WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Michigan State women’s golf team closed the fall season in record-breaking fashion on Sunday.
The Spartans shot a 13-under-par 275 in the final round of the Landfall Tradition, the lowest single-round in program history by three shots, and sophomore Sarah Burnham claimed medalist honors after equaling her school-record 6-under-par 66. Burnham won the tournament by one stroke after finishing with a 54-hole total of 5-under 211 (71-74-66), which is tied for the fourth-lowest score in MSU history.
As a team, MSU took fourth place in the elite 18-tournament with an 8-over 872 (291-306-275). The field featured five of the last 10 NCAA champions and 13 teams inside the top 50 of the Golfstat rankings. MSU’s round of 275 was also the lowest single-round ever in the 14-year history of the Landfall Tradition, which is held annually at the par 72, 6,157-yard Pete Dye Course at the Country Club of Landfall.
“We were talking as a team about the football game last week and how great everyone felt after that, so we were the ones who wanted to make a difference this week,” said MSU head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll. “We closed the fall season with really a storybook ending. It’s such a great feeling to watch our team play at the highest level in a competitive tournament like the Landfall Tradition. I’m so proud of them and what they were able to accomplish today in shooting the lowest round in program history.
“I’m very excited for Sarah to set another single-round school record (shot a 66 in the first round of the Mary Fossum Invitational on Sept. 12). She has really played incredible all fall and it was rewarding for her to win the tournament after finishing just one shot back at the Tar Heel Invitational (MSU’s last event).
“These five golfers all have the consistent ability to shoot under par; it’s rare to have an entire starting lineup to be able to achieve that. Ending on this note for the fall provides a lot of motivation for us heading into spring. I know the whole team is excited to get back on the course and we can’t wait for February to get here.”
Burnham, who set an MSU and Forest Akers West course single-round record with a 6-under 66 in the first round of the Mary Fossum Invitational on Sept. 12, matched that performance on Sunday with six birdies, 12 pars and no bogeys.
She defeated UCF’s Ashley Holder and South Carolina’s Katelyn Dambaugh by one stroke to win her first career collegiate tournament with a 5-under 211. In addition, Burnham beat Duke’s Leona Maguire, the 2014-15 WGCA and Golfweek National Player of the Year, by two strokes. Maguire edged Burnham by one shot to win the Tar Heel Invitational on Oct. 11. Burnham posted three top-10 finishes in MSU’s four fall tournaments (sixth at Fossum; second at Tar Heel; first at Landfall Tradition).
Senior Gabby Yurik recorded her sixth career top-10 finish with a career-low 217 (+1). She carded a personal best 68 (-4) on Sunday, which is tied for the fifth-lowest score in school history, as part of MSU’s record-breaking round. Yurik led MSU with seven birdies on the day.
Sophomore Katie Sharp shot a 2-under 70 and freshman Carolyn Markley rounded out MSU’s team score on Sunday with a 1-under 71.
Markley tied for 39th place overall at 223 (74-78-71), while Sharp tied for 53rd (81-77-70—228).
Senior Alison Knowles tied for 75th with a 233 (76-77-80).
After an impressive fall campaign with several victories over ranked opponents, the Spartans will return to action for the spring season beginning on Feb. 7-9, 2016, at the Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, California.
Additional Notes:
MSU’s previous school-record low for a single round was 10-under 278 in the first round of the Central District Invitational on Feb. 17, 2014, at the Cypress Links Course at Lakewood Ranch, Florida (counting scores: Allyssa Ferrell (67), Liz Nagel (70), Kelly Grassel (70), Christine Meier (71)) . . . Burnham is MSU’s first medalist since Allyssa Ferrell tied for first at the 2014 Central District Invitational.
