WORLEY, Idaho — Four times before, Lauren Greeny had come tantalizingly close.
Four times before, the junior had tied Montana State's program record for low round, owning four of the nine rounds of 67 ever shot by a Bobcat.
On Monday at the Eagle Invitational in Worley, Idaho, 60 miles from where she grew up, the native of Pullman, Washington, finally broke through.
After carding a 67 on four prior occasions, the junior now stands alone in school history thanks to a 6-under par 66 on Monday at Circling Raven Golf Club.
The sensational round catapulted Greeny (72-66—138) atop the tournament leaderboard and into possession of the individual title, the first of her collegiate career.
Due to no live scoring at the event, Greeny and her teammates had to wait until all the scores from the day were tallied before the celebration could begin.
"I was on the phone with my dad and then we got the news that I won, and all the emotions started to hit," Greeny said. "Growing up on this course and then coming back to win was definitely an extreme emotion. I'm just happy to be here."
Greeny is the 11th Bobcat in program history to earn an individual tournament win, capturing MSU's 20th all-time individual crown.
"We're obviously super excited with Greeny getting her first collegiate win and shooting 66 today," head coach Brittany Basye said. "She has been working hard and her game continues to get better."
After a long, difficult day on Sunday, Montana State bounced back in a big way, shooting 286 as a team on Monday to finish fourth overall.
At 2-under par, the Bobcats had the best round of any squad in the 13-team field on Monday, tied for the fifth-best team round in school history.
"The team finishing fourth is also exciting and shows the grit in these ladies and they never give up," Basye said. "It's still early in the season and we have plenty work to do and keep doing. Consistency is key and that's something we need to keep striving for. I saw a lot of birdies today and that shows the depth of this team and how they can score."
Montana State sat in seventh following the first 18 holes with a team score of 299, but elevated their play across the board with a 286 following the second time through the course.
Montana State's Monday surge pushed them above the six other Big Sky Conference teams competing at the tournament, including Montana, Weber State, Idaho, Eastern Washington, Portland State, and Idaho State.
Following an even-par round of 72 on Sunday, Maddie Montoya carded a 1-over par 73 on Monday to finish in a tie for tenth.
Hannah Boraas carded a 1-over par 73 to tie for 29th, while Scarlet Weidig carded a 2-over par 74 to tie for 38th.
The Bobcats continue their busy fall with the Diane Thomason Invite, hosted by the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
The 54-hole stroke play tournament begins with a pair of rounds on Monday, September 30, and continues through Tuesday, October 1.
