Lu Tied for Eighth Place, Spartans Tied for 11th at the UCF Challenge

East Lansing, Mich. – Junior Katie Lu fired a 2-under par 70 in the opening round and is tied for eighth place individually and Michigan State’s women’s golf team shot a 5-over par 293 to tie for 11th place among 18 teams after the first round of play at the UCF Challenge, being played at Eagle Creek Country Club in Orlando, Fla.

The tournament, being played on Eagle Creek’s par-72, 6,367-yard course, was originally slated to start on Sunday, but inclement weather moved the first round to Saturday.

North Carolina leads the field at 9-under par 279, three shots of ahead of the College of Charleston, in second place at 6-under par 282. Kentucky is third at 2-under par 286, with Miami and Kansas rounding out the top-five teams, tied for fourth place at 1-under par 287.

First Round Results

Lu finished her round with four birdies, including three on the back nine, to finish at 2-under par 70 and tied for eighth place in the field of 95 golfers.

Sophomore Paula Balanzategui is tied for 32nd place at 1-over par 73, playing the front nine in 1-over par with a birdie, and then playing the back nine in even par.

Junior Brooke Biermann shot a 2-over par 74 and is tied for 43rd place. Biermann finished her round with a pair of birdies and 12 pars.

Junior Shannon Kennedy is tied for 62nd place at 4-overp ar 76 and senior Leila Raines is tied for 83rd place with a score of 6-over par 76.

Playing as an individual, freshman Ana Sofia Murcia is tied for 14th place at 1-under par 71. She played the front nine in even par with one birdie and finished the back with a trio of birdies and four pars.

Michigan State will tee off in Sunday’s second round starting at 1 p.m. on the seventh hole, playing alongside Kentucky and the College of Charleston. The final round will start at 8:30 a.m. on Monday.