Purdue Opens Fall Slate at Gopher Invite

• Live Scoring / Preseason Stats

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men's golf team will open the 2018-19 season this weekend at the Gopher Invitational held at Windsong Farm GC in Maple Plain, Minnesota.
 
The two-day, 54-hole tournament begins Sunday with 36 holes on the 7,368-yard, par-71 layout. Action will conclude Sunday with the final 18 holes.
 
Purdue, which is receiving votes in the season-opening Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll, will bring seven golfers to Minnesota, using five on the counting team and two playing as individuals. The counting team will feature senior Timmy Hildebrand, junior Thomas Lewis, sophomores Cole Bradley and Joe Weiler and freshman Andrew Farraye. Sophomores Jason Hong and Matt Lloyd will compete as individuals.
 
Purdue will be playing without regular Jarle Volden, who just concluded play in the World Amateur Team Championships in Ireland this week.
 
Purdue's will be paired with North Carolina State and New Mexico and will tee off hole No. 1 on Sunday, beginning at 10:05 a.m. ET.
 
THE FIELD (Rankings via Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll)

• Oklahoma (3)
• Texas (10)
• Arkansas (17)
• Purdue (RV; 10 votes)
• Michigan State (RV; 9 votes)
• New Mexico (RV; 3 votes)
• San Diego State (RV; 1 vote)
• Charlotte
• Coastal Carolina
• Iowa
• Minnesota
• North Carolina State
• Utah
• Washington

 
PURDUE LINEUP

• Cole Bradley, Sophomore: Bradley appeared in 12 events last year as a freshman, averaging 74.26 strokes per round with three top-20 finishes … had a strong summer, winning the Indiana Amateur Championship and placing 11th at the Indiana Open … his stroke average a year ago was the seventh-best average by a freshman in school history … in his first career event last year at the Gopher Invitational, he placed T-13th (+3; 74-74-68=216).
• Joe Weiler, Sophomore: Weiler appeared in nine events last year, averaging 74.58 strokes per round, good for 11th on the all-time Purdue freshman list … posted eight rounds of even-par or better while recording four top-35 finishes … led the team at the prestigious Tavistock Invitational a year ago with a 31st-place showing … also finished 38th, one of five Boilermakers in the top 40, at the elite Puerto Rico Classic.
• Timmy Hildebrand, Senior: Appeared in 32 rounds last year, ranking third on the team with a 73.63 scoring average … qualified for his second straight U.S. Amateur in August … leads team with seven career top-10 finishes and 29 rounds or even-par or better (75 career rounds) … his career average of 73.69 is ninth best in school history.
• Thomas Lewis, Junior: Will be playing in 11th career event, owning a 75.62 career average … finished T-8th at the Crooked Stick Invitational last year (Even; 69-74-73=216) … was 19th at the Boilermaker Invitational as a freshman and competed in the NCAA Championships at Rich Harvest Farms in 2017 … will be on counting team for first time since the NCAA Championships in 2017.
• Andrew Farraye, Freshman: Competing in first event after a standout career at Ponte Vedra High School in St. Augustine, Florida … member of Florida's All-State team after finishing T-10th and T-7th at state team … led team to the 2015 and 2017 state championships … in one of his final junior events, set the course record with a 65 at the Halifax Country Club at the AJGA's Junior Golf Hub Championship, to finish third in the event.
• Jason Hong, Sophomore (Ind.): Will compete as an individual after a strong freshman season … owned a 74.11 stroke average, the sixth-best average by a freshman in school history … recorded 12 rounds of even-par or better and posted two top-10 and four top-20 finishes … named Big Ten Golfer of the Week after placing sixth at the elite Puerto Rico Classic … finished a team-best 23rd at the NCAA Kissimmee Regional (73-70-70=213).
• Matt Lloyd, Sophomore (Ind.): Will compete in his first event at Purdue … won the California State high school title as a senior at Archbishop Mitty, shooting a 6-under par 65 at Poppy Hills to win the title … named a USA Today first-team All-American and WCAL Conference Most Outstanding Player … was a runner-up at the NorCal Championships in 2017, shooting a 4-under par 68.

 
THE COURSE
A rolling terrain carved out of 248 acres of Minnesota prairie, Windsong Farm provides a stiff challenge for all golfers. Ranked No. 7 by Golf Digest among Minnesota courses, the course will play almost 7,400 yards this weekend. Last year's individual winner, Kent State's Ian Holt, recorded a 10-under par 203, while Arkansas won the team title with a 4-under par 848, 10 shots ahead of Baylor.
 
WEATHER FORECAST
Sunday: Sunny, high of 72 degrees; SSE wind 5-10 MPH.
Monday: Mostly sunny, high of 77 degrees; S wind 5-10 MPH.
 
GOPHER INVITE HISTORY
This marks Purdue's second straight appearance in the Gopher Invite after placing ninth a year ago with a 22-over par 874 (292-294-288). Purdue was paced by Cole Bradley (T-13; 74-74-68=216) and Brian Carlson (T-18; 69-72-76=217).
 
LIVE STATS
Live scoring can be found on golfstat.com.