Live Scoring / Hootie at Bulls Bay Info / Season Stats
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue men's golf team returns to action after a three-week break, traveling to Charleston, South Carolina, for the Hootie at Bulls Bay Invitational.
The event will run Sunday to Tuesday with 15 teams playing 18 holes each day. The tournament is hosted by the Hootie and the Blowfish Foundation and will be held at Bulls Bay Golf Club in Charleston, a course that measures 7,220 yards and will play par-72.
The tournament features nine of the nation's top-50 teams according to the Golfweek rankings. Purdue (35) will be one of the contenders and is joined in the field by Virginia (15), Auburn (23), Mississippi (25), Missouri (27), Kansas (31), South Carolina (34), Kentucky (42), Houston (45), North Carolina State (54), College of Charleston (62), Georgia State (78), Richmond (88), Wisconsin (137) and Charleston Southern (162). South Carolina won last year's title by shooting 23-under par 841. College of Charleston was second at 8-under par 856.
The Boilermakers have played one of the nation's toughest schedules to date, having already faced 41 opponents ranked in the top 50 (head-to-head) and 66 in the top 100. Just 25 foes have been ranked 101 or higher. Purdue is 3-2-1 against teams in the field, having only lost to North Carolina State twice. Purdue owns wins over Mississippi, Georgia State and Wisconsin and a tie against Kansas.
Leading the Boilermakers is senior Fernando Barco, who has had a strong spring season by posting a 12th-place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic and a third-place showing at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate. Barco is averaging a team-best 72.53 strokes per round, the fourth-best single-season average in school history. Over his last two tournaments, he has played the 108 holes in 9-under par.
The career leader in stroke average, Austin Eoff is second on the team with a 72.70 average. He has posted nine rounds this year of even-par or better and 59 of his 133 career rounds are under-par or better. He owns 15 top-10 and 24 top-20 finishes, including three top-20 performances this season.
Brian Carlson (73.00), Timmy Hildebrand (73.15) and Jarle Volden (74.85) will round out the Purdue lineup this weekend.
As a team, Purdue is averaging 289.30 strokes per 18 holes, which at its current rate would be the second-best average in school history. Eight of Purdue's 20 rounds this year have been even or under par, already the sixth-highest total in school history.
Following this weekend, Purdue will be off until hosting the Boilermaker Invitational at the Kampen Course on April 15 and 16 in West Lafayette.
