Women’s Golf Returns to Briar’s Creek to Start the Week

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – With the Big Ten Championships a little more than one month away, Purdue Women's Golf continues its preparation for the conference tournament and NCAA postseason play. To start the week, the Boilermakers return to Johns Island, South Carolina to compete in the Briar's Creek Invitational for the second consecutive season.
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Sunday, March 9: 10 a.m. ET Shotgun Start
Tuesday, March 11: 8:45 a.m. ET Shotgun Start

*The tournament was originally set for 36 holes on Monday and 18 holes on Tuesday. Due to the threat of heavy rain Sunday night into Monday, the start of the tournament has been moved up to Sunday morning. If the second round cannot be completed on Sunday, it will resume Tuesday before the final round.
 
THE LINEUP
Jasmine Kahler – So.

• Making her 18th appearance as a Boilermaker, appearing in the lineup for the eighth time this season
• Holds a 75.28 stroke average
• Competing as an individual, tied for 25th at last season's Briar's Creek Invitational (72-71-77—220)
• Paced the Boilermakers at the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic by tying for seventh (74-71-69—214) in a field that featured 23 of the country's Top 100 golfers; her final round 69 (-3) tied a career low
• Led the field in birdies (8) and ranked second in par-4 scoring (-2) while placing sixth at the White Sands Bahamas Invitational (69-77—146), her best finish as a Boilermaker
• 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), and recorded a 74.43 stroke average
• 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 sixth 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

 
Momo Sugiyama – Sr.

• Two-time All-Big Ten honoree in both seasons as a Boilermaker
• Ranked No. 156 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking
• Making her 34th appearance as a Boilermaker, cracking the lineup in every tournament since arriving in West Lafayette
• Tied for seventh at the 2024 Briar's Creek Invitational (74-71-70—215)
• Holds a 73.10 career stroke average at Purdue, which is just behind the school record (73.08) set by national champion Maria Hernandez (2005-09)
• Has 11 career rounds in the 60s as a Boilermaker, tied with Hernandez, Kan Bunnabodee and Ashley Kozlowski for fifth in program history
• One of 10 Boilermakers all-time to post multiple rounds of 67-or-better
• Has a 73.90 stroke average this season, ranking second on the team
• Paced Purdue at the Match in the Desert by carding an even-par 72 for a Top 5 performance
• 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
• 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, 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)
• 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

 
Lauren Timpf – Fr.

• Making her seventh appearance as a Boilermaker, cracking the lineup for the fourth time
• Holds a 75.53 stroke average, ranking fourth on the team and leading the team's freshmen
• Last time out, led Purdue at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational by tying for 30th (75-73-73—221)
• Has recorded the team-low round three times throughout the season
• In her first time in the Purdue lineup, tied for 15th at the Mary Fossum Invitational (71-75-74—220), which included leading the Boilermakers in the first two rounds
• Tied for 21st at the season-opening Boilermaker Classic (76-74-76—226), competing as an individual
• Finished her junior golf career ranked No. 98 in the country by Junior Golf Scoreboard
• Three-time MHSAA State Champion
• Recorded a 69.4 stroke average as a senior, leading to medalist honors at 10 events
• Made the Round of 64 at the 2024 U.S. Girls Junior Championship after tying for 33rd in stroke play

 
Samantha Brown – Fr.

• Appearing in the lineup for the ninth time
• Holds a 76.14 stroke average
• Tied for 24th at the White Sands Bahamas Invitational (75-76—151)
• Made 40 pars at the Mary Fossum Invitational to rank second in the 84-player field
• Tied for 30th at the prestigious ANNIKA Intercollegiate with a career-low 221 (78-71-72) that featured her first under-par round as a Boilermaker
• 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, winning 24 of 48 high school tournaments and finishing 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

 
Natasha Kiel – Sr.

• Ranked No. 43 in the national rankings
• Named to the ANNIKA Award Watch List at the end of the fall
• Making her 22nd appearance as a Boilermaker, but playing in her 34th collegiate tournament
• Leads the team in stroke average (73.24), birdies (62), rounds of par-or-better (9) and rounds in the 60s (4)
• Paced Purdue in four of the team's five fall tournaments, including two victories and a runner-up performance
• Ended the fall with co-medalist honors at the White Sands Bahamas Invitational, leading the field in par-4 scoring (-3) and recording the second-lowest 36-hole total in program history (68-73—141)
• Finished runner-up in a stacked field at the Windy City Collegiate Classic (68-72-73—213) and made 14 birdies over 54 holes
• Medalist of the Boilermaker Classic, her first individual win, while leading Purdue to the team title; fired a career-low 211 (67-76-69) that featured her lowest round 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 par 3s 4-under during the final round
• Tied for 13th at the Mary Fossum Invitational (72-76-71—219) to lead the Boilermakers
• ne of four Boilermakers to crack the lineup for all 13 tournaments last year, her first season at Purdue after transferring from Vanderbilt
• Recorded a 74.29 stroke average to rank third on the team a season ago

 
THE FIELD
Campbell
College of Charleston (Host)
East Carolina
#6 Florida State
Furman
Iowa
Kent State
Maryland
Miami (FL)
Minnesota
NC State
Old Dominion
Penn State
Purdue
Rutgers
SMU
Tulsa
 
THE COURSE

• The Golf Club at Briar's Creek is a par 72 layout that will measure 6,152 yards for the tournament.
• Designed by Rees Jones, the course covers 800 acres of Johns Island, South Carolina.
• The course even features a 50-yard 19th hole but obviously will not be played during the event.

 
LAST YEAR AT BRIAR'S CREEK

• Entering the final round of the 2024 Briar's Creek Invitational in eighth, Purdue used a 4-under 284 to soar up the leaderboard and place third in the 17-team event.
• The Boilermakers (+7) earned their fourth Top 3 finish of the season, beating a pair of Top 25 teams and six Big Ten teams at the Golf Club at Briar's Creek.
• Purdue finished ahead of Illinois (+9), No. 17 UCF (+9) and No. 10 Florida (+11) to round out the top third of the leaderboard.
• Ashley Kozlowski led the Boilermakers, firing a final round 67 (-5) to move into red figures and finish 4-under (73-72-67—212) at the conclusion of the 54-hole event. Kozlowski jumped into the Top 5 of the individual leaderboard, placing fifth.
• Momo Sugiyama tied for seventh at 1-over (74-71-70—215) to add another Top 10 to her resume.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• Purdue finished the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational strong, firing a 3-under 285 as a team for the third-best final round at Palm Aire Country Club. Senior Momo Sugiyama led the way, carding a bogey-free 67 (-5) that matched the best round of her career.
• The low round was Sugiyama's 11th round in the 60s as a Boilermaker, the eighth player in program history to reach that mark. The Australian also became the 10th Boilermaker to record multiple rounds of 67-or-better over her Purdue career.
• Despite shaving 15 and 17 strokes, respectively, off their opening two rounds, the Boilermakers (+23) finished in 13th place due to the difficult first day.
• Purdue made 15 birdies through the first 36 holes of the tournament before draining 20 during the final round.
• Sugiyama, sophomore Jasmine Kahler and freshman Lauren Timpf all finished the tournament at 5-over to pace Purdue.

 
KIEL LANDS ON ANNIKA AWARD WATCH LIST

• After a fall that featured two individual victories, Natasha Kiel was named to the ANNIKA Award Watch List. The Boilermaker senior was one of 25 golfers to land on the final fall watch list for the award given to the best female in Division I college golf.
• Kiel started her senior season with a bang, winning a pair of tournaments and rising to 19th in the national rankings.
• Through five fall tournaments, she recorded a 71.79 stroke average. Four of Kiel's 14 rounds were in the 60s, only two away from another school record.
• She started the season by claiming 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. Kiel was 5-under for the season-opening 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.
• Kiel picked up her second victory of the season, earning co-medalist honors at the White Sands Bahamas Invitational (Oct. 19-20). The senior finished 2-under (68-73—141) alongside Georgia's Chantal El Chaib, leading Purdue to a runner-up finish to close out the fall season. Kiel's two-round score of 141 was the second-lowest 36-hole total in program history. She led the field in par-4 scoring (-3), while ranking third in par-5 scoring (-1).
• Competing in a stacked field that featured 10 teams that advanced to the national stage of the 2024 NCAA Championships, Kiel proved that she could beat some of the best golfers in the country by securing runner-up honors at the Windy City Collegiate Classic. Her 213 (68-72-73) matched her second lowest three-round total as a Boilermaker. She recorded Purdue's lowest score during all three rounds at Westmoreland Country Club, making 14 birdies over 54 holes.

 
STARTING THE SEASON WITH A W

• 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 is in only 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.

 
THE REMAINING SCHEDULE

• Ending March and rolling into April, the Boilermakers travel to St. Augustine, Florida for the Coach Mo Classic (March 30-April 1).
• 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).