'Coolest spring break ever': Becca Tschetter's Maui hole-in-one a hallmark moment for Montana State golf

BOZEMAN — Regardless of what happened on the golf course, Montana State's Becca Tschetter was already having a blast as she prepared to compete with the Bobcats at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational in Hawaii at The Royal Ka'anapali Course.

"The day before I had skied at Big Sky and the next evening I was on the beach in Maui," said Tschetter, a Minot, North Dakota, native and graduate student transfer from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. "It was the coolest spring break ever."

But on the second-to-last hole of the final round last Wednesday, what was already a memorable trip became unforgettable.

"It was 110 yards and all over water, it was basically a little island green," she recalled of how she sized up her shot. "I had a 50-degree wedge in my hand and I knew if I hit it full it would be too much. So I actually stepped back on the tee box, put my tee down and just hit a normal shot. I tried to hit it about 105 yards."

What happened next is something most golfing enthusiasts dream of but never actually experience.

"The ball just bounced perfectly on the green and just rolled in," said Tschetter. "It had maybe a foot of roll-in. And I kind of jumped up and was like, 'Oh my gosh, it went in.'"

That hole-in-one was only the second that longtime Montana State women's golf coach Brittany Basye has seen in her decades-long career. When Tschetter drained her big shot, Basye was simultaneously tracking her and two other Bobcats with her range finder.

"I went back to Becca, saw the ball hit the green, two-bounce and then went in, it was amazing," recalled Basye. "Not many times you get to witness a hole-in-one. I think that's the second one in my coaching career that I've witnessed. And this was not an easy shot."

Said Tschetter: "I was just not expecting it. You always want to make a hole-in-one but you never think it's going to be you, especially in a tournament."

Tschetter provided a hallmark moment for MSU's golf program and the Bobcats will have an opportunity to make a few more memories as they conclude the regular season with the Bobcat Desert Classic and then the Big Sky championships, both in Arizona.

"We're putting in the work, we're sharpening our tools and doing what we need to do to be up on the leaderboard in two weeks," said Tschetter of the looming league championship. "We're working on staying in the moment, winning every shot, winning every day."

The Bobcats are gearing up for the final leg of the season in their new indoor, on-campus practice facility located above Shroyer Gym. The need for this location — which now houses two high-end golfing simulators and about 1,000 square feet of putting greens — arose earlier this year after the off-campus facility they had been using was shuttered.

"The girls don't have to drive anywhere extra, they can come in here between classes late, early, this is their facility now and it's amazing," said Basye."The girls can come up here and hit golf balls just like they're on a driving range when we can't be outside because of snow."