WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men's golf team looks for back-to-back tournament wins when it heads to South Bend for the Fighting Irish Classic, beginning Sunday at Warren Golf Course.
The event will be the second in a busy three-week span before closing out the fall slate next weekend at home. Action will begin Sunday with 36 holes, before Monday's final round. Sunday starts with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. ET, before Monday shifts to tee times starting at 8 a.m. ET.
Purdue is one of 14 teams in a field that features eight squads selected to NCAA Regionals a year ago. Eleven of the teams are ranked in Golfweek's latest top-100, and the Boilermakers will be one of six Big Ten teams in the field. Purdue is 8-1-0 in head-to-head action against Big Ten teams already this year—the lone loss coming by three shots to No. 11 Illinois at Olympia Fields, and is 6-0-0 against teams in this week's field.
THE FIELD (Golfweek Rankings / as of Sept. 21)
5 Tennessee
37 Purdue
43 Notre Dame
49 Michigan State
51 Kent State
55 Louisville
67 Northwestern
76 Rutgers
82 Indiana
91 Kansas
99 Utah
100 Georgia Southern
119 Iowa State
139 Iowa
LAST TIME OUT
Purdue led from start to finish at the Windon Memorial Classic to win for the 10th time under head coach Rob Bradley. Purdue fired a school-record score of 38-under par 814 (269-268-277) and had three players finish in the top 10 to post a four-shot victory over No. 18 East Tennessee State. Herman Sekne won his school-record, fourth-career tournament (by four shots) and Kent Hsiao (8th) and Peyton Snoeberger (T-9th) posted top-10 finishes to help Purdue to its first win of the season.
TEAM NOTES
PURDUE LINEUP
One of Indiana's top courses, Warren Golf Course is a links-style course nestled on 250 wooded acres. Rated as the No. 2 collegiate golf course in America, behind Purdue's complex, the course hosted the 2019 U.S. Senior Open as well as Big East Conference championships in 2001 to 2005 and NCAA Regionals in 2005 and 2010. This week's tournament will play 7,023 yards and par-70.
FIGHTING IRISH CLASSIC HISTORY
This marks Purdue's first appearance in the Fighting Irish Classic played at the Warren Golf Course. The Boilermakers played at the Notre Dame Invitational in both 1980 and 1981. Purdue also played in the NCAA Regionals at Warren in 2005, finishing 10th overall to advance to the 2005 NCAA Championships.
WEATHER FORECAST
Sunday: Sunny, 81 degrees; light winds
Monday: Sunny, 81 degrees; light winds
LIVE SCORING
Will be available on golfstat.com.
The event will be the second in a busy three-week span before closing out the fall slate next weekend at home. Action will begin Sunday with 36 holes, before Monday's final round. Sunday starts with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. ET, before Monday shifts to tee times starting at 8 a.m. ET.
Purdue is one of 14 teams in a field that features eight squads selected to NCAA Regionals a year ago. Eleven of the teams are ranked in Golfweek's latest top-100, and the Boilermakers will be one of six Big Ten teams in the field. Purdue is 8-1-0 in head-to-head action against Big Ten teams already this year—the lone loss coming by three shots to No. 11 Illinois at Olympia Fields, and is 6-0-0 against teams in this week's field.
THE FIELD (Golfweek Rankings / as of Sept. 21)
5 Tennessee
37 Purdue
43 Notre Dame
49 Michigan State
51 Kent State
55 Louisville
67 Northwestern
76 Rutgers
82 Indiana
91 Kansas
99 Utah
100 Georgia Southern
119 Iowa State
139 Iowa
LAST TIME OUT
Purdue led from start to finish at the Windon Memorial Classic to win for the 10th time under head coach Rob Bradley. Purdue fired a school-record score of 38-under par 814 (269-268-277) and had three players finish in the top 10 to post a four-shot victory over No. 18 East Tennessee State. Herman Sekne won his school-record, fourth-career tournament (by four shots) and Kent Hsiao (8th) and Peyton Snoeberger (T-9th) posted top-10 finishes to help Purdue to its first win of the season.
TEAM NOTES
- Purdue's win was its second in its last four regular-season events after winning the Boilermaker Invitational in April a year ago.
- In three of Herman Sekne's four tournament wins, the Boilermakers have won the team title as well (2021 – Rich Harvest Farms; 2023 – Boilermaker Invite; 2023 – Windon Classic).
- Purdue shattered a Windon Classic tournament-record score in its victory last weekend. It bested the record by 16 shots, which was held by Purdue during the 2015 event.
- There have been 17 rounds in school history of 276 or better. Sixteen of them have come during the Rob Bradley era.
- The 11 lowest, 54-hole tournament scores in school history have come under Rob Bradley.
- Purdue has advanced to eight of nine possible NCAA Regionals during the Rob Bradley era. However, Purdue's last appearance in the NCAA Championships came in 2017.
- The Kampen-Cosler course will host the NCAA Regional Championships in mid-May for the first time since 2017. The course has undergone a massive renovation with new bunkers, new shaping on ponds and a new clubhouse (in progress) that exceeds a $20 million price tag.
PURDUE LINEUP
- Herman Sekne – Senior; Oslo, Norway
- One of the nation's top golfers, Sekne ranks 15th in the latest PGA Tour U. rankings and is 25th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).
- Has made par or better for 43 straight holes (last bogey: Hole 11 of first round at Windon).
- Won his school-record fourth tournament with a school-record score of 197 at the Windon Memorial Classic. The 197 is tied for the second-lowest score in Big Ten history.
- Owns the school records already for stroke average (71.41) and rounds in the 60s (30).
- Has 19, top-20 and 15, top-10 finishes in just 30 career events. Ten of those finishes have been top-five showings.
- Owns a 68.88 stroke average early this season with five of his eight rounds coming in the 60s. Has two top-five and three top-13 finishes already.
- A 2023 third-team All-American – Purdue's first All-American since 2002 (Lee Williamson – 1st team).
- Ranked No. 25 in World Amateur Golf Rankings (9th-ranked international player) and competed in the Arnold Palmer Cup, Bonallack Trophy and U.S. Amateur this summer.
- Nels Surtani – Junior; Indianapolis, Indiana
- Continues to play well early in the 2023-24 season.
- Owns three, top-30 finishes so far, including a T-12 showing at the Marquette Intercollegiate. Was in the top five entering the final round, before struggling in the final round with a 76 at Windon.
- Won his second straight Northern Amateur title this summer.
- Has had just one double-bogey or worse in 144 holes this season.
- Lone top-10 finish last year came at prestigious Isleworth Collegiate (T-7).
- Sam Easterbrook – Freshman; Tomworth, England
- Has played in all three events, showing his talent in all three events.
- Posted a 1-under par 71 in his first career round, coming at Erin Hills.
- Also shot a 1-under par 69 at Olympia Fields in the second round.
- Ranks tied for third on the team in rounds under par (3).
- Kent Hsiao – Junior; Taipei, Taiwan
- Recorded his best career finish last week at the Windon, finishing 8th (68-69-68).
- Became just the fourth player in school history (Herman Sekne, Cole Bradley, Pariya Junhasavasdikul) with all three rounds in the 60s.
- His 205 was a career-low score and the 11th-best tournament score in school history.
- Owned two previous top-10 finishes in individual tournaments, but this was first as a member of counting team.
- Finished tied for 23rd at last year's Big Ten Championships (78-70=148).
- Peyton Snoeberger – 5th year; Williamsport, Indiana
- Strong performance at the Windon, finishing T-9th (69-65-72=206) for his second career top-10 finish.
- Has had a counting score in 21 straight rounds when he has been in the lineup dating to last season (all six rounds this year).
- Finished tied for fourth at last year's Boilermaker Invitational after being the 36-hole leader.
- Placed third at the prestigious Monroe Invitational this past summer, and made it to the Round of 32 at U.S. Amateur match play in 2022.
One of Indiana's top courses, Warren Golf Course is a links-style course nestled on 250 wooded acres. Rated as the No. 2 collegiate golf course in America, behind Purdue's complex, the course hosted the 2019 U.S. Senior Open as well as Big East Conference championships in 2001 to 2005 and NCAA Regionals in 2005 and 2010. This week's tournament will play 7,023 yards and par-70.
FIGHTING IRISH CLASSIC HISTORY
This marks Purdue's first appearance in the Fighting Irish Classic played at the Warren Golf Course. The Boilermakers played at the Notre Dame Invitational in both 1980 and 1981. Purdue also played in the NCAA Regionals at Warren in 2005, finishing 10th overall to advance to the 2005 NCAA Championships.
WEATHER FORECAST
Sunday: Sunny, 81 degrees; light winds
Monday: Sunny, 81 degrees; light winds
LIVE SCORING
Will be available on golfstat.com.