Burnham, Knowles and Yurik Named Big Ten Golfers to Watch
9/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
EAST LANSING, Mich. â€" Michigan State sophomore Sarah Burnham and seniors Alison Knowles and Gabby Yurik have been named Big Ten Golfers to Watch for the 2015-16 season, the conference office announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Burnham closed her first season in East Lansing with one of the best freshmen single-season scoring averages in program history at 76.27, which also ranked second on the team in 2014-15. She started in all 10 of MSU's tournaments and finished third on the team with 54 birdies.
Over the summer, Burnham won the Minnesota Match Play State Championship and the Minnesota State Four-Ball Championship. She also competed in the U.S. Women's Amateur in August and the U.S. Women's Open in July. She tied for third at both the Minnesota Women's State Open Championship during the first week of August and the Canadian Amateur in late July.
Knowles, who transferred from Louisiana-Monroe and was eligible for the 2015 spring season, started in all six spring tournaments for the Spartans and ranked fourth on the team with a 76.83 scoring average (1,383 strokes in 18 rounds). She also ranked fourth on the team with 39 birdies. Knowles was named the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year while she was at ULM after recording a 73.03 stroke average as a sophomore.
A first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2014-15, Yurik finished her junior season with a team-best 75.33 scoring average. She qualified as an individual for the NCAA Central Regional at Notre Dame. For her career, Yurik owns a 75.88 scoring average in 51 rounds with five top-10 finishes and seven top-20 finishes. Prior to the NCAA Central Regional, Yurik had posted a career-low score in five consecutive tournaments. She tied for 12th at the Big Ten Championships with a 3-over 219 and led the team with 10 birdies in the tournament. She had three top-10 finishes, including a career-best fifth at the Lady Buckeye Invitational.
The Michigan State women's golf team opens the season Sept. 12-13 with the Mary Fossum Invitational at Forest Akers West Golf Course.
