Spartans in First Place at The Landfall Tradition

East Lansing, Mich. – Sophomore Paula Balanzategui and junior Brooke Biermann are tied for third place individually and Michigan State’s women’s golf team leads the field after the first round of play at The Landfall Tradition, being played at the Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C.

The Spartans fired a season-best 9-under par 279 and lead the field of 18 teams by five shots over second place UCF (4-under par 284). Clemson and Illinois are tied for third place with scores of 3-under par 285 and Duke rounds out the top-five teams at 2-under par 286.

First Round Results

Balanzategui and Biermann fired rounds of 4-under par 68 and are tied for third place, one shot off the lead, with Furman’s Anna Morgan and Penn State’s Michelle Cox tied for first place at 5-under par 67.

Balanzategui tied her career-best individual 18-hole score of 4-under par 68, set last year at the Buckeye Invitational. She finished her round with five birdies and 13 pars.

Biermann played the front nine in 1-under par with a pair of birdies and six pars and birdied four of five holes to start her back nine to finish at 4-under par 68. It was the second-best round of her career and her fifth career round of 68.

Junior Katie Lu is tied for 17th place after carding a 1-under par 71. Lu posted pars on the first 14 holes before a birdie on the par-4, 341-yard 15th hole.

Senior Leila Raines is one shot back, tied for 26th place at even-par 72, finishing her day with 16 pars, one birdie and a bogey.

Junior Shannon Kennedy is tied for 74th place at 5-over par 77. She finished her round with two birdies and 10 pars.

Play continues with 18 holes on Saturday morning. Michigan State will tee off starting at 10:09 a.m., playing alongside Clemson and UCF.