WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 26-ranked Purdue men's golf team wraps up its regular season with its first of two trips in the next two weeks to the greater Columbus area when it competes in the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate, hosted by Ohio State University Golf Club's Scarlet Course.
Following this week, Purdue will return to Columbus next week for the Big Ten Championships held at Scioto Country Club, on April 26 through 28.
This week's field features the largest contingent of teams that Purdue will face (19 total teams) and the competitors will play in two waves in both round one and round two. Five top-100 teams will be in the field, led by the Boilermakers' No. 26 national ranking. Five Big Ten teams in the field will provide a glimpse of the Big Ten Championship the following week.
The Boilermakers are looking to gain momentum into the Big Ten Championships, but will look to do so without All-American Herman Sekne in the field. The senior from Oslo, Norway, received a sponsor's exemption to play in the PGA Tour's Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic this weekend.
THE FIELD (SpikeMark Rankings / as of April 18)
26 Purdue
28 Ohio State
45 Indiana
63 Colorado State
91 Kent State
103 Iowa
108 Nevada
113 North Dakota State
126 Northern Illinois
129 Miami, Ohio
147 Kansas City
151 Creighton
176 South Dakota State
184 Abilene Christian
193 Eastern Michigan
194 Maryland
228 Dayton
246 St. John's
260 Ohio
LAST TIME OUT
Purdue recorded its second straight top-3 finish with a second-place showing at the elite Calusa Cup in Naples, Florida. The Boilermakers only fell to No. 15-ranked Florida and owned victories over top-25 foes Georgia Tech (16) and Georgia (23). Purdue had three players finish in the top seven and freshman Sam Easterbrook recorded his first career top-5 finish. The result pushed Purdue to the edge of the top 25 polls for the first time this season, now coming in at No. 26.
TEAM NOTES
PURDUE LINEUP
THE COURSE
Rated one of the top collegiate courses in the Midwest, the Ohio State University Golf Club's Scarlet Course has hosted many events, including AJGA competitions, NCAA Regionals and the Korn Ferry Tour's Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship. The course will play par-71 and stretch to 7,455 yards during the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate.
ROBERT KEPLER INTERCOLLEGIATE HISTORY
Typically played the weekend before the Big Ten Championships, Purdue will be making its third appearance at the Kepler Intercollegiate during the Rob Bradley era. The Boilermakers finished 12th out of 16 teams in 2021, but won the event in 2018 at 3-under par 849. Jarle Volden won medalist honors in 2018, shooting a tournament-record score of 9-under par 204. Only Nick Dentino (+13; T-57) and Peyton Snoeberger (+14; T-63) have played in this event previously.
WEATHER FORECAST
Friday: Mostly Cloudy, slight chance of showers; 65 degrees; SW 7-15 MPH
Saturday: Partly Sunny; 60 degrees; W 7-15 MPH
Sunday: Partly Sunny; 63 degrees; W 5-10 MPH
LIVE SCORING
Will be available on golfstat.com.
Following this week, Purdue will return to Columbus next week for the Big Ten Championships held at Scioto Country Club, on April 26 through 28.
This week's field features the largest contingent of teams that Purdue will face (19 total teams) and the competitors will play in two waves in both round one and round two. Five top-100 teams will be in the field, led by the Boilermakers' No. 26 national ranking. Five Big Ten teams in the field will provide a glimpse of the Big Ten Championship the following week.
The Boilermakers are looking to gain momentum into the Big Ten Championships, but will look to do so without All-American Herman Sekne in the field. The senior from Oslo, Norway, received a sponsor's exemption to play in the PGA Tour's Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic this weekend.
THE FIELD (SpikeMark Rankings / as of April 18)
26 Purdue
28 Ohio State
45 Indiana
63 Colorado State
91 Kent State
103 Iowa
108 Nevada
113 North Dakota State
126 Northern Illinois
129 Miami, Ohio
147 Kansas City
151 Creighton
176 South Dakota State
184 Abilene Christian
193 Eastern Michigan
194 Maryland
228 Dayton
246 St. John's
260 Ohio
LAST TIME OUT
Purdue recorded its second straight top-3 finish with a second-place showing at the elite Calusa Cup in Naples, Florida. The Boilermakers only fell to No. 15-ranked Florida and owned victories over top-25 foes Georgia Tech (16) and Georgia (23). Purdue had three players finish in the top seven and freshman Sam Easterbrook recorded his first career top-5 finish. The result pushed Purdue to the edge of the top 25 polls for the first time this season, now coming in at No. 26.
TEAM NOTES
- In eight team events, Purdue has finished in the top three in five of them.
- The Boilermakers' current team average of 283.74 is a school record – almost three shots better than second on the list (2021-22; 286.63).
- Purdue owns five rounds of 275 or better this season – the most most in school history.
- Purdue owns three of the 11-best, 54-hole tournament scores in school history.
- Purdue has won two tournaments this year. A win in any of its remaining tournaments will give Purdue its most tournament titles in a season since 2016. The Boilermakers reached the NCAA Championships that season.
PURDUE LINEUP
- Nels Surtani – Junior; Indianapolis, Indiana
- 71.57 stroke average; 4 top-20; 13 rounds of par or better; Puerto Rico Classic medalist
- Nick Dentino – 5th year; Carmel, Indiana
- 72.74 stroke average; 2 top-20; 8 rounds of par or better; T-4 at Hootie at Bulls Bay
- Sam Easterbrook – Freshman; Tomworth, England
- 72.57 stroke average; 2 top-20, 2 top-10; 11 rounds of par or better; T-5 at Calusa Cup
- Kent Hsiao – Junior; Taipei, Taiwan
- 72.58 stroke average; 3 top-10, 2 top-10; 9 rounds of par or better; 8th at Windon Memorial
- Peyton Snoeberger – 5th year; Williamsport, Indiana
- 72.43 stroke average; 2 top-20, 1 top-10; 9 rounds of par or better; 9th at Windon Memorial
- Justin Sun – Redshirt Freshman; Shenchen, China
- 73.47 stroke average; 2 top-20; 1 round of par or better.
THE COURSE
Rated one of the top collegiate courses in the Midwest, the Ohio State University Golf Club's Scarlet Course has hosted many events, including AJGA competitions, NCAA Regionals and the Korn Ferry Tour's Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship. The course will play par-71 and stretch to 7,455 yards during the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate.
ROBERT KEPLER INTERCOLLEGIATE HISTORY
Typically played the weekend before the Big Ten Championships, Purdue will be making its third appearance at the Kepler Intercollegiate during the Rob Bradley era. The Boilermakers finished 12th out of 16 teams in 2021, but won the event in 2018 at 3-under par 849. Jarle Volden won medalist honors in 2018, shooting a tournament-record score of 9-under par 204. Only Nick Dentino (+13; T-57) and Peyton Snoeberger (+14; T-63) have played in this event previously.
WEATHER FORECAST
Friday: Mostly Cloudy, slight chance of showers; 65 degrees; SW 7-15 MPH
Saturday: Partly Sunny; 60 degrees; W 7-15 MPH
Sunday: Partly Sunny; 63 degrees; W 5-10 MPH
LIVE SCORING
Will be available on golfstat.com.