Lu Finishes in Second Place, Spartans Take Third at Glass City Invitational

East Lansing, Mich. – Junior Katie Lu fired a 6-under par 66 and won a playoff to finish in second place individually and helped lead Michigan State’s women’s golf team to a third-place finish at the Glass City Invitational, held at The Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.

The two-day, 54-hole event was held on the par-72, 6,218-yard course at The Inverness Club.

The Spartans shot a 6-over par 294 in Tuesday’s final round and finished with a score of 14-over par 878 (301-283-294).

Florida finished in first place at 4-over par 868, with Virginia in second place at 10-over par 874 and the Spartans four shots back. South Florida place fourth (15-over par 879) and Michigan finished in fifth place (17-over par 881).

Darkness forced the suspension of play on Monday night late in the second round and the final four to six holes were completed on Tuesday morning ahead of the third round.

Lu entered the final round in 10th place following rounds of 2-over par 74 and even-par 72, but saved her best for last. Starting on the seventh hole, she had a birdie on her third hole (the par-4, ninth) and then posted birdies four times on the back nine. After a bogey on the par-4 fourth hole, she closed out her day with two more birdies to finish the day at 6-under par 66, the best round of her career.

Lu won a playoff to finish in second place alone, the second-best finish of her career following a win at the Mary Fossum Invitational in East Lansing last week.

Junior Brooke Biermann, who was tied for first entering the final round, shot a 7-over par 79 on Tuesday afternoon and tied for ninth place at 3-over par 219 (72-68-79).

Senior Valentina Rossi had a strong finish over the final two rounds to finish in a tie for 18th place at 8-over par 224 (80-70-74). Rossi posted a 2-under 70 in the second round and closed with a 2-over par 74.

Junior Leila Raines tied for 26th place at 10-over par 226 (75-74-77). She finished the second round with a 2-over par 74 and closed with a 5-over par 77.

Sophomore Paula Balanzategui tied for 56th place at 24-over par 240 (90-73-77), posting a 1-over par 73 in the completion of the second round on Tuesday.

Playing as individuals, freshman Ana Sofia Murcia and junior Shannon Kennedy tied for 43rd…