WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue senior Herman Sekne's rise among the nation's elite collegiate golfers continued Tuesday when the European Golf Association named him one of nine members of its team for the Bonallack Trophy.
The Bonallack Trophy is a three-day match between the best male amateur players from Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The contest, which parallels the Ryder Cup format, will take place for the first time in five years after the previous edition was cancelled due to Covid restrictions.
The event will be held at La Manga Resort in Spain on August 3-5. The selected players will follow in the footsteps of some of the biggest names in golf including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry, Francesco Molinari and Justin Rose, who all formerly represented the European side in the match.
Sekne is currently ranked No. 27 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and already has international match-play experience under his belt this summer, competing for the European squad in the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup in June. He finished fourth this summer at the elite Sunnehanna Amateur and with his WAGR ranking, will qualify for the U.S. Amateur in August in Colorado.
In June, Sekne became Purdue's first All-American since 2002 (Lee Williamson) and was named first-team All-Big Ten for the second straight season in May. He was selected as the Big Ten Golfer of the Week three times while owning seven top-10 finishes in 10 events. His seven career Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors are the fourth most in Big Ten history.
He finished tied for ninth at the Big Ten Championships, but set the tournament record, a school record and a Galloway National course record with a 9-under par 62 in the second round.
The Oslo, Norway, native became just the fifth player in school history with at least three victories when he earned co-medalist honors three weeks ago at the Boilermaker Invitational, leading the Boilermakers to a stunning, come-from-behind victory over No. 11-ranked Oklahoma by one shot.
Sekne totaled a 54-hole tally of 11-under par 202 (69-69-64) to earn the victory. He birdied his final two holes to rally for the medalist share and his 202 score is the fourth-best tournament score in school history, while his 64 in the final tied for the third-lowest round in Purdue history.
He posted a school-record 14 rounds in the 60s, while his seven top-10 finishes are second in school history, coming in just 10 events played. He owned a 70.41 stroke average, ranking first in school history – almost a half-stroke better than Williamson in second place (70.78).
Sekne's career stroke average of 71.66 is tops in school history, more than a stroke better than second place (Austin Eoff – 72.82). He has set the career record for most rounds in the 60s (25) and ranks tied for seventh in career top-10 finishes with 13, coming in just 27 events played.
The Bonallack Trophy is a three-day match between the best male amateur players from Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The contest, which parallels the Ryder Cup format, will take place for the first time in five years after the previous edition was cancelled due to Covid restrictions.
The event will be held at La Manga Resort in Spain on August 3-5. The selected players will follow in the footsteps of some of the biggest names in golf including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry, Francesco Molinari and Justin Rose, who all formerly represented the European side in the match.
Sekne is currently ranked No. 27 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and already has international match-play experience under his belt this summer, competing for the European squad in the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup in June. He finished fourth this summer at the elite Sunnehanna Amateur and with his WAGR ranking, will qualify for the U.S. Amateur in August in Colorado.
In June, Sekne became Purdue's first All-American since 2002 (Lee Williamson) and was named first-team All-Big Ten for the second straight season in May. He was selected as the Big Ten Golfer of the Week three times while owning seven top-10 finishes in 10 events. His seven career Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors are the fourth most in Big Ten history.
He finished tied for ninth at the Big Ten Championships, but set the tournament record, a school record and a Galloway National course record with a 9-under par 62 in the second round.
The Oslo, Norway, native became just the fifth player in school history with at least three victories when he earned co-medalist honors three weeks ago at the Boilermaker Invitational, leading the Boilermakers to a stunning, come-from-behind victory over No. 11-ranked Oklahoma by one shot.
Sekne totaled a 54-hole tally of 11-under par 202 (69-69-64) to earn the victory. He birdied his final two holes to rally for the medalist share and his 202 score is the fourth-best tournament score in school history, while his 64 in the final tied for the third-lowest round in Purdue history.
He posted a school-record 14 rounds in the 60s, while his seven top-10 finishes are second in school history, coming in just 10 events played. He owned a 70.41 stroke average, ranking first in school history – almost a half-stroke better than Williamson in second place (70.78).
Sekne's career stroke average of 71.66 is tops in school history, more than a stroke better than second place (Austin Eoff – 72.82). He has set the career record for most rounds in the 60s (25) and ranks tied for seventh in career top-10 finishes with 13, coming in just 27 events played.