BILLINGS, Mont. – Leading the Montana State University Billings women's golf team to a second-place finish at the Yellowjacket Invitational on Tuesday at Lake Hills Golf Club, junior Brennan Larson notched her first-career top-10 finish as she tied for fifth on the final leaderboard.
 
Larson blew away both her single-round and two-round collegiate bests in the two-round tournament, finishing with a score of 161 (80-81) on the par-72, 6,011-yard course layout. Larson started out with a clean round on Monday, posting nothing worse than a bogey and making birdie on the par-5, 481-yard ninth hole on her way to a personal-best round of 80. She recovered from a rough start Tuesday – with two double bogeys in her first three holes – by making a birdie on the par-5, 447-yard 13th and fighting her way to an 81.
 
The Yellowjackets also had a strong showing from freshmen Hannah Adams and Haylee Adams, who each also finished in the top-10 among the field of 40 players. Hannah Adams continued her improvement throughout the fall, matching Larson with a two-round total of 161 (77-84) for her best tournament yet as a Yellowjacket. Adams's only major mistake in Round 1 was a double bogey on Hole 1, which she immediately bounced back from by making birdie on the par-5, 464-yard second hole. Overall, she added 12 pars on her way to a 5-over-par 77.
 
Haylee Adams meanwhile tied for 10th place, shooting a two-round score of 164 (86-78). Adams' 78 in Round 2 was her best score of the season, as she made 13 pars including seven in-a-row to end the tournament.
 
Adessa Lundberg climbed the leaderboard four spots between rounds, and finished in a tie for 12th place with a two-round score of 165 (83-82). Karissa Tranas also competed in the team's roster of five players, tying for 22nd place with a two-round score of 176 (86-90).
 
Playing as individuals for the 'Jackets at the event were Sierra Brubaker, who tied for 25th with a total of 178 (86-92), and Amanda King, who took 37th place with a score of 204 (99-105).
 
Rianna Garland of South Dakota Mines won the title with a two-round score of 154 (78-76), holding off her teammate Annika Schooler by two strokes. The Hardrockers comfortably claimed the team title with a score of 634 (310-324), with the Yellowjackets finishing a distant second with a mark of 651 (326-325).
 
"Hannah and Brennan had a strong week, ending in a tie for fifth to make the all-tournament team," said MSUB head coach Adam Buie. "Haylee had a nice bounce back round to shoot her first career round in the 70s. Adessa has shown a ton of improvement this fall and is learning how to score and manage big numbers. The young team can keep getting better and more competitive."
 
THE BUZZ: Larson was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…her previous collegiate single-round best was 85, which she achieved on four previous occasions…her previous tournament best was a 170, which she achieved on April 1-2, 2022 at the RJGA Palm Valley Classic in Arizona…MSUB's 325 team round on Tuesday was its best of the season.
 
NEXT UP: MSUB plays its final tournament of the fall next week, with the Western Washington Invitational scheduled for Oct. 10-11 at Bellingham Country Club in Washington.