Spartans Finish in 11th Place at Season Opening Cougar Classic

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State’s women’s golf team shot a 6-over par 287 in the final round of play and finished in 11th place among 17 teams at the Cougar Classic, hosted by the College of Charleston at Yeamans Hall in South Carolina.

The teams were slated to play two rounds on Monday, but weather forced play to be stopped in the middle of the second round. The second round was completed on Tuesday morning and the final round started immediately afterward.

The Spartans finished in 11th place with a three-day, 54-hole total of 2-over par 854 (281-286-287).

Final Results

Ole Miss fired a 36-under par 816 and won the tournament by five shots over LSU (31-under par 821). Clemson placed third (30-under par 822), with UCF in fourth place at 23-under par 829 and Kentucky rounded out the top-five teams at 20-under par 832.

Junior Katie Lu was the top finisher for the Spartans, tying for 15th place at 5-under par 208 (69-69-70). She completed a 2-under par 69 in the morning and closed the tournament with a 1-under par 70.

Junior Shannon Kennedy, who fired a 3-under par 68 in the first round, tied for 31st place at 2-under par 211 (68-70-73). She posted a 2-over par 73 in the final round.

Sophomore Paula Balanzategui had a 1-over par 72 in Tuesday’s final round and tied for 62nd place at 5-over par 218 (73-73-72), while senior Leila Raines tied for 65th place at 6-over par 219 (72-75-72).

Junior Brooke Biermann finished in 76th place at 9-over par 222 (72-74-76).

Freshman Ella Weber, playing as an individual, tied for 34th place at 1-under par 212 (66-73-73). Weber fired a 5-under par 66 in the opening round and closed the tournament with back-to-back scores of 2-over par 73.

The Spartans return home this weekend, hosting the Fossum Invitational at Forest Akers West on Sunday, Sept. 17 and Monday, Sept. 18. The 37th edition of the tournament, named for the Michigan State Hall of Famer who was the first coach in the history of the program, will be held for the first time since 2019.