HUNTLEY, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings' women's golf team has a 17-stroke lead after the first day of the fourth annual Yellowjacket Spring Invitational.
Melissa Saken's first round total of 78 led to a 323 team total, 17 strokes ahead of second place Colorado Mesa. Saken leads all golfers after Day 1. The junior shot a 41 on the front nine, before recording a 37 on the back.
“I am very pleased with our women's team,” MSUB Head Coach Shawn O'Brien said. “We came to play today. We hit the ball better today than we have all year. A 17-stroke lead over second place is unthinkable. We cannot get complacent tomorrow, as I believe all of our golfers will come to play just like today.”
Saken has a one-stroke lead over three golfers, including teammate
Katie Fish. Chadron State's Karissa Moreland, Brandi Holmes of Black Hills State, and Fish all shot 39 on the front nine and 40 on the back nine. Three Yellowjackets,
Mariah Cleveland,
Cayley Fish, and
BreAnna Cameron, sit in sixth place with 83.
Chadron State sits in third place after the first round at 343, followed by Black Hills State (349), and Carroll College (354). Rocky Mountain College, which has won the past two Yellowjacket Spring Invitationals, is in sixth place.
On the men's side, MSU Billings is in position to win the tournament for the third straight year. The hosts Yellowjackets have a four-stroke advantage over cross-town rival, Rocky Mountain. The schools have placed in the top two in all three of the previous Yellowjacket Spring Invitationals.
North Idaho College's Calvin Baty broke the tournament single-round low score with a 68 Thursday. The freshman became only the second golfer in the tournament's history to shoot under a 70. He broke MSUB's Brad Harrellson's first round 69 total in 2011. Harrellson owns the tournament record total of 142 set that year.
Baty, playing as an individual, finished the front nine with a 31. He shot three-under on par-five holes, while recording four birdies and 11 pars. The Pendleton, Ore. native, was also one of three golfers to shoot an eagle in the first round. Rocky Mountain's Ryan Vanderpan and Montana State Billings'
Marcus Drange also had eagles.
The Yellowjackets'
Gage Huft sits in second place individually. The sophomore is two strokes behind Baty, after shooting a 33 on the back nine. South Dakota Mines' Bryan Schulte is in third with a 73.
“Being in first place after the first day is a nice feeling,” O'Brien Said. “Our men fought hard through the entire round. We know we will need to play better tomorrow if we want to hang on to the lead. There are some good teams behind us looking to gain a few strokes during the second round. I am very proud of the way Gage played today. It will be fun to watch him play tomorrow and see if he can catch the leader.”
Huft won the men's individual title by three strokes with a 140 in the Yellowjacket Fall Invitational on the same course. The top four golfers for MSU Billings all shot under par in the final round, led by Huft. He was five-under-par in the second round, after shooting a 73 in the opening round. Montana State Billings' “A” team rallied on the second day, edging Rocky Mountain by two strokes. The Battlin' Bears shot 20-over in the tournament, finishing with a 299 in the second round.
The second and final round of the Spring Invitational tees off at 9 a.m. Friday. Full results will be posted on MSUBSports.com following the final round.
