Michigan State in First Place at the Mary Fossum Invitational

East Lansing, Mich. – Led by three players standing atop the leaderboard, Michigan State’s women’s golf team is in first place among 15 teams after the first day of play at the 37th Mary Fossum Invitational, being played at Forest Akers West.

The tournament is being played on the par-72, 6,370 yard course at Forest Akers West, which will serve as a host for one of six NCAA Regionals in May 2024.

The Spartans fired a 10-under par 566 (285-281) over two rounds on Sunday and enter the final round of play with an 8-shot lead over second place Purdue (2-under par 574).

Ohio State is third (5-over par 581), with Tennessee in fourth place (9-over par 585) and Nebraska in fifth place (12-over par 588).

MSU led the field after the opening round with a 3-under par 285 and at one point were 15-under par in the second round before closing with a 7-under par 281, tied for the 13th-best single team round in program history.

Junior Katie Lu led the way for Michigan State and stops atop the field of 84 golfers at 5-under par 139 (70-69). She shot a 2-under par 70 in the opening round and had a 3-under par 69 in the second round, with four birdies.

Tied for second place is senior Leila Raines and junior Brooke Biermann, who are three shots off the pace with scores of 2-under par 142. Biermann posted consecutive scores of 1-under par 71, finishing her two rounds with six birdies and 27 pars. Raines went 1-over par 73 and closed out with a 3-under par 69, with three birdies and an eagle on the par-5, 495-yard eighth hole.

Junior Shannon Kennedy is tied for sixth place at even-par 144 after back-to-back rounds of 72. Kennedy had four birdies in the first 14 holes of the second round and was at 4-under par through 15 before finishing at even-par.

Senior Valentina Rossi is tied for 35th place at 6-over par 150 (72-78).

Four Spartans are playing as individuals, led by freshman Ana Sofia Murcia, who is tied for 20th place at 3-over par 147 (75-72).

Classmate Ella Weber is tied for 49th place at 8-over par 152 (79-73), while sophomore Paula Balanzategui is tied for 66th place at 13-over par 157 (79-78) and sophomore Caroline McConnell is tied for 76th place at 17-over par 161 (78-83).

The Mary Fossum Invitational will conclude with 18 holes on Monday in an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. The Spartans tee off on the first three holes, playing…