Michigan State claims team title in Paradise Invitational; Maryland's Olankitkunchai the individual winner

    Slowly, but surely, the Big Ten programs are coming back to life after the coronavirus pandemic first stopped the wraparound 2019-2020 season in its tracks last March and then forced the shutdown of the fall portion of the wraparound 2020-’21 campaign.

   Michigan State, one of the conference’s perennial powers, finished in 11^th place in a competitive UCF Challenge field last week at the Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando.

   This week, the Spartans, their competitive edge somewhat restored, came out on top of a tight pack, emerging with a one-shot victory over Big Ten rival Maryland in the Paradise Invitational, hosted by Florida Atlantic University, which wrapped up Tuesday at Boca Lago Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla.

   When Monday’s double round was completed early Tuesday morning, South Florida had a one-shot lead on Vanderbilt out of the Southeastern Conference, with Michigan State and Maryland another three shots behind the Commodores in a tie for third place.

   The Spartans, getting a 2-under-par 70 over the 6,076-yard, par-72 Boca Lago layout from Valery Plata, a junior from Colombia and No. 59 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), matched par in Tuesday’s final round with a 288 that gave them a 6-under 858 total. Michigan State had opened with its best round of the tournament Monday morning, a 6-under 282, before matching par Monday afternoon with a 288.

   Maryland, which had surged into contention with the best team round of the tournament, a 10-under 278 in Monday afternoon’s second round, closed with a 1-over 289 to finish a shot behind Michigan State in second place with a 5-under 859 total. The Terrapins did go home with some hardware, though, as Virunpat Olankitkunchai, a senior from Thailand, was an impressive winner of the individual title by six shots.

   Vanderbilt was another shot behind Maryland in third place with a 3-under 860 total after finishing up with a 5-over 293. The Commodores had opened with a 7-under 281 before adding a 2-under 286 in Monday afternoon’s second round.

   South Florida was one more shot behind Vanderbilt in fourth place at 3-under 861 after the Bulls closed with a 7-over 295. Only three shots separated those top four teams. South Florida had matched Vanderbilt’s opening-round 281 and then grabbed its slim one-shot advantage heading into the final round with a 3-under 285 in Monday afternoon’s second round.

   It was another eight shots back to North Florida in fifth place as the Ospreys finished up with a 3-over 291 for a 5-over 869 total. Host Florida Atlantic was 14 shots behind North Florida in sixth place at 19-over 883 after also closing with a 3-over 291.

   Two more Big Ten entries, Ohio State and Iowa, finished in seventh and eighth place, respectively, in the 13-team field, the Buckeyes ending up eight shots behind Florida Atlantic with a 27-over 891 total and the Hawkeyes five more shots behind Ohio State at 32-over 896.

   The last time a Big Ten Championship was contested in the spring of 2019, Ohio State was crowned the conference champion at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio. After opening with an 8-over 296 at Boca Lago, the Buckeyes had their best round of the tournament, a 6-over 294, before struggling to 301 in Tuesday’s final round. Iowa sandwiched a 300 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 10-over 298s.

   Michigan State was led by Yurika Tanida, a senior from Japan who was steady throughout, matching par in the final round  with a 72 after registering a pair of 1-under 71s in Monday’s double round to finish in a tie for sixth place at 2-under 214.

   Plata flashed her considerable talent in last summer’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., finishing in a tie for second place in qualifying for match play and then making a run all the way to the semifinals before falling to defending champion Gabriela Ruffels, an Australian who is a standout at Southern California.

   Plata matched par in the opening round at Boca Lago with a 72 and added a 2-over 74 before earning medalist honors for the Spartans in Tuesday’s final round with her 70 that left her in a three-way tie for ninth place at even-par 216.

   Michigan State, though, got strong showings throughout its lineup. Paz Marfa Sans, who took up the NCAA’s offer of an extra year of eligibility to make up for the lost spring of 2020 and returned as a graduate student, and Haylin Harris, a junior from Carmel, Ind., finished among the group tied for 13^th place at 2-over 218.

   Marfa Sans of Spain added a 2-under 70 to her opening-round 75 before finishing up with a 1-over 73. Harris’ final-round 74 was a throw-out for the Spartans, but her rounds of 1-under 71 and 1-over 73 Monday were both counters.

   Rounding out the Michigan State lineup was Nina Rissi, a sophomore from Spain. Rissi struggled in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 78, but her 68 was the low round for the Spartans in the opening round and her final round of 1-over 73 was a crucial counter in the one-shot team victory.

   Maryland’s Olankitkunchai opened with a 3-under 69 and contributed a 5-under 67 to Maryland’s sparkling 10-under team total in Monday afternoon’s second round to share the lead after 36 holes with Vanderbilt’s Auston Kim, a junior from St. Augustine, Fla. and No. 27 in the Women’s WAGR.

  Olankitkunchai then offset three bogeys in the final round with six birdies for a 3-under 69 that gave her an 11-under 205 total. It was a Maryland program record in relation to par for a 54-hole tournament.

   South Florida’s Melanie Green, a freshman from Medina, N.Y., closed with a 1-over 73 to claim runnerup honors with a 5-under 211 total. Green trailed Olankitkunchai and Kim by just two shots after firing a pair of 3-under 69s in Monday’s double round.

   Ohio State standout Aneka Seumanutafa, a sophomore from Emmitsburg, Md., headed a group of three players tied for third place, two shots behind Green at 3-under 213.

   Seumanutafa and Olankitkunchai were two of the three players tied for fifth place in that 2019 Big Ten Championship at TPC River’s Bend. Seumanutafa sandwiched a 1-over 73 with a pair of 2-under 70s at Boca Lago to get her piece of third place.

   Joining Seumanutafa at 213 were Vanderbilt’s Celina Sattelkau, a sophomore from Germany, and Maryland’s Laura Van Respaille, a senior from France. Sattelkau matched par in Monday afternoon’s second round after opening with a 2-under 70 and closed with a 1-under 71. Van Respaille posted a sparkling 4-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round after opening with a 73 before matching par in the final round with a 72 to join the group at 3-under.

   Joining Michigan State’s Tanida in a tie for sixth place at 2-under 214 was North Florida’s Marion Debove, a graduate student from France who opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 73 before closing with a 71.

   Sattelkau’s Vanderbilt teammate Kim faltered in the final round with a 79 after sharing the lead with Olankitkunchai following Monday’s double round. Kim finished alone in eighth place at 1-under 215.

   Kim and Ohio State’s Seumanutafa were two of the 12 players who auditioned for the U.S. Curtis Cup team in a practice session at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando a couple of weeks ago. The rescheduled Curtis Cup Match will be played in August at Conwy Golf Club in Caernarvonshire, Wales.

   Joining Michigan State’s Plata in the trio tied for ninth place at even-par 216 were South Florida’s Ashley Zagers, a junior from Oldsmar, Fla., and North Florida’s Mindy Herrick, a senior from Gainesville, Fla. Sagers matched par in the final round with a 72 while Herrick closed with a 1-over 73.