Women’s Golf Tees Off in Las Vegas to Begin March

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Kicking off the month of March, Purdue returns to Las Vegas to compete in The Show for the second straight season. The Boilermakers join 12 other teams for 54 holes in the desert at Spanish Trail Country Club (March 4-5).
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, March 4: Rounds 1 and 2 (11 a.m. ET Shotgun Start)
Tuesday, March 5: Round 3 (11 a.m. ET Shotgun Start)
 
THE LINEUP
Momo Sugiyama – Jr.

• Making her 19th appearance as a Boilermaker after playing in all 12 tournaments a season ago and all six tournaments so far this season
• Holds a team-best 72.12 stroke average and is No. 161 in the national rankings
• Has recorded the team-low round six times this season, more than any other Boilermaker
• Has led Purdue in both spring tournaments, a pair of Top 20 finishes
• Her two-round 145 (75-70) at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational was the seventh-best 36-hole total in school history
• Began the spring by leading the Boilermakers at the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic, placing eighth with a career-low 211 (67-73-71) that featured a personal-best round of 67 (-5)
• Tied for ninth at the Boilermaker Classic with a 1-under 215 (73-69-73) to help Purdue claim the tournament title to start the season
• 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

 
Natasha Kiel – Jr.

• Making her seventh appearance as a Boilermaker, but playing in her 19th collegiate tournament
• Only Boilermaker with two eagles this season
• Holds a 73.35 stroke average and is 293rd in the national rankings
• Has appeared in the lineup in all six tournaments this season
• Last time out, tied for 20th at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational (76-70—146)
• 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
• Transferred to Purdue after two seasons at Vanderbilt
• Last season, played in eight tournaments and produced a 74.4 stroke average

 
Ashley Kozlowski – Sr.

• Playing in her 35th tournament as a Boilermaker, totaling 97 rounds, more than anyone on the current team
• Holds a 72.65 stroke average and is nationally ranked at No. 200
• Has appeared in the lineup in all six tournaments this season
• Has recorded a team-best 50 birdies
• Last time out, tied for 20th at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational (77-69—146)
• 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

 
Jocelyn Bruch – Sr.

• Making her 27th appearance as a Boilermaker, second most on the team
• Ranked 196th in the nation and holds a 72.65 stroke average with the help of a team-high three rounds in the 60s
• Has appeared in the lineup in all six tournaments this season
• Leads the team in pars (213)
• Fired a career-low 209 (69-70-70) at the Schooner Fall Classic for the 10th-best three-round total in school history
• Eight of her 17 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

Jade Gu – Jr.

• Competing in her 12th tournament as a Boilermaker, cracking the lineup for the first time this season
• Has played in three tournaments throughout this season, all 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. (Competing as an individual)

• Making her fourth collegiate tournament appearance
• Has played in three tournaments throughout this season, all 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
Furman (Co-host)
Houston
Minnesota
Nevada
New Mexico
#23 Pepperdine
Purdue
SMU
TCU
Tulsa
#3 UCLA
UNLV (Co-host)
#24 Virginia
 
THE COURSE

• Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., Spanish Trail Country Club features three 9-hole, par 36 courses for a 27-hole layout.
• The tournament will be contested on the Canyon Course and the Lakes Course, measuring 6,537 yards.
• The Canyon Course is the longest of the three tracks, while water comes into play for six of the nine holes on the Lakes Course.
• Spanish Trail is one of six NCAA Regional sites this season.

 
RANKED BOILERMAKERS

• Purdue enters the tournament ranked 27th in the national rankings after a strong fall that featured a pair of tournament titles.
• Three Boilermakers are ranked in the Top 200 of the national rankings: Momo Sugiyama (161), Jocelyn Bruch (196) and Ashley Kozlowski (200).

 
LAST TIME OUT

• Ashley Kozlowski, Natasha Kiel and Momo Sugiyama carded under-par rounds to lead Purdue on the final day of the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational. As a team, the Boilermakers improved 15 strokes from their opening day, firing a 3-under 285 final round to end the tournament in sixth place (+9).
• For the second straight tournament, Sugiyama led the Boilermakers by tying for 16th. Her two-day total of 145 (75-70) tied for the seventh-best 36-hole score in school history.
• Kozlowski bounced back from a 77 in round one, recording a 69 (-3) for Purdue's best round of the event that was shortened to 36 holes due to rain on Sunday. The low round vaulted the senior into the Top 20, her 10th Top 20 finish of her career.
• Kiel (+2) tied Kozlowski for 20th after firing a 70 (-2) to match her best round as a Boilermaker.

 
RETURN TO THE SHOW

• Purdue returns to Las Vegas to participate in The Show for the second straight season. Last year, the Boilermakers placed 10th, finishing 25-over as a team (296-297-296—889).
• The Boilermakers made 186 pars throughout the 2023 tournament, leading the field.
• Jocelyn Bruch was the low Boilermaker in the lineup, tying for 31st at 6-over (75-71-76—222). Bruch parred 42 of the 54 holes, more than any other golfer in the field of 87.
• Momo Sugiyama was close behind Bruch with 41 pars of her own, including 15 during the final round. She finished 7-over through three rounds (75-75-73—223).
• Ashley Kozlowski recorded a team-high seven birdies over three rounds, while tying for 42nd at 8-over (74-75-75—224).

 
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 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.
• 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.
• 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 tied for ninth on the individual leaderboard.

 
NEXT ON THE TEE

• Up next, Purdue will compete in the Briar's Creek Invitational on the coast of South Carolina (March 11-12). Closing out a busy month, the Boilermakers will return to The Bruzzy Challenge at Dornick Hills Country Club in Oklahoma (March 30-31).