Friday, April 19
Bulle Rock Golf Course (Havre de Grace, Md.)
All Day
Michigan State University
vs
Big Ten Championships
Michigan State Opens Postseason Aiming for Big Ten Title
4/18/2024 4:43:00 PM | Women's Golf
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's women's golf team starts the postseason on Friday with the start of the Big Ten Championship as the Spartans aim for their fourth title in the last seven championships.
The three-round, 54-hole event will take place Friday-Sunday, April 19-21, at Bulle Rock Golf Course (par 71, 6,045 yards) in Havre de Grace, Md.
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. Paula Balanzategui
2. Katie Lu
3. Brooke Biermann
4. Leila Raines
5. Valentina Rossi
6. Shannon Kennedy
THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
Illinois (66), Indiana (74), Iowa (92), Maryland (41), Michigan (43), Michigan State (37), Minnesota (59), Nebraska (71), Northwestern (8), Ohio State (30), Penn State (99), Purdue (33), Rutgers (85) and Wisconsin (69)
SPARTANS AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Michigan State has won six of the last 12 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 18 years and 20 times under Slobodnik-Stoll.
Last year, the Spartans shot a 13-over par 297 in the final round and tied for sixth place at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh. MSU had entered the final round in eighth place but posted the best round of the tournament in the final round before moving to sixth place. Michigan State followed its Big Ten Championship finish by winning the NCAA Palm Beach Regional and advancing to the 2023 NCAA Championships.
THE SPARTANS
Michigan State is coming off a runner-up finish at the Lady Buckeye Invitational last weekend to close out the regular season. The Spartans have enjoyed a solid spring season, with three finishes among the top-5 teams and five among the top-5 in all events.
Last week in Ohio, sophomore Paula Balanzategui tied for fourth place at 1-over par 217 (73-73-71) to lead the Spartans, while junior Katie Lu tied for seventh place at 2-over par 218 (72-72-74) and senior Leila Raines tied for 11th place at 6-over par 222 (75-72-75). The Spartans won the Briar's Creek Invitational on March 12, firing a 4-under par 860 as a team, with Lu and classmate Brooke Biermann sharing medalist honors at 5-under par 211.
Lu has enjoyed a strong season this year, leading the team in scoring average (71.17), with two individual wins and nine top-20 finishes in 10 events. Biermann is second on the team with a 72.83 scoring average and five top-20 finishes, while senior Leila Raines carries a 73.11 average in 27 rounds with four top-20 showings.
The lineup this weekend also includes sophomore Paula Balanzategui, who carries a 74.38 scoring average, has posted two top-10 finishes this year, Shannon Kennedy (75.97 scoring average) and senior Valentina Rossi (76.00).
THE COURSE
Bulle Rock will host not just the 2024 Big Ten Championships, but also the 2025 edition of the event that will feature 18 conference schools for the first time. Named for the first thoroughbred racehorse brought to North America in the early 18th century, Bulle Rock has consistently been ranked as Maryland's No. 1 public golf course since opening in 1998. The acclaimed Pete Dye design winds through 235 acres near the intersection of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. Bulle Rock hosted five consecutive LPGA Championships (now known as the Women's PGA Championship) from 2005-09, including Annika Sorenstam's third consecutive victory in 2005 by three strokes over 15-year old amateur Michelle Wie.
The three-round, 54-hole event will take place Friday-Sunday, April 19-21, at Bulle Rock Golf Course (par 71, 6,045 yards) in Havre de Grace, Md.
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. Paula Balanzategui
2. Katie Lu
3. Brooke Biermann
4. Leila Raines
5. Valentina Rossi
6. Shannon Kennedy
THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
Illinois (66), Indiana (74), Iowa (92), Maryland (41), Michigan (43), Michigan State (37), Minnesota (59), Nebraska (71), Northwestern (8), Ohio State (30), Penn State (99), Purdue (33), Rutgers (85) and Wisconsin (69)
SPARTANS AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Michigan State has won six of the last 12 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 18 years and 20 times under Slobodnik-Stoll.
Last year, the Spartans shot a 13-over par 297 in the final round and tied for sixth place at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh. MSU had entered the final round in eighth place but posted the best round of the tournament in the final round before moving to sixth place. Michigan State followed its Big Ten Championship finish by winning the NCAA Palm Beach Regional and advancing to the 2023 NCAA Championships.
THE SPARTANS
Michigan State is coming off a runner-up finish at the Lady Buckeye Invitational last weekend to close out the regular season. The Spartans have enjoyed a solid spring season, with three finishes among the top-5 teams and five among the top-5 in all events.
Last week in Ohio, sophomore Paula Balanzategui tied for fourth place at 1-over par 217 (73-73-71) to lead the Spartans, while junior Katie Lu tied for seventh place at 2-over par 218 (72-72-74) and senior Leila Raines tied for 11th place at 6-over par 222 (75-72-75). The Spartans won the Briar's Creek Invitational on March 12, firing a 4-under par 860 as a team, with Lu and classmate Brooke Biermann sharing medalist honors at 5-under par 211.
Lu has enjoyed a strong season this year, leading the team in scoring average (71.17), with two individual wins and nine top-20 finishes in 10 events. Biermann is second on the team with a 72.83 scoring average and five top-20 finishes, while senior Leila Raines carries a 73.11 average in 27 rounds with four top-20 showings.
The lineup this weekend also includes sophomore Paula Balanzategui, who carries a 74.38 scoring average, has posted two top-10 finishes this year, Shannon Kennedy (75.97 scoring average) and senior Valentina Rossi (76.00).
THE COURSE
Bulle Rock will host not just the 2024 Big Ten Championships, but also the 2025 edition of the event that will feature 18 conference schools for the first time. Named for the first thoroughbred racehorse brought to North America in the early 18th century, Bulle Rock has consistently been ranked as Maryland's No. 1 public golf course since opening in 1998. The acclaimed Pete Dye design winds through 235 acres near the intersection of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. Bulle Rock hosted five consecutive LPGA Championships (now known as the Women's PGA Championship) from 2005-09, including Annika Sorenstam's third consecutive victory in 2005 by three strokes over 15-year old amateur Michelle Wie.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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