OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – The Purdue men's golf team is in the hunt at the loaded Olympia Fields Invitational, shooting a first-round, 6-over par 286 under brilliant conditions at pristine Olympia Fields Country Club.
The Boilermakers are tied for eighth with Arizona, 2022 National Champion Pepperdine and defending National Champion Florida, 10 shots behind leader Texas' round of 276 (-4).
Only Texas and Georgia Tech (-3), both of which were Purdue's playing partners on Friday, finished round one under par. North Carolina is third at 1-over par while Florida State is fourth at 3-over par.
Illinois, Arizona State and Alabama are all tied for fifth at 5-over par, while Baylor and Stanford are tied for 12th at 7-over par. Oklahoma State is 14th at 10-over par, while Michigan State is 15th at 15-over par.
Ten teams shot between 283 (+3) and 287 (+7) in round one, setting up a wild weekend at Olympia Fields.
The field is considered the strongest in college golf this year. Seven of the 15 teams in the field made the NCAA Championships match play finals last May, including defending National Champion Florida. All 15 teams in the field made NCAA Regionals with 11 of the teams reaching Nationals. The last five National Champions are in the field, dating to the 2018 event.
Herman Sekne led the Boilermakers in round one, firing a 2-under par 68, good for T-6th after 18 holes. He birdied the first two holes, then recorded one bogey, one birdie and 14 pars for the remainder of his round.
The round was Sekne's 42nd round of even-par or better (in 84 career rounds) and his school-record 27th career round in the 60s.
Nels Surtani also had a strong opening day, sitting in T-15th after an opening-round 70. Surtani was 1-under par through 16 holes, before a bogey on 17 dropped him to even par on his round.
Nick Dentino shot an opening-round 73, good for a 42nd-place tie after 18 holes. Dentino was 1-over par through 14 holes, before bogeys on 15 and 18 dropped him to 3-over for his round.
Luke Prall shot a 75, good for T-66th, while Sam Easterbrook shot an 8-over par 78.
Purdue will tee off round two at 9:15 to 9:51 a.m. ET, off hole No. 10, while being paired with Pepperdine and Baylor.
The Boilermakers are tied for eighth with Arizona, 2022 National Champion Pepperdine and defending National Champion Florida, 10 shots behind leader Texas' round of 276 (-4).
Only Texas and Georgia Tech (-3), both of which were Purdue's playing partners on Friday, finished round one under par. North Carolina is third at 1-over par while Florida State is fourth at 3-over par.
Illinois, Arizona State and Alabama are all tied for fifth at 5-over par, while Baylor and Stanford are tied for 12th at 7-over par. Oklahoma State is 14th at 10-over par, while Michigan State is 15th at 15-over par.
Ten teams shot between 283 (+3) and 287 (+7) in round one, setting up a wild weekend at Olympia Fields.
The field is considered the strongest in college golf this year. Seven of the 15 teams in the field made the NCAA Championships match play finals last May, including defending National Champion Florida. All 15 teams in the field made NCAA Regionals with 11 of the teams reaching Nationals. The last five National Champions are in the field, dating to the 2018 event.
Herman Sekne led the Boilermakers in round one, firing a 2-under par 68, good for T-6th after 18 holes. He birdied the first two holes, then recorded one bogey, one birdie and 14 pars for the remainder of his round.
The round was Sekne's 42nd round of even-par or better (in 84 career rounds) and his school-record 27th career round in the 60s.
Nels Surtani also had a strong opening day, sitting in T-15th after an opening-round 70. Surtani was 1-under par through 16 holes, before a bogey on 17 dropped him to even par on his round.
Nick Dentino shot an opening-round 73, good for a 42nd-place tie after 18 holes. Dentino was 1-over par through 14 holes, before bogeys on 15 and 18 dropped him to 3-over for his round.
Luke Prall shot a 75, good for T-66th, while Sam Easterbrook shot an 8-over par 78.
Purdue will tee off round two at 9:15 to 9:51 a.m. ET, off hole No. 10, while being paired with Pepperdine and Baylor.