April 30, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -
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The seventh-ranked Purdue women's golf team continued their magical season with a six-stroke win at the 2006 Big Ten Championships on Sunday in Bloomington, Ind.
The Boilermakers wire-to-wire win was its first conference crown since 2000. The title is also the fifth tournament win of the season for the Boilermakers, tying a school record set in 1988.
"We had a solid day today," said head coach Devon Brouse, who won his eighth conference crown as a head coach. "The conditions were tough. These greens are as demanding as we've played all year. I think our players responded to the challenge. We got some great competition this week. What's really neat is that we didn't have our best tournament this week, but we played well and were solid all the way through the lineup."
In rainy conditions, the Boilermakers fired a final-round 298 and totaled 1,179 (+27) strokes over the four rounds. Their total was the second-lowest 72-hole total in school history.
Ohio State (+33) finished second and Michigan State (+39) placed third.
Purdue had five individuals in the top 13 positions among the individuals, including three in the top 10.
"When you look at the scores from this tournament," said Brouse. "We had no one individual score under par, but we did not have any high scores either. From a coach's standpoint, it's very comforting to know that you've got that balance out there. That was our big advantage this week."
Freshman Maria Hernandez was the top-placing Boilermaker. She tied for second place overall, one stroke behind Northwestern's Alice Kim. Hernandez totaled 292 (+4) over the four rounds. The total is the second lowest 72-hole individual tally in school history. Hernandez fired a one-over 73 on Sunday, the lowest round of the day for the Boilermakers.
"I hit the ball pretty good, but my short game wasn't as good as it can be," said Hernandez. "My putting wasn't really good either, but I was able to battle through it."
Freshman Christel Boeljon tied for sixth overall. She finished the three days at seven-over par. She carded a three-over 75 in the final round.
Junior Myrte Eikenaar was 10-over during the tournament and tied for eighth place overall. She fired a 75 on Sunday along with sophomore Whitney Frykman. Frykman finished at 12 over par and finished in 12th place overall.
Senior Onnarin Sattayabanphot tied for 13th place. The top-ranked individual in the field (No. 22), was 14-over par after a final-round 79.
Freshman Stephanie Oukeo tied for 34th after a total of 24 over par.
The tournament was held at the Indiana University Golf Course, a par-72, 6,477-yard layout. The field played 36 holes on Friday, 18 holes on Saturday and the final 18 on Sunday.
Purdue was the top-ranked team in the field. The seventh-ranked Boilermakers also have four student-athletes in the top 100 individual rankings.
In addition to the Big Ten Championships, the Boilermakers have also won the Badger Invitational, Lady Northern Invitational, Landfall Tradition and Hooters Match Play Championship.
Purdue now awaits word on selection to the NCAA Women's Golf Championships. The Boilermakers will be selected to one of three regionals, after earning the conference's automatic bid. The top 10 teams from each regional advance to the NCAA Women's Golf Championships. The Boilermakers have advance to the last six-straight championships.
"We're looking forward to going further in the post-season and seeing what we can do with the very best teams in America," said Brouse.