidl, freshman Ashleigh Wilson, and junior Eva Heinz.
Monday’s tournament marks a homecoming for Basye, who is a 1995 graduate of the University of New Mexico. She was named the 1994 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Player of the Year following a season where she captured the conference tournament medal and earned First Team All-WAC honors.
“It’ll be bittersweet for me to be back at the Championship Golf Course with my team getting to coach them where I played,” Basye said. “I’m super excited.”
Montana State’s 2025-26 roster features eight golfers, including three returners, one transfer, and four freshmen. Leading the way for the Bobcats are seniors Maddie Montoya and Lauren Greeny. Montoya, the reigning Big Sky individual champion, became the first Montana State golfer in program history to reach the NCAA postseason during her historic junior season while Greeny won three tournaments and broke MSU’s school record for single-season scoring average (72.64) en route to First Team All-Big Sky honors in 2024-25. Junior Eva Heinz, who carded a pair of 75s to help the Bobcats finish third as a team at the 2025 Big Sky Championship, also features as a familiar face on the Montana State roster.
Junior transfer Norah Seidl leads a group of five newcomers to Bozeman, arriving after two seasons at the University of Tulsa, where she made 10 tournament appearances. Four freshmen also join the Bobcat ranks this fall, including Peyton DeBruin, Sailor Graham, Lauren Nau, and Ashleigh Wilson.
Montana State will look to build on a strong 2024-25 campaign that saw the Cats finish third as a team behind top-five performances from Montoya (1st) and Greeny (T-4th) at the Big Sky Championship while also boasting five individual tournament wins and one NCAA Regional appearance (Montoya). The Bobcats rewrote the record books, setting program records for low 36-hole score (585) and four-player scoring average in a season (295.92). Additionally, Greeny set individual records for low 18-hole score (66, 2x), low 36-hole score (138), and single-season scoring average (72.64).
The Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational kicks off a 10-tournament regular season slate for the Bobcats, five of which will take place in the fall. Following their time in New Mexico, the Cats will return to Bozeman to host the Yellowstone Intercollegiate from Sept. 15-16 before making stops in Spokane, Wash. (Sept. 22-23), Iowa City, Iowa (Sept. 29-30), and Broken Arrow, Okla. (Oct. 13-14) to round out the fall schedule.
The Bobcats are paired with Washington State and UTEP on Monday and will tee off of holes 14 through 16 at 7:30 a.m. Live results will be available here.
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