THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State women's golf team will head back down to Goodyear, Arizona for their final tournament before the Summit League Championships. Hosted by Montana State, the Bison will be competing at the Bobcat Desert Classic at the Golf Club of Estrella on April 13-15.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The Bobcat Desert Classic will be a three-day, 54-hole tournament. Round one will begin on Monday morning and will continue through Wednesday. Tee times are scheduled for 7:30 a.m. PT / 9:30 a.m. CT.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Links to live stats can be found at
GoBison.com/coverage.
TOURNAMENT FIELD
There will be 13 teams making the trip to Arizona for the 2026 Bobcat Desert Classic. In addition to the Bison, the tournament field includes Weber State, Idaho State, Eastern Washington, California Baptist, Wyoming, Utah Tech, Seattle, Portland State, Idaho, Utah Valley, and Montana.
THE COURSE
Nestled in the Sonoran Desert, the course at the Golf Club of Estrella features scenic backdrops and incredible golfing experiences for all players. Designed by Jack Nicklaus II, the par-72 course sprawls a yardage of 7,139 through the foothills of the Sierra Estrella mountain range. The course prides itself on highlighting the natural beauty of the area, flowing through the natural contours of the land with large greens and split-level fairways. Located just 30 minutes outside of Phoenix, the course at the Golf Club of Estrella is consistently ranked as one of the top public courses in Arizona by Golfweek Magazine. In addition to being the host site of the annual Bobcat Desert Classic, the Golf Club of Estrella hosts tournaments for all skill levels, including many US Am Tour events.
BISON AT THE BOBCAT DESERT CLASSIC
This will be the third appearance for the NDSU women's golf team at the Bobcat Desert Classic throughout its 20-year tenure. The Bison last competed at the event in 2007, where they placed 18th with a team score of 988. The highest placing Bison finished in a tie for 61st with a 54-hole score of 242.
LAST TIME OUT
The women's golf team enters their penultimate tournament following a record-breaking performance at the Bell Bank "Pay It Forward" Collegiate in late March.
Madi Hicks was the runner-up of the event, recording the lowest individual 54-hole score in NDSU history of 205 (-8).
Avery Bartels also finished inside the top 10 with the second lowest 54-hole score in program history of 209 (-4). As a team, the Bison lowered the program record of lowest team 54-hole score by 18 shots to finish in fourth place at 842 (-10).
BISON COMPETING
NDSU will take seven golfers to Arizona for the 5-score-4 tournament. The Bison lineup for the tournament will be
Madi Hicks,
Norah Roberts,
Cora Larson,
Avery Bartels, and
Jeri Lafleche.
Bella Leonhart and
Hannah Dunk will be competing as individuals.
ON THE LINKS
- Senior Madi Hicks enters the Bobcat Desert Classic following a record-breaking performance at the Bell Bank "Pay It Forward" Collegiate. Hicks finished as the runner-up for the event, earning her 18th career top-10 finish, the fourth highest in NDSU history.
- Avery Bartels finished in a tie for seventh at the Bell Bank "Pay It Forward" Collegiate, marking her fourth top 10 finish of the season and second consecutive tournament finishing inside the top 10.
- Bella Leonhart will return to the NDSU lineup for the first time since the El Campeon Collegiate in late February. Leonhart finished in a tie for 20th with her season best 54-hole score of 247 at the event.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bison will take a full week off before heading back to Arizona for the 2026 Summit League Championships. The Championships will return to Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona on April 26-28.
