BOZEMAN — Eva Heinz shot a blistering 10-under 62 in the opening round of the Yellowstone Intercollegiate on Monday to lead the Montana State women’s golf team to the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes of competition.
Heinz sunk nine birdies in the first round and capped off the opening 18 holes with an eagle to finish the round 10-under par. Her score of 62 broke the Montana State program record by four strokes, also helping her shatter the Big Sky Conference record for low 18-hole round.
Heinz’s effort helped the Bobcats top the team leaderboard on day one of competition in Bozeman. The Cats carded rounds of 282 and 285 for a 36-hole score of 9-under 567 and will head into day three with an eight-stroke lead over second-place challengers Cal State Northridge, who finished the day at 1-under 575.
Montana State’s five golfers competing in the team lineup combined for 38 birdies and three eagles across two rounds to build strong momentum heading into the final day of competition at Riverside Country Club.
“I’m proud of what this team accomplished today,” MSU coach Brittany Basye said. “Everyone contributed on our team. Eva shooting 62 is so cool — what a great round. Eva, Sailor (Graham) and Maddie (Montoya) being under par for two rounds is a great start. Tomorrow, we need to stay focused, compete, and control what we can.
“What a cool environment out there today with all our volunteers and fans. Tomorrow, we keep playing until the last putt falls.”
Heinz and freshman Graham currently hold the top two spots on the individual leaderboard to highlight a group of three Bobcats in the top 10 on day one. Heinz finished the day at 9-under 135; Graham, who is competing as an individual, posted a 5-under 139; and Montoya is tied for sixth with a 2-under 142 clip.
Lauren Nau and Norah Seidl are tied for 13th after shooting 1-over 145 on the day while Ashleigh Wilson (2-over 146) and Lauren Greeny (3-over 147) follow close behind in 20th and 23rd place, respectively.
Heinz’s record-breaking 10-under 62 performance set the tone early for the Bobcats, who jumped to the top of the team leaderboard in the first round. Heinz went bogey-free on the front nine and on 17 of 18 holes to lead Montana State’s 6-under 282 effort in the morning.
The Bobcats also counted rounds of 72 from Montoya and a pair of 74s by Seidl and Wilson. Individually, Graham and Nau both posted par-or-better rounds to open the day, carding a 2-under 70 and an even-par 72, respectively.
The Cats carded a 3-under 285 in the second round to continue to pull away from the field in the afternoon. Montoya led the Bobcats’ team counters in the second round with a 2-under 70, sinking five birdies while only carding three birdies in the round.
Seidl added five birdies of her own to post a 71, climbing nine places to 13thwith her performance. Montana State also counted a pair of 72s by Wilson and Greeny to wrap up the day. Individually, Graham added the second-lowest round of the day with a 3-under 69. Greeny, Heinz, and Nau each sunk eagles on hole 10 in a strong stretch of play for the Bobcats.
Montana State (567) heads into Tuesday with an eight-stroke lead over Cal State Northridge (575) while Gonzaga (577), California Baptist (584), and Idaho State (584) round out the top five teams on the leaderboard.
Heinz (-9) will tee off on Tuesday with a four-stroke lead over teammate Graham (-5) while CSUN’s Gracie Piar rounds out the top three individual competitors at 4-under par.
The Bobcats will begin play from holes 1 through 4 in Tuesday’s final round and are paired with CSUN and Gonzaga. Nau and Graham will tee off from holes 17 and 18, respectively, are paired with individuals from Gonzaga and Montana. Action from Riverside Country Club will resume Tuesday with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.
