Boilermakers Ready to Compete in Prestigious Annika Intercollegiate

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After beginning the season with a victory at the Boilermaker Classic, Purdue Women's Golf wastes no time returning to the links to face some of the best teams in the country. The Boilermakers travel north to Lake Elmo, Minnesota for the prestigious ANNIKA Intercollegiate hosted by the legendary Annika Sorenstam at Royal Golf Club (Sept. 9-11).  
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Sept. 9: Round 1 (Tee Times beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET)
Tuesday, Sept. 10: Round 2 (Tee Times beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET)
Wednesday, Sept. 11: Round 3 (Tee Times beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET)
 
THE LINEUP
Natasha Kiel – Sr.

• Making her 15th appearance as a Boilermaker, but playing in her 27th collegiate tournament
• Medalist of the Boilermaker Classic, her first individual win, while leading Purdue to the team title
• In the season-opening win, fired a career-low 211 (67-76-69) that featured her two lowest rounds as a Boilermaker as well as a hole-in-one in the final round
• Led the Boilermaker Classic field in birdies (13) and par-3 scoring (-4), including playing the parO 3s 4-under during the final round
• One of four Boilermakers to crack the lineup for all 13 tournaments last year, her first season at Purdue
• Made four of Purdue's 10 eagles last season to lead the Boilermakers
• Recorded a 74.29 stroke average to rank third on the team a season ago
• Ranked second in par-4 scoring (-1) and tied for ninth (73-72-73—218) to help the Boilermakers win the 2023 Mary Fossum Invitational
• Transferred to Purdue after two seasons at Vanderbilt

 
Momo Sugiyama – Sr.

• Two-time All-Big Ten honoree in both seasons as a Boilermaker
• Ranked No. 173 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking
• Making her 27th appearance as a Boilermaker, cracking the lineup in every tournament since arriving in West Lafayette
• Holds a 72.82 career stroke average at Purdue, which is on pace to set a new school record
• Tied for fourth (69-74-73—216) to help Purdue win the season-opening Boilermaker Classic, matching her best finish for the Old Gold and Black
• Ended the 2023-24 season ranked No. 126 in the national rankings
• Last year, produced a team-best 72.45 stroke average for the third-best single-season stroke average in school history
• Carded 19 rounds of par-or-better a year ago, also the third most in a single season by a Boilermaker
• Had five Top 10 finishes a season ago, including a fourth-place performance at the Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational (72-75-70—217)
• Her 10th-place finish was the first Top 10 by a Boilermaker at the B1G Championships since 2019; also produced the lowest 54-hole score (71-73-71—215) by a Purdue golfer in the tournament since 2018
• Her two-round 145 (75-70) at the 2024 Spartan Sun Coast Invitational was the seventh-best 36-hole total in school history
• Began last 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 Purdue's single-season record with six rounds in the 60s during the 2022-23 campaign
• Two-time WGCA All-American Scholar, Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten

 
Samantha Brown – Fr.

• Appearing in the lineup for the second straight week
• In her collegiate debut, tied for 21st (75-75-76—226) to help Purdue win the Boilermaker Classic
• Finished her junior golf career ranked No. 49 in the country by Junior Golf Scoreboard
• Participated in the 2024 U.S. Women's Open and 2024 U.S. Girls Junior Championship
• Won the 2024 Women's Western Junior
• Four-time all-state honoree
• Won 24 of 48 high school tournaments and finished 1-under par throughout her entire high school career, which included a cumulative 37-under par as a senior
• As a senior, named Indiana Girls Golfer of the Year by USA Today, earning a spot on the All-USA Today HSSA Girls Golf Team

 
Jocelyn Bruch – Sr.

• Making her team-high 35th appearance as a Boilermaker
• Tied for 24th (75-75-77—227) to help Purdue win the season-opening Boilermaker Classic
• Ended last season ranked No. 283 in the national rankings
• Recorded a 74.43 stroke average last season, which included posting the team-low round eight times
• Made a hole-in-one in the final round of the 2024 NCAA Las Vegas Regional, leading the Boilermakers with a 74 in extremely windy conditions; tallied 41 pars throughout the week to lead the 69-player field and tied for 24th on the individual leaderboard (76-72-74—222)
• Tied for 14th at the 2024 B1G Championships, securing her best placing and 54-hole total (73-71-72—216) of the spring and joining Sugiyama with Purdue's only par-or-better three-round scores in the tournament since 2018
• Fired a career-low 209 (69-70-70) at the 2023 Schooner Fall Classic for the 10th-best three-round total in school history
• Paced the field in par-4 scoring (-3) to help the Boilermakers win the 2023 Mary Fossum Invitational, tying for seventh on the individual leaderboard for her second career Top 10 (76-70-71—217)
• Earned a 2024 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award
• Three-time Academic All-Big Ten; graduated last spring

Jasmine Kahler – So.

• Making her 12th appearance as a Boilermaker
• Tied for 26th (74-77-77—228) to help Purdue win the season-opening Boilermaker Classic
• Ended the 2023-24 season ranked No. 253 in the national rankings
• Played in 10 tournaments as a freshman, including four in the Purdue lineup (final four of the season)
• Recorded a 74.43 stroke average a season ago
• Led the Boilermakers at the 2024 NCAA Las Vegas Regional, tying for eighth at even-par (71-70-75—216) for her second Top 10 of the season and her first Top 10 as part of the Purdue lineup
• Collected a Top 20 finish in her first Big Ten Championships, ending the tournament with a 1-under 71 to finish 2-over for the week (75-72-71—218); made 40 pars to rank third in the 84-player field
• Competing as an individual last spring, tied for 6th at The Bruzzy with a career-low 213 (73-70-70), her best finish as a Boilermaker; the 213 was the eighth-best 54-hole total by a freshman in program history

 
THE FIELD
Arizona State
Cal
Clemson
Duke
Iowa State
Minnesota
Oregon
Purdue
South Carolina
UCF
UCLA
Wake Forest
 
THE COURSE

• Royal Golf Club is a par-72 layout that measures 6,901 yards from the tips; the ANNIKA Intercollegiate will play at 6,395 yards.
• The front nine, known as the Queen's Nine, was designed by Annika Sorenstam. The back nine, known as the King's Nine, was designed by Arnold Palmer. Royal Golf Club was the first golf course designed by Sorenstam in the United States, while the course features the last holes designed by the late Palmer.
• Royal Golf Club is hosting the ANNIKA Intercollegiate for the sixth year out of the 10 editions of the event.

 
HOME COURSE/TITLE DEFENSE

• Entering the final round of the Boilermaker Classic with a 13-shot cushion,Purdue made sure the lead was never in doubt. A final round 294 (+6), led by a 68 (-4) from medalist Natasha Kiel, allowed the Boilermakers to protect their home course and win their season-opening tournament for second straight season.
• Purdue finished the season opener 15-over par on the Kampen-Cosler Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, 14 strokes ahead of runners-up Minnesota (+29).
• The Boilermakers controlled the tournament from the start, leading the field in par-3 scoring (+4), par-4 scoring (+28) and pars (178), while ranking second in birdies (35) and par-5 scoring (-4) as a team.

 
WINNING WITH BYRD

• With the win at the season-opening Boilermaker Classic, Purdue captured its fourth tournament title under head coach Zack Byrd, who just began his third season as head coach.
• Along with winning the past two editions of the Boilermaker Classic, Purdue also claimed victories at the 2023 Tulane Classic and the 2023 Mary Fossum Invitational.
• The four victories mark the most by Purdue in a three-year span since winning six from 2012-14.
• Purdue collected just one tournament title in the five seasons prior to Byrd's arrival.

 
KIEL'S STRONG START TO SENIOR SEASON

• Senior Natasha Kiel began her senior season with a bang, earning medalist honors and leading Purdue to a team victory at the Boilermaker Classic (Sept. 2-3).
• Kiel captured her first career individual victory, thanks in large part to a pair of rounds in the 60s for her lowest rounds as a Boilermaker.
• She was 5-under for the tournament, recording her best 54-hole total as a Boilermaker (67-76-68—211).
• The New Hope, Pennsylvania, native also led the field in birdies (13) and par-3 scoring (-4) throughout the event.
• During the final round, she made six birdies and played the par 3s 4-under with two birdies and one par to go along with a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th.

 
VETERANS AND NEWCOMERS

• Purdue returns a plethora of talent for the 2024-25 campaign, bringing back five golfers that competed in at least eight tournaments a season ago led by two-time All-Big Ten honoree Momo Sugiyama.
• Jocelyn Bruch and Natasha Kiel are back for the senior seasons after playing in all 13 events last year, while Jasmine Kahler made an immediate impact with 10 tournament appearances as a freshman.
• Jade Gu brings veteran experience as well after playing in eight tournaments throughout the 2023-24 season and 22 throughout her career.
• The freshman class features the best golfers in both Indiana (Samantha Brown) and Michigan (Lauren Timpf), along with four-time all-state and two-time state champion Michaela Headlee.
• Those five veterans and three newcomers all played in the season-opening Boilermaker Classic. Brown joined Bruch, Kahler, Kiel and Sugiyama in the lineup, while Gu, Headlee and Timpf competed as individuals.

 
2023-24 RECAP

• The Boilermakers earned their ninth straight NCAA Regional berth in the second season under head coach Zack Byrd, producing two wins and four Top 3 finishes throughout the 2023-24 campaign.
• Purdue secured a spot the NCAA Championships for the 19th time in program history, placing runner-up at the NCAA Las Vegas Regional at Spanish Trail Country Club. At the regional, the Boilermakers fired an 8-under 280 during the second round, setting a new program best for the lowest round in an NCAA Regional and matching the 2010 Boilermakers at the NCAA Championships for Purdue's best round in any NCAA tournament.
• Capturing the Boilermaker Classic and the Mary Fossum Invitational, Purdue won multiple tournaments in a season for the first time in seven years.
• The Boilermakers also 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.
• Purdue placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships with an even-par 864, the Boilermakers' best score in the league tournament since 2016.

 
BYRD ELEVATED TO DIRECTOR OF GOLF

• After leading Purdue Women's Golf to numerous school records and tournament titles in his first two seasons as head coach, Zack Byrd signed an extension and was elevated to Purdue Director of Golf.
• Along with entering his third year as head coach of the women's team, Byrd now has oversight of both Purdue golf programs and will provide leadership support to the new men's golf coach.
• In two-plus seasons under Byrd's guidance, Purdue has collected four tournament titles. The Boilermakers won one tournament over the previous five seasons before Byrd's arrival.
• Seventeen of the 50 lowest team rounds in program history have occurred under Byrd, including the school record 270 (-18) at the 2023 Boilermaker Classic as well as the second-best round, a 274 at the 2023 Schooner Fall Classic.

 
NEXT ON THE TEE

• Following back-to-back tournaments to start the season, Purdue has a week off before returning to action.
• Up next, the Boilermakers look to make their second title defense of the season by returning to East Lansing, Michigan for the Mary Fossum Invitational (Sept. 22-23), hosted by Michigan State.
• Purdue won last year's tournament by 10 strokes.

 
A LOOK AT REST OF THE SCHEDULE

• Entering his third season, head coach Zack Byrd put together a challenging slate that will see the Boilermakers play at incredible courses across eight states, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico.
• After not appearing on the schedule last year, the Windy City Collegiate Classic is back on the calendar (Sept. 30-Oct. 1). The Boilermakers played in the tournament annually from 2013-22, aside from the 2020 fall season that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Rounding out the fall, Purdue leaves the country for the White Sands Bahamas Invitational on Paradise Island in the Bahamas (Oct. 18-20).
• Flipping the calendar to 2025, Purdue travels west to Gold Canyon, Arizona for the Match in the Desert at Superstition Mountain Country Club (Jan. 27). One week later, the Boilermakers serve as hosts of the Puerto Rico Classic at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico (Feb. 2-4).
• Purdue returns to two more tournaments that were on the schedule last season. The Boilermakers tee it up at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational in Sarasota, Florida (Feb. 16-17) before going back to the Briar's Creek Invitational on Johns Island, South Carolina (March 10-11).
• Ending March and rolling into April, the Boilermakers travel to St. Augustine, Florida for the Coach Mo Classic. Serving as the final tune-up before the conference championship, Purdue welcomes teams back to West Lafayette for the Boilermaker Spring Classic. The spring tournament will take place on the other BBGC Pete Dye course, Ackerman-Allen (April 6-7).
• The Big Ten Championships returns to Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore (April 18-20). Last year, the Boilermakers fired an even-par 864 (292-289-283) for their lowest score in the conference tournament since 2016.
• Rounding out the schedule, the Boilermakers plan to hear their names called for postseason play in one of six NCAA Regionals (May 5-7) with sights set on a return trip to the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California (May 16-21).