East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State women’s golf team shot a 6-over par 294 in the first round and is tied for 13th place after the first day of stroke play at the NCAA Championships, being played at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
The 30-team field is playing on the par 72, 6,330-yard course at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, the site of the last two NCAA Tournaments.
Vanderbilt leads the field at 6-under par 282, two shots ahead of second-place Oklahoma State (4-under par 284). Arizona State, Oregon, Texas and Florida are all tied for third place at even-par 288.
Michigan State is tied for 13th place at 6-over par 294 with Virginia and Mississippi State.
There are 13 teams separated by six shots between a tie for third place and a tie for 13th place.
The Spartans were in the first groups to tee off in Friday’s first round, with tee times starting at 6:30 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET). MSU finished its round around 2:30 p.m., waiting more than seven hours for the completion of the opening 18 holes.
Senior Katie Lu was the top finisher for the Spartans, standing in a tie for 27th place at even-par 72. Starting on the 10th hole, Lu started her round with a bogey but finished the back at even par, with a birdie on the par-4, 396-yard 13th hole. She had a birdie on the par-4, 370-yard fifth hole to finish at even-par 72.
Sophomore Ana Sofia Murcia shot a 1-over par 73 and is tied for 46th place after the first round. She finished her opening 18 holes with six pars and five birdies, including three on the back nine.
Junior Taylor Kehoe is tied for 64th place at 2-over par 74, with a trio of birdies and 11 pars.
Junior Paula Balanzategui and senior Brooke Biermann are tied for 78th place with scores of 3-over par 75, respectively. Balanzategui finished her round with one birdie and 14 pars, while Biermann had 10 pars and a pair of birdies.
Michigan State finished in third place at the NCAA Norman Regional in early May to reach the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in the last five years and the 17th time in program history, including 15 appearances under Head Coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll.
The NCAA Championships continue on Saturday, May 17 for the second round of stroke play. The 30-team field will play three rounds of stroke play before the field is cut to 15 teams. Following the final round of stroke play on Monday, May 19, the field is cut to eight teams for match play.
The Spartans tee off in the second round on Saturday at 11:50 a.m. (2:50 p.m. ET), from the 1st hole, playing alongside Florida and Kansas.
