'We're pumped': Michigan State women's golf wins first NCAA regional title
Matt CharboneauWhen Brooke Biermann stood on the 17th tee Wednesday afternoon at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the Michigan State sophomore insists she had no idea she and her teammates were about to make history.
The Spartans entered the final day of the NCAA Regional with a three-shot lead and needing only a top-five finish to advance to the NCAA Championship finals. That, of course, was the main goal entering the round and it’s all Biermann was thinking about.
And considering coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll told her team before the round there was no need for anyone to be a hero, it stands to reason Biermann, who had just saved par out of the sand on No. 16, would heed her coach’s advice.
Of course, all she did was knock her tee shot a foot from the hole, tap in for birdie, then stroll down No. 18 before two-putting for a par.
Just like that, Michigan State had earned its first regional championship and Biermann locked up co-medalist honors, the first Spartan ever to finish in the top spot.
“When I made my par putt on 18, coach turned to me and said, ‘Oh my gosh, you won and so did the team,’” Biermann said. “I was in shock. Not that I didn't believe that we could win, but it was a very tough course where you never know what's going on everywhere else. So I just kept telling myself to be patient because who knows what the rest of the team is doing. But I have faith in them and they ended up doing amazing, too.”
Amazing is one way to put it. Historic actually nails it.
For all that Slobodnik-Stoll has accomplished in the game of golf — five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and a member of both the Women’s Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame — she had yet to lead the Spartans to a regional championship. There had been plenty of chances, of course. This was the 23rd time Michigan State played in a regional and it’s the 13th time they’ll play in the NCAA Championship finals.
This will be the first time they do so as champions.
“Anything you can do for the first time, I would say ranks pretty high,” said Slobodnik-Stoll, in her 26th year as Michigan State’s coach. “The only sad thing about it is there's no trophy for the team or for Brooke for winning. But we're not playing for the trophy, we’re playing for the spot in the national championship. And to be able to beat some of the best teams in the country before going to the national championship really makes for a great motivational speech to your team that, look, we can do this.
“We preach that every single day that we're with them, but sometimes it takes something like of this nature, to actually do it over a three-day period, to say, ‘You know, why can't we go out there and win the national championships?’”
Michigan State is in that position thanks to building an 11-shot lead after the first round then holding off multiple challengers over the next two days. The Spartans entered the final found with a three-shot lead and were pushed early in the round by Northwestern then late by Duke before pulling way for a three-shot victory over the Blue Devils, finishing 8-over (872) for the tournament.
Duke was second at 11-over (875) followed by Texas and Northwestern at 14-over (878) and LSU at 15-over (879). All five teams advance to the NCAA Championship finals May 19-24 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“I just tried to say them, ‘We don't need to be the hero tomorrow,’” Slobodnik-Stoll said of the message entering the final round. “Just play solid golf, just play smart golf. If we make a bogey here or there it’s going to be OK. And of course you want to win it. Everyone wants to win everything, that's why we play. … When we were leading by three again (late in the round) I was like, ‘OK, we might as well win.’ Brooke made a huge birdie on 17. She stuck it to a foot and then I looked I'm like, ‘Well, OK, we're gonna win this.'”
It’s just what the Spartans did with Biermann leading the way. She shot a 1-under 71 on Wednesday to finish 3-under for the tournament and match the 213 total of LSU’s Latanna Stone. Junior Valentina Rossi tied for ninth at 2-over followed by junior Leila Raines in 14th at 3-over, sophomore Katie Lu tied for 33rd at 9-over and sophomore Shannon Kennedy finished tied for 53rd at 17-over.
Biermann’s first-place finish was her first and she tied her third-best 54-hole score. Before Biermann, Michigan State’s best individual finish came from Lindsey Solberg (2012) and Haylin Harris (2019), who each came in third place. Biermann’s 213 total matches the second-best regional score by a Spartan, matching Harris in 2019 and one behind Sarah Burnham, who shot 212 in 2018.
“Yeah, we're pumped,” Biermann said. “Every girl on the team is and we have a huge ticket that says, ‘National Championship bound.’ Everyone is pumped to be carrying it around. It's a great feeling.”
UM misses the cut
Michigan came up short in its bid to reach the finals of the NCAA Championships, finishing in ninth place at the Westfield (Indiana) Regional played at The Club at Chatham Hills.
The Wolverines were 2-over for three rounds, well back of winner Mississippi State (19-under) and fifth-place Tulsa (9-under). Junior Monet Chun finished in a tie for 13th overall by shooting 4-under for the tournament. She carded a 1-under 71 on Wednesday. Senior Hailey Borja was next at 3-under, a tie for 17th, while senior Anika Dy finished 2-over, freshman Sydney Sung was 7-over and freshman Lauren Sung shot 8-over.
mcharboneau@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @mattcharboneau