Goodyear, AZ – Maddie Dustin and Cynthia Valerie Ong each posted one-under par 71s in the first round of the Bobcat Desert Classic on Monday, leading Portland State into fifth place. The Viking tandem is tied for third on the individual leaderboard after one round of the three-round tournament at the Golf Club of Estrella.
 
Ong and Dustin made five birdies each in their stellar rounds. Dustin, a sophomore, posted her best round as a Viking. Ong posted her third consecutive under-par score after shooting 71-70 in the final two rounds of the Jackrabbits Invitational in March.
 
The day one leader is Avery Bartels of North Dakota State, who carded a five-under par 67. Zoe Rubichon of Seattle shot 69.
 
Portland State finished with a team score of 293 – just two strokes off the team's season best. It was also the fourth straight team score of 294 or better.
 
Host Montana State leads the tournament with a one-under par 287. Seattle is second at 289, followed by Weber State at 290.
 
Also continuing to play well is Caithlyn Ong, Cynthia's younger sister. The Viking freshman carded a one-over par 73 with three birdies in her round. Caithlyn is currently tied for 18^th among 80 golfers.
 
Seniors Bayler Brundage and Payten Shimizu each posted a six-over par 78. They are tie for 50th.
 
Junior Momo Udom, playing as an individual, shot 83 in the opening round.
 
The tournament features seven Big Sky Conference schools. Eight, if you include Utah Tech, which will join the conference in 2026-27. PSU leads five of those seven teams.
 

TAP-INS

• BIRDIE WATCHING (18 holes): Cynthia Valerie Ong, 5; Maddie Dustin, 5; Caithlyn Ong, 3; Payten Shimizu, 2; Bayler Brundage, 1; Momo Udom, 1.
• The Vikings are leading the tournament in par-four scoring (3.98) and total birdies (16)... Maddie Dustin is -5 on the par fours (3.50).
• Portland State has posted nine rounds in the 290s as a team this season (out of 22). PSU had only two such rounds last season. The last time PSU had more rounds under 300 was the 2018-19 season (10 in 28 rounds).
• The second round of the Bobcat Desert Classic tees off on Tuesday at the Golf Club of Estrella at 7:30 a.m. The final round is Wednesday, also with a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start.

 

BOBCAT DESERT CLASSIC
Hosted by Montana State
Golf Club of Estrella, Goodyear, AZ
April 13-15, 2026
Par 72/6,218 yards
13 teams/80 players

 
TEAM SCORING
1. Montana State, 287
2. Seattle, 289
3. Weber State, 290
4. North Dakota State, 291
5. Portland State, 293
6. Utah Tech, 297
7. Wyoming, 300
8. California Baptist, 301
9. Eastern Washington, 303
10. Idaho State, 305
11. Utah Valley, 306
12. Idaho, 307
13. Montana, 315
 
TOP 10 PLAYERS
1. Avery Bartels, North Dakota State, 67
2. Zoe Rubichon, Seattle, 69
t3. Cynthia Valerie Ong, Portland State, 71
t3. Maddie Dustin, Portland State, 71
t3. Eva Heinz, Montana State, 71
t3. Hannah Dunk, North Dakota State, 71
10 players tied at 72
 
PORTLAND STATE PLAYERS
t3. Maddie Dustin, 71
t3. Cynthia Valerie Ong, 71
t18. Caithlyn Ong, 73
t50. Bayler Brundage, 78
t50. Payten Shimizu, 78
76. Momo Udom (IND), 83