#22 Purdue Hosts 14 Teams in Puerto Rico to Begin Spring Season

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After a successful fall that featured two tournament victories, Purdue Women's Golf returns to action by starting the spring season in Puerto Rico. The No. 22 Boilermakers host 14 teams, including five Top 25 opponents, for the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic at Grand Reserve Golf Club (Feb. 4-6).   
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Sunday, Feb. 4: Round 1 (7:30 a.m. ET Shotgun Start)
Monday, Feb. 5: Round 2 (7:30 a.m. ET Shotgun Start)
Tuesday, Feb. 6: Round 3 (6:30 a.m. ET Shotgun Start)
 
THE LINEUP
Ashley Kozlowski – Sr.

• Playing in her 33rd tournament as a Boilermaker totaling 92 rounds, more than anyone on the current team
• Leads Purdue with a 71.92 stroke average and is the highest nationally-ranked Boilermaker at No. 156
• Appeared in the lineup in all four fall tournaments
• Has recorded a team-best 36 birdies
• Paced the Boilermakers with a 208 (72-70-66) at the Schooner Fall Classic, the seventh-best 54-hole total in program history; her final round 66 was a new career low and the fifth-lowest for a Boilermaker
• Led Purdue to a win in the Mary Fossum Invitational, finishing runner-up individually for the second time in her career with a 214 (73-71-70)
• Appeared in 11 of the 12 tournaments a season ago, ranking second on the team with a 73.75 stroke average
• Stars in the classroom as an aeronautical and astronautical engineering major, earning several academic honors: WGCAA All-American Scholar Team, Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Academic All-Big Ten

 
Momo Sugiyama – Jr.

• Making her 17th appearance as a Boilermaker after playing in all 12 tournaments a season ago
• Holds a 72.50 stroke average and is No. 230 in the national rankings
• Appeared in the lineup in all four fall tournaments
• Started the season with her fourth Top 10 as a Boilermaker, tying for ninth at the Boilermaker Classic with a 1-under 215 (73-69-73)
• Produced her eighth Top 20 finish by tying for 19th at the Mary Fossum Invitational
• 2022-23 Second Team All-Big Ten
• Tied Purdue's single-season record with six rounds in the 60s last year, while leading the team in stroke average (73.31), team-low round (14), rounds in the 60s (6) and pars (410)
• Held a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout the 2022-23 school year, collecting several academic accolades: WGCAA All-American Scholar Team, Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Academic All-Big Ten

 
Jocelyn Bruch – Sr.

• Making her 25th appearance as a Boilermaker, second most on the team
• Appeared in the lineup in all four fall tournaments
• Ranked 157th in the nation and holds a 72.00 stroke average with the help of a team-high three rounds in the 60s
• Fired a career-low 209 (69-70-70) at the Schooner Fall Classic for the 10th-best three-round total in school history
• Seven of her 12 rounds have been par-or-better, a team high
• Paced the field in par-4 scoring (-3) to help the Boilermakers win the Mary Fossum Invitational, tying for seventh on the individual leaderboard for her second career Top 10 (76-70-71—217)
• Cracked the Top 10 for the first time in her career, tying for sixth with a 4-under 212 (69-69-74) to help Purdue win the Boilermaker Classic
• Two-time Academic All-Big Ten

Natasha Kiel – Jr.

• Making her fifth appearance as a Boilermaker, but playing in her 17th collegiate tournament
• Holds a 73.25 stroke average and is 292nd in the national rankings
• Appeared in the lineup in all four fall tournaments
• Tied for 29th at the Schooner Fall Classic with a 213 (71-72-70), her best 54-hole total as a Boilermaker
• Ranked second in par-4 scoring (-1) and tied for ninth (73-72-73—218) to help the Boilermakers win the Mary Fossum Invitational
• In her Purdue debut, tied for 37th (79-74-71—224) to help the team win the Boilermaker Classic
• Transferred to Purdue after two seasons at Vanderbilt
• Last season, played in eight tournaments and produced a 74.4 stroke average

 
Lana Malek – Freshman

• Making her first appearance in the Purdue lineup but playing in her second tournament as a Boilermaker
• Competing as an individual, tied for 30th at the Boilermaker Classic (72-73-77—222)
• Recorded a 74.5 stroke average last year and qualified for the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship
• Was a member of the Slovenian National Team
• Won the Hungarian Cup and the Hungarian Junior Open Championship

 
Jade Gu – Jr.

• Competing in her 11th tournament as a Boilermaker
• Played in two tournaments throughout the fall as an individual
• Tied for third at the Saluki Invitational with the help of a final round 69 (73-78-69—220)
• Played in eight tournaments last season, cracking the lineup five times and tallying a 76.54 stroke average
• Was a star in the classroom last year, earning several academic honors: WGCAA All-American Scholar Team, Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Academic All-Big Ten

 
Jasmine Kahler – Fr.

• Making her third collegiate tournament appearance
• Played in two tournaments throughout the fall as an individual
• Tied for seventh at the Saluki Invitational (71-73-82—226)
• In her Purdue debut, tied for 22nd as an individual in the Boilermaker Classic (73-72-76—221)
• Produced a 72.5 stroke average during her final high school season, including a 34.8 average for nine-hole matches
• Won the San Diego Section CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) at Torrey Pines and led her team to a fifth-place finish at the CIF State Championship to become the 2022 CIF San Diego Player of the Year

 
THE FIELD
#3 Arkansas
#17 Auburn
Cincinnati
Furman
Georgia Southern
Kansas State
Mercer
Minnesota
#11 LSU
Oklahoma State
#9 Ole Miss
#22 Purdue
TCU
#12 Texas A&M
ULM
 
THE COURSE

• The tournament will take place at Grand Reserve Golf Club, a par 72 layout measuring 6,305
• Grand Reserve Golf Club was designed by PGA Tour legend Tom Kite.
• The course plays host to the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open annually; this year's tournament will take place exactly one month after the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic.

 
HISTORY IN PUERTO RICO

• Purdue is no stranger to competing in Puerto Rico, hosting a tournament there every year from 2003-20.
• The Boilermakers won the 2009 tournament, one of five victories throughout the 2008-09 campaign that included a Big Ten Championship.
• Returning to the schedule this season, five other Top 25 teams join No. 22 Purdue in Puerto Rico.

 
NATIONALLY RANKED BOILERMAKERS

• Purdue enters the spring ranked 22nd in the national rankings after a strong fall that featured a pair of tournament titles.
• Four Boilermakers are ranked in the Top 300 of the national rankings: Ashley Kozlowski (156), Jocelyn Bruch (157), Momo Sugiyama (230) and Natasha Kiel (292).

 
SPRING SCHEDULE OUTLOOK

• The spring campaign features six tournaments to prepare for the Big Ten Championship (April 19-21) and NCAA postseason play.
• After starting in Puerto Rico, Purdue remains south, teeing it up at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational in Sarasota, Florida (Feb. 18-19).
• March features a trio of tournaments. The Boilermakers make the trek west for The Show in Las Vegas (March 4-5). One week later, Purdue competes in the Briar's Creek Invitational on the coast of South Carolina (March 11-12). Closing out a busy stretch, the Boilermakers return to The Bruzzy Challenge at Dornick Hills Country Club in Oklahoma (March 30-31).
• In the final tune-up before the conference championship, Purdue tees off at the Lady Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio (April 15-16).

 
LAST TIME OUT

• The Boilermakers ended the fall by placing 13th at the Landfall Tradition.
• Speaking of 13, Purdue played the par 5s 13-under as a team to rank second in the field in par-5 scoring behind tournament winner Duke.
• Ashley Kozlowski crushed the par 5s all weekend, playing them 8-under to rank third among the 96-player field in par-5 scoring

 
BUNNABODEE TURNS PRO

• Following a strong fall campaign, Kan Bunnabodee graduated in December and opted to turn professional.
• Bunnabodee played in all four fall tournaments, posting a 70.83 stroke average as she helped Purdue win a pair of team titles.
• Had she returned for the spring season, she would have had a chance to break the school record for rounds in the 60s (6) after recording five during the fall.

 
FLYING HIGH WITH BYRD

• Victorious in two of their four fall tournaments, the Boilermakers have won multiple tournaments in a season for the first time in seven years.
• Winning the Boilermaker Classic and the Mary Fossum Invitational, Purdue won back-to-back tournaments for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The last time Purdue won its first two tournaments of the season was the start of the 2005-06 campaign.
• Purdue already has three tournament titles in just the second season under head coach Zack Byrd; the Boilermakers won three tournaments over the previous six seasons before Byrd's arrival.
• Eleven of the 50 lowest team rounds in program history have occurred under Byrd, including the school record 270 (-18) at the season-opening Boilermaker Classic earlier this month as well as the second-best round, a 274 at the Schooner Fall Classic.
• This season, the Boilermakers have produced two of the lowest five team totals (54 holes) in school history, a program-best 837 at the Schooner Fall Classic and an 852 (fifth) at the season-opening Boilermaker Classic.

 
SECOND WIN OF THE SEASON

• Entering the final round eight shots back of host Michigan State, Purdue flipped the script and fired a final round 284 (-4) to win the Mary Fossum Invitational by 10 strokes.
• Purdue was 6-under (290-284-284—858) on the par 72 West Course at Forest Akers GC, the only team to finish under par and just one shot off the tournament record. The Boilermakers defeated a field of 14 other teams that included five Big Ten programs. The three-round total also cracked the Top 10 for one of the lowest 54-hole scores in program history.
• The Boilermakers played the par 4s a combined 5-over to lead all teams, including 16 shots better than Michigan State. Purdue also paced the field in par-3 scoring (-2) and birdies (47).
• Four Boilermakers finished in the Top 10 of the individual leaderboard. Ashley Kozlowski led the way, ending the tournament at 2-under to place runner-up for the second time in her career. Jocelyn Bruch tied for seventh (+1) for her second Top 10 of the 2023-24 campaign.

 
HOME COURSE PROTECTED

• Purdue protected its home course, starting the 2023-24 season by beating 14 other teams to win the Boilermaker Classic (Sept. 4-5).
• The Boilermakers finished the 54-hole event 12-under par (296-270-286—852) on the Kampen-Cosler Course at the Birck Boilermaker Complex, six shots ahead of runner-up Alabama.
• Jocelyn Bruch cracked the Top 10 for the first time in her career. She placed sixth with a 212 (69-69-74).
• Momo Sugiyama finished another tournament in red figures, firing a 215 (-1) with a 69 sandwiched in between rounds of 73. Starting her second season as a Boilermaker, she recorded her fourth Top 10, tying for ninth on the individual leaderboard.

 
SCHOOL RECORDS BROKEN

• On the first day of the 2023-24 season, a pair of school records were broken in the second round of the Boilermaker Classic.
• The Boilermakers fired a 270 (-18) in the second round to break the program record for team-low round by five strokes, besting the previous record of 275 shot by the 2011 Boilermakers at the Administaff Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate.
• Kan Bunnabodee's 63 along with 69s (-3) from Jocelyn Bruch, Ashley Kozlowski and Momo Sugiyama produced the school-record round of 18-under par.
• Bunnabodee became the first Boilermaker in history to shoot 63, recording nine birdies and nine pars to break current LPGA member Paula Reto's record 64 that stood for 11 years.

 
NEXT ON THE TEE

• After a week off, the Boilermakers return to action in Sarasota, Florida for the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational (Feb. 18-19).