Women's Golf Concludes Hooters Match Play Championship

Nov. 5, 2006

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Michigan State women's golf team concluded its fall season on the final day of the Hooters Match Play Championship on Nov. 5. The Spartans had advanced to the third-place match, but fell 1-3-1 to Georgia, the No. 1 team in the nation.

In the match play format, the team that won the best of five individual matches advanced to the next round. The Green and White opened day one on Friday with two wins over top-15 teams, No. 13 Arizona and No. 6 Auburn. MSU was bumped from the main bracket yesterday by No. 3 Duke in a two-hole playoff, setting up today's match with Georgia. Michigan State entered the tournament ranked No. 18 in the country.

Freshman Laura Kueny earned the lone Spartan win over the Bulldogs. Kueny claimed the advantage on 11 straight holes before closing out the match over Georgia's Garrett Phillips in 16, 3&2.

Senior Heather Rose led the No. 2 women's collegiate golfer, Taylor Leon, for seven holes, but finished play tied and had to settle for a split. Classmate Mandi McConnell also held the lead for seven holes and came up short, falling one under to Whitney Wade. Wade is the ninth-ranked player by the Golfweek/Sagarin Index.

Entering the day with a perfect 5-0 record at the Hooters Match Play in the past two seasons, junior Sara Brown was handed her first loss by Mallory Hertzel. Brown maintained a one-hole lead through the third and fifth tees, but fell behind on seven and was unable to catch up, falling 3&2. Junior Jordyn Wells also fell in a shortened round, 6&4, to Alina Lee.

"This has been a solid fall season, and gives us many positives for the spring," MSU head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll stated. "I think people are realizing the kind of program we have at Michigan State and that we are a team that is not going away in the rankings. We battled the top teams and the top players in the nation hole-for-hole."