Apparently nobody told Michigan State that it had no
business challenging powerful Northwestern for the team title at the Big Ten
Championship, which concluded Sunday at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio.
Michigan State, after all, came into the tournament at No.
62 in the latest Golfstat rankings.
Northwestern, the two-time defending league champion, was ranked 12th.
Sure, the Spartans had creeped within eight of Northwestern with a 5-under-par
283 Saturday. But that could mostly be attributed to Sarah Burnham, a junior
from Maple Grove, Minn., going out of her mind and making 11 birdies in a
tournament single-round record of 9-under 63. That wasn’t going to happen
again.
Well, that didn’t happen again. What did happen, though, was
a 3-under 285 over the 6,357-yard, par-72 River’s Bend layout – with the
Spartans tossing a 75 by Burnham – that caught and passed Northwestern as
Michigan State claimed the Big Ten title with a 2-over total of 866.
Northwestern slipped a little with a 7-over 295 that left it as a frustrated
runnerup at 4-over 868. But the Wildcats didn’t really lose this, Michigan
State went out and won it.
It was the Spartans’ first Big Ten title since 2014 and their sixth
under head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stall.
“It shows what our kids are made of – anything is possible,”
Slobodnik-Stall told the Michigan State website. “I tried to emphasize to them
before (Sunday’s) round to play one shot at a time. We can only control
ourselves, so we have to take it one shot at a time.
“It says a lot about who our players are and as a team and
their abilities. Today, we had to get the job done. When you come into the day
having to come from behind, if you don’t play well, you don’t win. It was a
gutsy performance. They wanted to win and they were willing to do what it
took.”
No. 30 Ohio State, which had shared the title with
Northwestern the last two seasons, finished alone in third at 13-over 877 after
a final round of 1-under 287. No. 52 Wisconsin matched the Buckeyes’ final
round of 1-under 287 to finish fourth at 20-over 884. No. 33 Michigan finished
fifth at 892 after a final-round 293 and No. 24 Purdue finished sixth at 901
after a final-round 901.
No. 75 Penn State finished 11th in the 14-team
field with a 934 total after a final-round 319.
The Spartans were led Sunday by Allyson Geer, a freshman
from Brighton, Mich. who carded a 2-under 70 to finish alone in fourth in the
individual chase at even-par 216.
Katie Sharp, a redshirt junior from Kendallasville, Ind.,
also broke par with a 1-under 71 that enabled her to finish in a three-way tie
for fifth at 2-over 218. Carolyn Markley, a sophomore from Maineville, Ohio
playing on her home course, also had a 1-under 71 that enabled her to finish
tied for 25th at 228.
But probably the biggest score of the day came from Logan
Otter, a redshirt freshman from St. Peters, Mo. She had opened with an 85 and
added a 79 in the middle round, but her final round of 1-over 73 was Michigan
State’s fourth counter of the day and enabled her to finish tied for 53rd
at 237.
The team title was probably all the consolation Burnham
needed as she came up just short of the individual title. Her final-round 75
left her at 5-under 211, a shot back of Michigan’s Elodie Van Dievort, a
sophomore from Belgium.
And while Burnham’s 75 didn’t count Sunday, the otherworldly
63 she shot Saturday got the Spartans into contention. It probably worked in
some odd psychological way to relieve any pressure from the rest of her
teammates. I mean, low Michigan State round for the tournament was out of
reach.
The Spartans also got a solid weekend out of another
freshman, Paz Marfa Sans of Spain, who was one of the players tied with Markley
for 25th at 228 after Marfa Sans carded a final-round 76.
Von Dievert, who had grabbed the opening-round lead with a
69, finished up with a 2-under 70 to capture the individual title at 6-under
210.
Following a shot behind Burnham in third was Minnesota’s Emie Peronnin, a
senior from France who was rock solid all weekend, following up a pair of 70s
with a final-round 72 to finish at 4-under 212.
Joining Michigan State’s Sharp in the group tied for fifth
at 2-over 218 were Ohio State’s Jaclyn Lee, a sophomore from Canada who had a
final-round 76, and Northwestern’s Stephanie Lau, a sophomore from Fullerton,
Calif. who had a final round of 1-under 71.
It was a disappointing weekend for Purdue, but August Kim, a
senior from St. Augustine, Fla., finished strong in defense of her Big Ten
individual title. Kim had a final round of 2-under 70 to finish tied for eighth
at 3-over 219.
Micaela Farah, a freshman from Peru, also had a strong
showing at River’s Bend, carding a final-round 74 to finish tied for 17th
at 8-over 224.
Marta Martin, a junior from Spain, finished tied for 35th
at 230 after a final-round 76, Ida Ayu Indira Melati Putri, a sophomore from
Bali, finished tied for 40th at 231 after a final-round 79,
Covadonga SanJuan, a sophomore from Spain, finished tied for 49th at
236 after a final-round 80 and Linn Andersson, a junior from Sweden, finished
tied for 55th at 238 after a final-round 79.
It was a tough weekend for Penn State’s young group.
Sophomore Lauren Waller, the 2014 PIAA Class AAA runnerup at Canon McMillan,
had a final-round 75 to lead the way for the Nittany Lions as she finished tied
for 25th at 228.
Sophomore Jackie Rogowicz, a two-time PIAA Class AAA
runnerup at Pennsbury, finished tied for 40th at 231 after a
final-round 79. Freshman Madelein Herr, the 2015 District One Class AAA
champion at Council Rock North, finished tied for 59th at 240 after
struggling home with an 85 in the final round. Ashni Dhruva, a freshman from
Katy, Texas, finished tied for 67th at 243 after a final-round 84.
Graduate student Kate Granahan, a former Parkland standout, finished 70th
at 244 after a final-round 81.
Sophomore Cara Basso, the 2012 PIAA Class AA champion at
Villa Maria Academy, sat out the final round after struggling through a sore neck and shooting 86 in the second round.
The NCAA regional fields will be announced at 11 a.m.
Thursday on The Golf Channel. If Michigan State was concerned that there was a
chance it might be left out, the Spartans can rest easy. They’re in.
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