Biermann, Lu lead the way as Michigan State captures team crown in Briar's Creek Invitational

 

   Last spring Brooke Biermann got a share of medalist honors to lead Michigan State, the sixth seed, to an unlikely team crown in the NCAA Palm Beach Regional at the PGA National Resort’s Champion Course.

   The Spartans have been a perennial contender in the Big Ten Championship in the last decade or so, but they were probably a little disappointed when they finished in a tie for sixth place in last year’s conference championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club in suburban Pittsburgh.

   Biermann, a junior from Wildwood, Mo., was at it again last week as she was a co-medalist with three other players, one of whom was her Michigan State teammate Katie Lu, a freshman from Plainsboro, N.J., as the Spartans went wire to wire to capture the team title in the Briar’s Creek Invitational, which wrapped up March 12 at The Golf Club at Briar’s Creek in Johns Island, S.C.

   Any tournament win is significant, but Michigan State beat seven of its Big Ten sisters in the 17-team field at Briar’s Creek. If you’re in the Philadelphia area, a very interesting Big Ten Championship is shaping up at Bulle Rock Golf Course, the Pete Dye design in Havre de Grace, Md. that played host to the LPGA Championship (since rebranded as the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, but a major championship in either case) from 2005 to ’09. The Big Ten Championship will be played the weekend of April 19 to 21.

   Biermann was two shots behind her teammate Lu going into the final round as Biermann opened with a 4-under 68 over the 6,152-yard, par-72 Briar’s Creek layout and added a 2-under 70 in the afternoon of a double round March 11.

   Not sure if there were weather considerations for the final round, but the golf course seemed to play tougher and Biermann’s final round of 1-over 73 was good enough to get her a share of medalist honors with a 5-under 211 total.

   Lu had the individual lead after she added a sparkling 5-under 67 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round after opening with a 3-under 69. Lu struggled a little in the final round, closing with a 3-over 75 that left her in the group tied for first place at 5-under.

   It was the second individual victory of the wraparound 2023-’24 season for Lu, who has been a solid addition to a talented Michigan State roster.

   The strong starts by Biermann and Lu enabled Michigan State to jump out to the team lead with a 4-under 284 in the opening round. The Spartans extended their lead with a 6-under 282 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 6-over 294 to finish with a 4-under 860 total that was five shots clear of North Carolina State.

   Michigan State was the only team to finish under par for 54 holes.

   N.C. State, out of the tough Atlantic Coast Conference, also had one of the four co-medalists as Lauren Olivares Leon, a junior from Mexico, repeated as an individual co-medalist at Briar’s Creek. Olivares Leon bounced back from an opening round of 2-over 74 with a 3-under 69 in the second round before closing with one of the final round’s best rounds, a 4-under 68, to get it to 5-under and get a share of the individual title.

   Behind Olivares Leon’s strong finish, the Wolfpack matched the low team round of the tournament, a 7-under 281, in the final round, but couldn’t quite catch Michigan State, ending up with a 1-over 865 total. N.C. State had opened with a 3-over 291 before adding a 5-over 293 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round.

   The Wolfpack took full advantage of getting to play at home in last spring’s Raleigh Regional and, behind a tie for second place by Olivares Leon, they advanced to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. with a runnerup finish as an eight seed.

   Purdue, another perennial Big Ten power, finished six shots behind N.C. State in third place at Briar’s Creek with a 7-over 871 total. The Boilermakers opened with a 6-over 294 and added a 5-over 293 in the second round before closing strong with a 4-under 284.

   Purdue’s strong finish was sparked by Ashley Kozlowski, a senior from Littleton, Colo. who had the best round of the final round, a sparkling 5-under 67 that left her in fifth place in the individual standings, just a shot behind the four co-medalists with a 4-under 212 total. Kozlowski matched par in the afternoon of the opening-day double round with a 72 after opening with a 1-over 73.

   Illinois, which claimed the first Big Ten title in program history last spring at Fox Chapel, finished in a tie for fourth place in the team standings with UCF at Briar’s Creek, each landing on 9-over 873, two shots behind Purdue.

   The Fighting Illini only trailed Michigan State by six shots going into the final round as they opened with a solid 284 and matched par in the afternoon of the opening-day double round with a 288.  But Illinois struggled in the final round with a 301.

   Illinois was led by the fourth co-medalist, Isabel Sy, a senior from San Gabriel, Calif. who trailed Michigan State’s Lu by a shot going into the final round after Sy added a 2-under 70 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round to her strong opening round of 5-under 67. Sy closed with a 2-over 74 to join Lu, Biermann and Olivares Leon at 5-under.

   UCF, out of the American Athletic Conference, struggled in the opening round with a 301, but bounced back with a solid 7-under 281 that matched the low team round of the tournament in the second round before closing with a 3-over 291.

   The Knights were led by Jess Baker, a senior from England and the winner of the Royal & Ancient’s Women’s Amateur Championship at Hunstanton Golf Club in England in the summer of 2022, as she finished a shot behind Purdue’s Kozlowski in sixth place with a 3-under 213 total.

   After opening with a 3-over 75, Baker recorded a 2-under 70 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a solid 4-under 68.

   Florida, out of the powerful Southeastern Conference, finished two shots behind Illinois and UCF in sixth place with an 11-over 875 total. The Gators opened with a 2-over 290 and added a 5-over 293 in the second round before closing with a 4-over 292.

   Miami, one of North Carolina State’s ACC rivals, finished just a shot behind Florida in seventh place with a 12-over 876 total as the Hurricanes closed strong, registering a 4-under 284 in the final round. Miami had opened with a 6-over 294 before adding a 298 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round.

   Rutgers, another Big Ten entry, finished two shots behind Miami in eighth place with a 14-over 878 total as the Scarlet Knights added a 2-over 290 in the second round to their opening round of 3-over 291 before closing with a 297.

   It was a tough couple of days for Penn State, another Big Ten representative, as the Nittany Lions finished in 15^th place in the 17-team field with a 34-over 898 total. Penn State struggled to a 305 in the opening round, but bounced back with an 8-over 296 in the second round before finishing up with a 9-over 297.

   Leila Raines, a senior from Galena, Ohio, gave Michigan State a third finisher in the top seven as she finished in a group of four players tied for seventh place with a 1-under 215 total. After opening with a 1-over 73, Raines signed for back-to-back 1-under 71s in the final two rounds.

   Raines was in the lineup as a freshman the last time the Spartans claimed the title in the Big Ten Championship in 2021 at TPV River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio.

   Paula Balanzategui, a sophomore from Spain, finished in the group tied for 50^th place for Michigan State with a 226 total. Balanzategui added a counting 2-over 74 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round to her opening-round 76 before closing with another 76.

   Rounding out the Michigan State lineup was Shannon Kennedy, a junior from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. who finished among the group tied for 53^rd place with a 227 total. Kennedy’s opening round of 2-over 74 and final-round 75 were both important counters for the Spartans. She carded a 78 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round.

   Michigan State still has a past U.S. Women’s Amateur semifinalist (Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y. in 2021) waiting in the wings in Valentina Rossi, a senior from Argentina. Rossi competed as an individual at Briar’s Creek and struggled, opening with an 84, adding a 77 in the second round and closing with a 79 to finish in the group tied for 91^st place with a 236 total. But there is obviously some back class there and still time for the light bulb to come on again.

   Pimpisa “Sandwich” Sisutham, a sophomore from Thailand and No. 86 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), gave UCF another finisher inside the top seven as she joined Michigan State’s Raines in the quartet tied for seventh place at 1-under.

   After opening with a 2-over 74, Sisutham recorded a 4-under 68 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Momo Sugiyama, a junior from Australia, gave Purdue a second finisher in the top seven as she also landed on 1-under and tied for seventh place. After opening with a 2-over 74, Sugiyama registered a 1-under 71 in the second round before closing with a solid 2-under 70.

   Rounding out the foursome at 1-under was Florida’s Ines Archer, a freshman from France who tallied back-to-back 2-under 70s in the first two rounds before finishing up with a 3-over 75.

   The College of Charleston junior Emma Schimpf, playing close to her home town of Daniel Island, S.C., and Nebraska’s Kelli Ann Strand, a sophomore from Challis, Idaho, finished in a tie for 11^th place, each landing on even-par 216.

   Schimpf has been a key member of back-to-back Coastal Athletic Association championship teams with the Cougars, struggled to an 80 in the opening round, but bounced back in the afternoon of the opening-day double round with a sizzling 6-under 66, the best individual round of the tournament. Schimpf finished up with a 2-under 70.

   Strand sandwiched a 2-over 74 in the second round with a pair of even-par 72s.

   Leading the way for Penn State was Mathilde Delavallade, a senior from France who finished among the group tied for 39^th place with a 7-over 223 total. After opening with a 3-over 75, Delavallade carded back-to-back 2-over 74s in the final two rounds.

   Junior Michelle Cox, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Emmaus, backed up Delavallade as Cox finished in the group tied for 45^th place with a 225 total. Cox was steady at Briar’s Creek, opening with a 3-over 75 and adding a 76 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before finishing up with her best round of the tournament, a 2-over 74.

   Carlota Garcia, a graduate student from Spain, finished in the group tied for 58^th place with a 228 total for Penn State. Garcia struggled to an 81 in the opening round, rebounded nicely with a 2-under 70 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 5-over 77.

   Drew Nienhaus, a junior from St. Louis, Mo., closed with her best round of the tournament, a 1-over 73, to finish in the group tied for 67^th place with a 229 total. Nienhaus opened with a 5-over 77 before adding a 79 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was Victoria Tip-Aucha, a senior from Vienna, Va. via Thailand who finished in the group tied for 74^th place with a 230 total. After opening with a 78, Tip-Aucha recorded back-to-back 4-over 76s in the final two rounds.

   Penn State’s first-year head coach Kristen Simpson brought along Myranda Quinton, a sophomore from Canada, to compete as an individual and Quinton finished in 101^st place with a 246 total. Quinton struggled to an 88 in the opening round, bounced back with a 5-over 77 in the second round and finished up with an 81.

   A couple of Bucks County natives were in the lineup for Purdue at Briar’s Creek.

   Junior Jade Gu, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Pennsbury, finished among the group tied for 39^th place with a 7-over 223 total. Gu got off to a nice start, opening with a 2-under 70 before adding a 1-under 71 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round. Gu struggled to an 82 in the final round.

   Junior Natasha Kiel, a New Hope resident who starred scholastically at George School, closed with a solid 2-under 70 to finish in the group tied for 67^th place with a 229 total. Kiel, who transferred to Purdue after beginning her college career at Vanderbilt, opened with a 79 before adding an 80 in the second round.

   Kiel lost in a playoff to Duke’s Rylie Heflin in last summer’s Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur Championship at Sunnehanna Country Club.