Friday, April 21
Fox Chapel Country Club (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Michigan State University
vs
Big Ten Championships
Michigan State Opens Postseason Aiming for Big Ten Title
4/20/2023 10:45:00 AM | Women's Golf
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's women's golf team will look to defend its title this weekend when the Spartans begin play in the Big Ten Championship.
The three-round, 54-hole event will take place Friday-Sunday, April 21-23, at Fox Chapel Golf Club (par 71, 6,045 yards) in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Spartans tee off at 10:18 a.m., playing with Ohio State and Northwestern.
Live scoring will be available via Golfstat.
THE LINEUP
1. Brooke Biermann
2. Katie Lu
3. Paula Balanzategui
4. Leila Raines
5. Shannon Kennedy
6. Nina Rissi
THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
Illinois (59), Indiana (129), Iowa (110), Maryland (33), Michigan (43), Michigan State (32), Minnesota (56), Nebraska (55), Northwestern (15), Ohio State (24), Penn State (67), Purdue (45), Rutgers (109) and Wisconsin (82)
SPARTANS AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Michigan State has won six of the last 11 Big Ten Championships and 14 in total, which is second most in conference history. Under head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, MSU has eight titles (2001, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2021). MSU won five consecutive Big Ten titles from 1974-78, and also claimed a conference crown in 1982 in addition to the eight won by Slobodnik-Stoll. In the Big Ten record books, MSU is credited with nine Big Ten Championships, as the conference did not officially sanction women's sports until 1982.
Michigan State has finished in the top four at the Big Ten Championships in 15 of the last 17 years and 20 times under Slobodnik-Stoll.
Last year, the Spartans made a late run and went into the final few holes at the Big Ten Championships tied, but could not take the lead and finished in second place. Trailing by four shots entering the final round on Sunday, the Spartans pulled to within one or two shots on the front nine and tied leader Michigan going into the final five holes.
MSU, who took the team lead after a 2-under par 282 following the first round on Friday, finished with a three-day, 54-hole score of 9-over par 861, just four shots off the pace of champion Michigan, who topped the field of 14 teams at 5-over par 857.
THE SPARTANS
Michigan State has posted four top-5 finishes during the 2022-23 season, including a runner-up finish at the Lady Buckeye Invitational last weekend … The Spartans will play the Big Ten Championships without veteran leader Valentina Rossi, who leads the team with a 72.54 scoring average and is second on the team in tournaments played (8) and rounds played (24) … Rossi, who won the Women's Amateur Latin America in November, earned an exemption into the LPGA Chevron Championship at The Woodlands in Texas this weekend … MSU also lost fifth-year senior Valery Plata, a three-time All-Big Ten honoree for 2019 Big Ten Player of the Year, in November when she earned exempt status on the LPGA Tour coming out of Q-School in November … Still, the Spartans have talent and experience in the lineup … Junior Leila Raines is third on the team with a 73.00 scoring average and posted her first collegiate win at the Moon Golf Invitational in Arizona, firing a 2-under par 214 … Raines finished in sixth place at last year's Big Ten Championships and earned a spot on the all-tournament team … She followed that up by earning an individual spot at last year's NCAA Championship … Sophomore Brooke Biermann, who tied for sixth place at the Lady Buckeye Invitational last weekend with a 2-under par 214, is third on the team with a 72.85 scoring average and leads the team in tournaments played (9) and rounds completed (27) … Classmate Katie Lu has 24 rounds under belt and is fifth on the team with a 74.04 scoring average … Sophomore Shannon Kennedy is sixth on the team with a 75.17 scoring average, including a 73.83 in four events during the spring season … Freshman Balanzategui, who tied for 20th place last weekend at Ohio State, has a 75.87 scoring average in 15 rounds.
THE COURSE
Fox Chapel Golf Club is the premier family club in Pittsburgh and one of the finest in the nation. The restoration of the Seth Raynor 18-Hole golf course was completed in 2020. The restoration included building 97 new bunkers to shapes as seen on the original 1923 course; sand lines, mowing lines, green shapes, fairway widths were restored to Mr. Raynor's original design; signature greens were restored; 12 new forward tees added; several back tees were pushed further back to lengthen the course. The golf course is consistently ranked among the Top 100 Best Classic Courses in by Golfweek Magazine, Top 10 Courses in Pennsylvania by LINKSmagazine, Golfweek's Best 2020 Private Courses State by State, The Best Golf Courses in Pennsylvania by Golf Digest, The Top 10 Seth Raynor Courses by LINKSmagazine.com, and in 'The 100 Most Prestigious Golf Clubs in the world' by Links Magazine. The course offers a challenging layout and its distinctive elevated, multi-tiered greens require golfers of all levels to play unique and imaginative shots.
The three-round, 54-hole event will take place Friday-Sunday, April 21-23, at Fox Chapel Golf Club (par 71, 6,045 yards) in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Spartans tee off at 10:18 a.m., playing with Ohio State and Northwestern.
Live scoring will be available via Golfstat.
THE LINEUP
1. Brooke Biermann
2. Katie Lu
3. Paula Balanzategui
4. Leila Raines
5. Shannon Kennedy
6. Nina Rissi
THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
Illinois (59), Indiana (129), Iowa (110), Maryland (33), Michigan (43), Michigan State (32), Minnesota (56), Nebraska (55), Northwestern (15), Ohio State (24), Penn State (67), Purdue (45), Rutgers (109) and Wisconsin (82)
SPARTANS AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Michigan State has won six of the last 11 Big Ten Championships and 14 in total, which is second most in conference history. Under head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, MSU has eight titles (2001, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2021). MSU won five consecutive Big Ten titles from 1974-78, and also claimed a conference crown in 1982 in addition to the eight won by Slobodnik-Stoll. In the Big Ten record books, MSU is credited with nine Big Ten Championships, as the conference did not officially sanction women's sports until 1982.
Michigan State has finished in the top four at the Big Ten Championships in 15 of the last 17 years and 20 times under Slobodnik-Stoll.
Last year, the Spartans made a late run and went into the final few holes at the Big Ten Championships tied, but could not take the lead and finished in second place. Trailing by four shots entering the final round on Sunday, the Spartans pulled to within one or two shots on the front nine and tied leader Michigan going into the final five holes.
MSU, who took the team lead after a 2-under par 282 following the first round on Friday, finished with a three-day, 54-hole score of 9-over par 861, just four shots off the pace of champion Michigan, who topped the field of 14 teams at 5-over par 857.
THE SPARTANS
Michigan State has posted four top-5 finishes during the 2022-23 season, including a runner-up finish at the Lady Buckeye Invitational last weekend … The Spartans will play the Big Ten Championships without veteran leader Valentina Rossi, who leads the team with a 72.54 scoring average and is second on the team in tournaments played (8) and rounds played (24) … Rossi, who won the Women's Amateur Latin America in November, earned an exemption into the LPGA Chevron Championship at The Woodlands in Texas this weekend … MSU also lost fifth-year senior Valery Plata, a three-time All-Big Ten honoree for 2019 Big Ten Player of the Year, in November when she earned exempt status on the LPGA Tour coming out of Q-School in November … Still, the Spartans have talent and experience in the lineup … Junior Leila Raines is third on the team with a 73.00 scoring average and posted her first collegiate win at the Moon Golf Invitational in Arizona, firing a 2-under par 214 … Raines finished in sixth place at last year's Big Ten Championships and earned a spot on the all-tournament team … She followed that up by earning an individual spot at last year's NCAA Championship … Sophomore Brooke Biermann, who tied for sixth place at the Lady Buckeye Invitational last weekend with a 2-under par 214, is third on the team with a 72.85 scoring average and leads the team in tournaments played (9) and rounds completed (27) … Classmate Katie Lu has 24 rounds under belt and is fifth on the team with a 74.04 scoring average … Sophomore Shannon Kennedy is sixth on the team with a 75.17 scoring average, including a 73.83 in four events during the spring season … Freshman Balanzategui, who tied for 20th place last weekend at Ohio State, has a 75.87 scoring average in 15 rounds.
THE COURSE
Fox Chapel Golf Club is the premier family club in Pittsburgh and one of the finest in the nation. The restoration of the Seth Raynor 18-Hole golf course was completed in 2020. The restoration included building 97 new bunkers to shapes as seen on the original 1923 course; sand lines, mowing lines, green shapes, fairway widths were restored to Mr. Raynor's original design; signature greens were restored; 12 new forward tees added; several back tees were pushed further back to lengthen the course. The golf course is consistently ranked among the Top 100 Best Classic Courses in by Golfweek Magazine, Top 10 Courses in Pennsylvania by LINKSmagazine, Golfweek's Best 2020 Private Courses State by State, The Best Golf Courses in Pennsylvania by Golf Digest, The Top 10 Seth Raynor Courses by LINKSmagazine.com, and in 'The 100 Most Prestigious Golf Clubs in the world' by Links Magazine. The course offers a challenging layout and its distinctive elevated, multi-tiered greens require golfers of all levels to play unique and imaginative shots.
Players Mentioned
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