Women's Golf Heads to Mason Rudolph Championship This Weekend
9/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
EAST LANSING, Mich. - After hosting the Mary Fossum Invitational last weekend, the Michigan State women's golf team has a quick turnaround this week as the Spartans will participate in the 14th annual Mason Rudolph Championship (Friday-Sunday, Sept. 19-21) at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee. The prestigious 15-team tournament features 11 teams that finished in the top 40 of the Golfweek rankings last season.
After 13 years on the North Course, the Mason Rudolph Championship will shift to the par 72, 6,276-yard South Course in 2014. The Spartans have played on the North Course the past two seasons for the Rudolph Championship and also competed there for the 2012 NCAA Championships.
"In terms of the course and the setup, it will be all new to us," said MSU head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll. "But we're looking forward to seeing it. We're very familiar with all of the surroundings at Vanderbilt Legends Club after traveling there the last few years."
The complete field for this year's Mason Rudolph Championship includes Alabama, Auburn, Chattanooga, Clemson, GRU-Augusta, Kentucky, Lamar, LSU, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Princeton, Tulane, Vanderbilt (two teams) and Virginia.
Four out of the team's five scores will count toward the team total every round. Eighteen holes will be played Friday through Sunday, with tee times beginning at 9 a.m. ET on Friday and Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.
The Spartans are coming off a runner-up finish at the Mary Fossum Invitational at Forest Akers West Golf Course. MSU brought a seven-shot lead into Sunday's final round, but Notre Dame rallied to win the 31st annual event by four shots. Slobodnik-Stoll is looking for her team to improve this weekend in the second tournament of the season.
"I think it's just the realization of what we're capable of doing, and what we didn't do at the Mary Fossum," said Slobodnik-Stoll. "With any team there are going to be stumbling blocks, so now we'll see how we respond to the stumbling blocks that we've had. I feel like we're going to do a great job this weekend."
Michigan State will be fielding the same starting lineup that competed in the Fossum Invitational, featuring seniors Lindsey McPherson and Trisha Witherby, junior Gabby Yurik, and freshmen Sarah Burnham and Jacqueline Setas. Junior Mariah Massa will play as an individual.
Burnham led the Fossum after two rounds and ended up tying for sixth place in her first collegiate tournament with a 10-over 226 (75-70-81). Yurik also finished in the Top 10, tying for 10th at 14-over 230 (73-79-78).
Live scoring of the 2014 Mason Rudolph Championship will be available at birdiefire.com.
Players Mentioned
