The MSU women's golf team opens play at the NCAA Championships at 9 a.m. today at Meadows Course in Sunriver, Ore.

The event lasts four days (Tuesday through Friday), and each player will shoot 72 holes. The championship is being hosted by Oregon State, and the 6,312-yard course is a par 71.

This year's qualifying team include No. 1 Duke, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Auburn, No. 8 Ohio St., No. 17 Missouri and No. 32 Purdue. In all, there are 24 teams and six individuals who qualified for this year's championship.

Of the teams remaining, the No. 37 Spartans are the second-lowest ranked team, according to Golfweek/Sagarin top 50 rankings, ahead of only No. 38 Bringham Young.

This is the Spartans' seventh appearance at the NCAA Championships and fifth in the last six years. MSU finished tied for 20th in 2000, tied for 12th in 2001, 19th in 2002 and 24th last season.

Only junior Dayna Burleigh and sophomore Heather Rose competed in last year's championships, making this year's appearance even more impressive. Freshman Sara Brown and sophomores Rachel Meikle and Mandi McConnell have helped solidify the Spartans future.