June 2, 2005
OWINGS MILLS, Md. - The Purdue men's golf team is in 29th place after the first two rounds of the 2005 NCAA Championships in Owings Mills, Md.
Purdue fired a second-round 299 and totaled 598 over the first 36 holes. Its total of 598 is nine strokes out of the top 25.
Georgia leads the event with a total of 558 over the first two days. Tennessee is in second place and Georgia Tech is third. Purdue is the only Big Ten school competing in the championships.
The Boilermakers were led on Thursday by senior Dustin Cone. Cone fired an even-par 70. He had a bogey on Hole No. 6 and then birdied No. 7. His other 16 holes were all pars. Cone has totaled 148 over the first two rounds. He is tied for 84th overall.
Sophomore Bobby Bennett is tied for 106th after a total of 150. He fired back-to-back 75s in the first two rounds.
Sophomore Peter Richardson has a total of 151. He fired an eight-over 78 on Thursday. He carded a 73 in the first round. He is tied for 118th overall.
Freshman Santiago Russi and sophomore Pariya Junhasavasdikul are both tied for 135th overall. They totaled 153 over the first two rounds. Russi fired a 72 on Thursday with four birdies and 10 bogeys. Junhasavasdikul carded a 79 in the second round.
Purdue is one of 14 schools to compete in four of the last five NCAA Championships. This is the school's 28th appearance in the event.
The championships are being held on the Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md. The course is a par 70 and is playing at 7,131 yards.
With 28 appearances, the Boilermakers have a rich history of competing in the NCAA Championships. They were NCAA Champions in 1961 and have placed second five times.
In addition, Purdue has had two individual winners at the event and has had seven first-team All-America selections.
The Boilermakers tied for tenth at the NCAA Central Regional Championships in South Bend, Ind., on May 21. They earned a bid in the championships by defeating Witchita State in a playoff. The top 10 teams from each of the three regional sites advanced to the NCAA Championships.
Purdue is ranked No. 32 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Poll.
Live scoring of each round is being provided by golfstat.com. The Boilermakers will tee off in the afternoon on Friday in round three.