THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State women’s golf team travels to Iowa City, Iowa for the annual Diane Thomason Invitational. The event will be hosted by Iowa at their own Finkbine Golf Course on September 29-30.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The Diane Thomason Invitational will be a two-day, 54-hole tournament, with rounds one and two on Monday and the final round on Tuesday. Both days will feature a shotgun start with a tee off slated for 8:30 a.m. CT.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Links to live stats can be found at GoBison.com/coverage.
TOURNAMENT FIELD
The 2025 Diane Thomason Invitational will feature 16 teams in the competition. Along with NDSU, the field includes Iowa, Montana State, Creighton, Southern Miss, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Bradley, Bowling Green, Western Michigan, St. Thomas (MN), Drake, Northern Illinois, Omaha, and South Dakota.
THE COURSE
Named after W.O. Finkbine, who donated the land used for the course to the University of Iowa, Finkbine Golf Course is the home of the Iowa Hawkeyes Men’s and Women’s golf teams and the annual Hawkeye Invitational for the men, and Diane Thomason Invitational for the women. Finkbine Golf Course is in its 70th year after opening to the public in 1955. The par-72, 6,547-yard course holds a unique, signature 13th hole, that features an island green surrounded by the lone water feature on the course and offers two greens and multiple different tee boxes. The course hosted the Men’s Big Ten Championships in 1992 and 2002, and on the professional level, was the site of the PGA Amana VIP Pro-Am for over 20 years.
BISON AT THE DIANE THOMASON
This will be NDSU’s fourth appearance at the Diane Thomason Invitational, with their first being in 2014. The Bison placed fifth out of 15 teams in their last appearance in 2024, and the highest team finish being second place in 2018. Taylor McCorkle is the only Bison to have claimed an individual title at the event in program history.
LAST TIME OUT
The Women’s team enters the Diane Thomason Invitational following a fourth-place finish at the Yellowstone Intercollegiate. Avery Bartels was the lone Bison in the top 10 and shot a career-low round of 68 in the final round of the event.
BISON COMPETING
NDSU will bring six golfers down to Finkbine for the 2025 Diane Thomason Invitational. The Bison competing will be Norah Roberts, Madi Hicks, Cora Larson, Avery Bartels, and Hannah Dunk, with Jeri Lafleche competing as an individual.
ON THE LINKS
– Avery Bartels enters the Diane Thomason Invitational following her third collegiate top 10 finish at the Yellowstone Intercollegiate and holds the lowest round of the season for the Bison at 68 (-4).
– Senior Madi Hicks will make her 34th consecutive start for the women’s golf team. Hicks was the highest placing Bison at the 2024 Diane Thomason Invitational, finishing in a tie for fifth at +9 overall.
– Freshman Jeri Lafleche will make her first travel appearance with the Bison. Lafleche was the highest placing individual at the NDSU Invitational, finishing in a tie for 12th at +11 overall.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following the Diane Thomason Invitational, the Bison will take nearly a month off before returning to action at the Powercat. Hosted by Kansas State, this tournament will take place at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan, Kansas on October 20-21.
NDSU Women’s Golf Travels to Diane Thomason Invitational
