Michigan State University Athletics
2025-26 Women's Golf Roster
Roster
Paula Balanzategui
- Class:
- Senior
- High School:
- Eskibel
- Hometown:
- San Sebastian, Spain
2025-26 – Senior
Teed it up in 12 tournaments and completed 32 rounds of action on the year ... Registered a career-low 73.53 season stroke average ... Played a vital role in the lineup, seeing 83.9% of her performances (26-of-31) count toward the team score ... Concluded her final campaign with 15 rounds at or below par ... Maintained a highly productive pace on the greens, racking up 102 total birdies to lead the squad with an average of 3.2 per round ... Collected a pair of top-5 finishes, four top-10s, and five top-20 placements overall ... Fired a season-best 67 on the opening day of the Carolina Challenge Cup (4/4/2026) to help propel her to a tie for second place with a 137 total ... Secured a solo second-place medal on her home turf at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational (2/16/2026), posting a 1-under par 215 (71-75-69) ... Finished solo ninth at the historic St. Andrews Links Collegiate (72-73-69—214) (10/15/2025) and claimed a share of sixth place at the Briar’s Creek Invitational (70-71—141) (3/17/2026).
2024-25 – Junior
A Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar ... Big-Ten Distinguished Scholar … An Academic All-Big Ten selection ... Appeared in 11 tournaments and was fourth on the team in rounds played (32) ... Fourth on the team in scoring average (74.25) ... Had 70.7 percent of her rounds (20.5-of-29) count toward the team total ... Finished the year with two top-10 and three top-20 finishes ... Was the team’s top finisher once (Clemson Invitational) ... Posted a low round of 6-under par 66 in the third round of the Clemson Invitational (3/23) ... Best tournament of the year was at the Clemson Invitational (3/21-23), firing a 3-under par 213 (76-71-66) to tie for 28th place ... The score of 213 was the second-best 54-hole tournament score of her career ... Posted two top-10 finishes, tying for ninth place at the Valspar Augusta Invitational (3/15-16) at 2-over par 146 (77-69) and placing ninth at the Buckeye Invitational (4/12-13) at 6-over par 222 (74-77-71).
Summer 2024
Helped her hometown club in San Sebastian win the Spanish Women’s Interclub Championship.
2023-24 – Sophomore
A Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar ... Big-Ten Distinguished Scholar … An Academic All-Big Ten selection ... Appeared in all 13 tournaments and was tied for second on the team in rounds played (38) ... Fourth on the team in scoring average (74.37) ... Had 75.7 percent of her rounds (26.5-of-35) count toward the team total ... Finished the year with one top-5, three top-10 and four top-20 finishes ... Was the team’s top finisher in two events ... Posted a low round of 5-under par 67 in the first round of the Big Ten Championships (4/19) ... Her best career 54-hole tournament score was in the final event of the fall, firing a 6-under par 210 (68-71-71) to tie for seventh place at The Landfall Tradition ... Best career finish was a tie for fourth place at the Buckeye Invitational, finishing at 1-over par 217 (73-73-71).
Summer 2023
Won the Basque Country Match Play Championship, winning the semifinals and finals 6&5 to claim her second title.
2022-23 - Freshman
A Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar ... Helped team post the third-best grade-point average (3.897) in Division I women’s golf ... Big-Ten Distinguished Scholar … Carried a 76.56 scoring average over six events … Best finish was a tie for 20th at the Lady Buckeye Invitational, where she shot a three-day total of 4-over par 220 (68-76-76) … Posted a low round of 68 at the Lady Buckeye Invitational.
Summer 2022
Played in the R&A British Junior Amateur in Carnoustie, Scotland … Advanced to match play and lost in the Round of 16 … Played in the European Ladies Amateur Championship … Played in the Spanish Amateur in May and tied for 22nd place (74-71-77-79).
Prior to MSU
Attended IES Ortega y Gasset for two years in Spain … Spent a year at Eskibel, a multi-lingual charter school located in Donostia – San Sebastián … A member of the European Girls Team Champion in 2021 … She was on the Spanish U-14 Team Champion squad and part of the squad that finished as the runner-up for the U-12 Championship … The Basque Country State Match Play Champion … Tied for third place at the Memorial Celia Barquin … Ranked No. 230 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Personal
Born on September 24, 2004 in San Sebastian, Spain … The daughter of Borja Balanzategui and Verania Garcia … Has an older sister, Lucia … Plans Communication major.
