KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Making her debut as a Boilermaker, redshirt-freshman Jade Gu fired rounds of 73 (+2) and 71 (E) to lead Purdue Women's Golf through the first two rounds of the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship. After 36 holes at Cherokee Country Club, the Boilermakers found themselves in ninth place at 13-over par (297-284—581).
Purdue got off to a difficult start in the opening round, firing a 297 (+13) that pushed the squad down into 12th place after 18 holes. However, the Boilermakers battled during the afternoon, shaving 13 strokes as a team to shoot an even-par 284 in the second round. The improvement moved Purdue three spots up the leaderboard into a tie for ninth alongside Maryland (292-289—581).
Despite a double bogey on the first hole of her collegiate career, Gu responded to post Purdue's lowest two-round total. She played the final 35 holes of the day at level par, which included four birdies. After closing with a 73 (+2) in the morning, Gu parred the first 10 holes of the second round. A bogey broke her par streak, but she answered with back-to-back birdies to get into red figures. The Yardley, Pennsylvania, native finished the round at even par, putting her at 2-over for the tournament and in a tie for 29th.
Jocelyn Bruch and Momo Sugiyama finished the day at 4-over, tied alongside one another in 34th place. Bruch began her season with a birdie on the par-4 ninth but settled for an opening-round 75. She dropped four strokes in the afternoon, countering four birdies with four bogeys to card a 71. Sugiyama, making her Purdue debut like Gu, stayed consistent with consecutive rounds of 73 (+2). The Hawaii transfer did not let a triple bogey dramatically affect her day, responding with five birdies over her 36 holes.
The round of the day belonged to senior Danielle du Toit, as the senior fired a 2-under 69 in the afternoon. Her morning round was a forgettable one, but the veteran bounced back to card a round in the 60s. The Pretoria, South Africa, native played the first 14 holes of her second round bogey-free, which included a 3-under 33 on the back nine. She closed the day with a birdie on the par-4 seventh to break 70 and secure the Boilermakers' lowest round.
Purdue wraps up its season-opening tournament Tuesday morning. The final round is a shotgun start, set to begin at 8:45 a.m. ET. The Boilermakers will be paired with host Tennessee (+3) and fellow Big Ten foe Michigan State (+10).
For updates throughout the remainder of the tournament, follow Purdue Women's Golf on Twitter @PurdueWGolf.
BOILERMAKERS
T29. Jade Gu: 73-71—144 (+2)
T34. Momo Sugiyama: 73-73—146 (+4)
T34. Jocelyn Bruch: 75-71—146 (+4)
T54. Danielle du Toit: 81-69—150 (+8)
T58. Sifat Sagoo: 76-75—151 (+9)
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. Virginia: 277-276—553 (-15)
2. UCF: 275-280—555 (-13)
3. Wake Forest: 286-273—559 (-9)
4. Kent State: 284-278—562 (-6)
5. Virginia Tech: 281-285—566 (-2)
6. Michigan: 281-287—568 (E)
7. Tennessee: 289-282—571 (+3)
8. Michigan State: 294-284—578 (+10)
T9. Purdue: 297-284—581 (+13)
T9. Maryland: 292-289—581 (+13)
11. BYU: 294-296—590 (+22)
12. Chattanooga: 292-302—594 (+26)
13. Mercer: 300-296—596 (+28)
14. Augusta: 311-301—612 (+44)
Purdue got off to a difficult start in the opening round, firing a 297 (+13) that pushed the squad down into 12th place after 18 holes. However, the Boilermakers battled during the afternoon, shaving 13 strokes as a team to shoot an even-par 284 in the second round. The improvement moved Purdue three spots up the leaderboard into a tie for ninth alongside Maryland (292-289—581).
Despite a double bogey on the first hole of her collegiate career, Gu responded to post Purdue's lowest two-round total. She played the final 35 holes of the day at level par, which included four birdies. After closing with a 73 (+2) in the morning, Gu parred the first 10 holes of the second round. A bogey broke her par streak, but she answered with back-to-back birdies to get into red figures. The Yardley, Pennsylvania, native finished the round at even par, putting her at 2-over for the tournament and in a tie for 29th.
Jocelyn Bruch and Momo Sugiyama finished the day at 4-over, tied alongside one another in 34th place. Bruch began her season with a birdie on the par-4 ninth but settled for an opening-round 75. She dropped four strokes in the afternoon, countering four birdies with four bogeys to card a 71. Sugiyama, making her Purdue debut like Gu, stayed consistent with consecutive rounds of 73 (+2). The Hawaii transfer did not let a triple bogey dramatically affect her day, responding with five birdies over her 36 holes.
The round of the day belonged to senior Danielle du Toit, as the senior fired a 2-under 69 in the afternoon. Her morning round was a forgettable one, but the veteran bounced back to card a round in the 60s. The Pretoria, South Africa, native played the first 14 holes of her second round bogey-free, which included a 3-under 33 on the back nine. She closed the day with a birdie on the par-4 seventh to break 70 and secure the Boilermakers' lowest round.
Purdue wraps up its season-opening tournament Tuesday morning. The final round is a shotgun start, set to begin at 8:45 a.m. ET. The Boilermakers will be paired with host Tennessee (+3) and fellow Big Ten foe Michigan State (+10).
For updates throughout the remainder of the tournament, follow Purdue Women's Golf on Twitter @PurdueWGolf.
BOILERMAKERS
T29. Jade Gu: 73-71—144 (+2)
T34. Momo Sugiyama: 73-73—146 (+4)
T34. Jocelyn Bruch: 75-71—146 (+4)
T54. Danielle du Toit: 81-69—150 (+8)
T58. Sifat Sagoo: 76-75—151 (+9)
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. Virginia: 277-276—553 (-15)
2. UCF: 275-280—555 (-13)
3. Wake Forest: 286-273—559 (-9)
4. Kent State: 284-278—562 (-6)
5. Virginia Tech: 281-285—566 (-2)
6. Michigan: 281-287—568 (E)
7. Tennessee: 289-282—571 (+3)
8. Michigan State: 294-284—578 (+10)
T9. Purdue: 297-284—581 (+13)
T9. Maryland: 292-289—581 (+13)
11. BYU: 294-296—590 (+22)
12. Chattanooga: 292-302—594 (+26)
13. Mercer: 300-296—596 (+28)
14. Augusta: 311-301—612 (+44)