WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men's golf team looks to continue its good start when it faces a loaded field at the Olympia Fields Country Club / Fighting Illini Invitational. Action gets underway Friday and runs through Sunday, playing 18 holes each day.
The field is considered one of the best in college golf as the top-five teams, and 10 of the top 22 squads, in the preseason Golf Coaches Association of America top-25 are among the teams competing. That includes the defending National Champion Pepperdine as well as match-play participants Arizona State, North Carolina, Illinois, Florida State and Oklahoma State.
THE FIELD (Preseason GCAA Rankings)
LAST TIME OUT
Purdue finished third out of 17 teams at the season-opening Erin Hills Intercollegiate, defeating nationally-ranked squads Notre Dame and Liberty in the process. The Boilermakers had four players finish in the top 25 individually and its 838 overall score was the fourth-lowest, 54-hole tally in school history. Purdue's cumulative 26-under par was its second-best, 54-hole score in relation to par in school history.
PURDUE LINEUP
THE COURSE
One of the upper Midwest's great golf courses, Olympia Fields is consistently ranked among America's top-50 courses. Playing par-70 at 7,205 yards, Olympia Fields has hosted two U.S. Opens (1928, 2003) and two PGA Championships (1925, 1961). It has also hosted the U.S. Amateur in 2015 won by Bryson DeChambeau and the 2017 women's PGA Championship. It last hosted a significant event in 2020, when Jon Rahm won the BMW Championship. The list of players to win medalist honors at Olympia Fields include Rickie Fowler, Harris English, Patrick Rodgers, Maverick McNealy, Cameron Champ and Matthew Wolff.
The course features some significant elevation changes, a meandering creek and hundreds of native oak trees. At one time it was one of four courses at the club, but after the club fell into financial difficulties during World War II, it was forced to sell off half of its land. Course No. 4 became the North Course, and the remaining holes from the other three courses were reconfigured to make the South Course.
WEATHER FORECAST
Friday: Sunny; 88 degrees; SSE wind 5-10 MPH.
Saturday: Partly cloudy; 83 degrees; NNE wind 5-10 MPH.
Sunday: Mostly sunny; 89 degrees; S wind 5-10 MPH.
OLYMPIA FIELDS INVITATIONAL HISTORY
This marks Purdue's eighth appearance in the Olympia Fields Invitational. The Boilermakers have not had much success in the event, finishing in the top 10 just twice (T-9th in 2011, T-8th in 2017).
LIVE STATS
Will be available on Golfstat.com.
The field is considered one of the best in college golf as the top-five teams, and 10 of the top 22 squads, in the preseason Golf Coaches Association of America top-25 are among the teams competing. That includes the defending National Champion Pepperdine as well as match-play participants Arizona State, North Carolina, Illinois, Florida State and Oklahoma State.
THE FIELD (Preseason GCAA Rankings)
- (1) Pepperdine
- (2) Oklahoma State
- (3) Arizona State
- (4) North Carolina
- (5) Texas
- (10) Illinois
- (12) Florida State
- (15) Stanford
- (17) Florida
- (22) Arizona
- (RV) Alabama
- (RV) Baylor
- (RV) California
- Purdue
- Indiana
LAST TIME OUT
Purdue finished third out of 17 teams at the season-opening Erin Hills Intercollegiate, defeating nationally-ranked squads Notre Dame and Liberty in the process. The Boilermakers had four players finish in the top 25 individually and its 838 overall score was the fourth-lowest, 54-hole tally in school history. Purdue's cumulative 26-under par was its second-best, 54-hole score in relation to par in school history.
PURDUE LINEUP
- Joe Weiler, Senior / Bloomington, Indiana
- Strong start to the season with a 10th-place finish at the Marquette Intercollegiate (69-67-73=209).
- Owns nine career top-10 finishes (in 37 events); one more will move him into the top 10 all-time at Purdue.
- Owns a career 73.31 stroke average – good for fourth in school history behind Austin Eoff (72.82), Timmy Hildebrand (72.92) and Brian Carlson (73.24).
- Since the start of the 2019-20 season, 24 of his 48 rounds have been even or under par and is a 7-over par (71.96 stroke average in that span).
- Cole Bradley, Senior / West Lafayette, Indiana
- Strong start to the 2021-22 campaign with a T-6th finish at Erin Hills (67-70-71= 208).
- Ranks seventh on Purdue's career stroke average list (73.41).
- Has a team-best 11 career top-20 finishes.
- Eight of his last 11 rounds dating to last year have been even or under par; cumulative 9-9-under par in that span (70.45 stroke average).
- Herman Sekne, Sophomore / Oslo, Norway
- Also had a good start at the Marquette Intercollegiate, finishing T-12th at 5-under par 211 (67-74-70).
- Owns three career top-20 showings in eight career events.
- Led team in birdies (15) last week at Erin Hills.
- Posted the fifth-best freshman scoring average in school history a year ago (73.61).
- Luke Prall, Sophomore / Carmel, Indiana
- Competing in his first tournament at the Marquette Intercollegiate, Prall finished T-22nd at 3-under par 213 (74-68-71).
- His 5-under par 139 over the final two rounds was 10th among the field and best among Purdue players.
- Ranked second on the team with 13 birdies.
- Competed at the 2020 Western Amateur.
- Nick Dentino, Junior / Carmel, Indiana
- Had a good start to the season, finishing 5th at the Washington County Individual, ran concurrently with the Marquette Intercollegiate.
- Recorded 13 birdies in 36 holes played en route to a 9-under 135 (68-67).
- Had one top-20 finish as a sophomore after having three as a freshman.
- Owns school record for lowest stroke average as a freshman.
THE COURSE
One of the upper Midwest's great golf courses, Olympia Fields is consistently ranked among America's top-50 courses. Playing par-70 at 7,205 yards, Olympia Fields has hosted two U.S. Opens (1928, 2003) and two PGA Championships (1925, 1961). It has also hosted the U.S. Amateur in 2015 won by Bryson DeChambeau and the 2017 women's PGA Championship. It last hosted a significant event in 2020, when Jon Rahm won the BMW Championship. The list of players to win medalist honors at Olympia Fields include Rickie Fowler, Harris English, Patrick Rodgers, Maverick McNealy, Cameron Champ and Matthew Wolff.
The course features some significant elevation changes, a meandering creek and hundreds of native oak trees. At one time it was one of four courses at the club, but after the club fell into financial difficulties during World War II, it was forced to sell off half of its land. Course No. 4 became the North Course, and the remaining holes from the other three courses were reconfigured to make the South Course.
WEATHER FORECAST
Friday: Sunny; 88 degrees; SSE wind 5-10 MPH.
Saturday: Partly cloudy; 83 degrees; NNE wind 5-10 MPH.
Sunday: Mostly sunny; 89 degrees; S wind 5-10 MPH.
OLYMPIA FIELDS INVITATIONAL HISTORY
This marks Purdue's eighth appearance in the Olympia Fields Invitational. The Boilermakers have not had much success in the event, finishing in the top 10 just twice (T-9th in 2011, T-8th in 2017).
LIVE STATS
Will be available on Golfstat.com.