Women's Golf Opens Season at Mary Fossum

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Three newcomers will make their “U” debut this weekend as the Miami Hurricanes open the 2013-14 season at the Mary Fossum Invitational.

Hosted by Michigan State, the 30th annual Mary Fossum Invitational will be played Saturday and Sunday at the par-72, 6,236-yard Forest Akers West Golf Course. Saturday’s play will feature 36 holes with a 9 a.m. ET shotgun start. Sunday’s final round will begin with an 8:30 a.m. ET shotgun start.

Fifteen teams will open their season in East Lansing. Nine of the 15 teams earned NCAA postseason berths in 2013, including Michigan State, Northwestern and Oregon, who each advanced to the 2013 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship in Athens, Ga. Miami enters the 2013-14 season fresh off its 2013 NCAA West Regional appearance, which was its first postseason berth since 2005.

“I feel very confident with my team,” fourth-year head coach Patti Rizzo said. “We have five great players – all very equal in talent. I can’t wait to see how they all do together. It is the strongest team I’ve ever had in my 10 years of coaching.”

The Hurricanes will be led by veteran golfers Leticia Ras-Anderica and Rika Park. Ras-Anderica earned 2013 All-ACC accolades after leading the Canes with a 74.46 scoring average in 35 rounds, while Park finished second with a 75.26 stroke average. Ras-Anderica and Park combined for six top-10 finishes a season ago and both posted top-10 showings at the 2013 ACC Championship.

Freshmen Delfina Acosta and Daniela Darquea, alongside sophomore transfer Kailey Walsh, will make their Miami Hurricanes debut this weekend. Acosta and Darquea were ranked the No. 1 amateur women’s golfer in their native Argentina and Ecuador, respectively. Walsh, a 2012-13 SEC All-Freshman performer, participated in 10 tournaments for the Georgia Bulldogs last season.

Last season, the Hurricanes finished fifth at the Mary Fossum Invitational, shooting 46-over 910 as a team. Leticia Ras-Anderica tied for 18th at 9-over 225, while Park tied for 22nd at 11-over 227.

Live scoring for all three rounds will be available at www.golfstatresults.com. For the latest information, follow the Miami Hurricanes women’s golf team on Twitter, @HurricanesGolf.