Women’s Golf Begins Spring with Match in the Desert

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After three months off, Purdue Women's Golf returns to tournament action. Starting the spring, the Boilermakers travel west to Gold Canyon, Arizona for the Match in the Desert at Superstition Mountain Country Club (Jan. 27). Unlike the normal, 54-hole (three rounds) format for most events, the Match in the Desert is just one round of 18 holes with no room for error.
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 27: Tee times beginning at 11 a.m. ET
 
THE LINEUP
Jasmine Kahler – So.

• Making her 15th appearance as a Boilermaker, appearing in the lineup for the fifth time this season
• Led the field in birdies (8) and ranked second in par-4 scoring (-2) while and placing sixth at the White Sands Bahamas Invitational (69-77—146), her best finish 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 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. 137 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking
• Making her 31st appearance as a Boilermaker, cracking the lineup in every tournament since arriving in West Lafayette
• Holds a 73.09 career stroke average at Purdue, which is close to the school record of 73.08 set by national champion Maria Hernandez (2005-09)
• Has a 74.29 stroke average this season, ranking second on the team
• Led the Boilermakers at the prestigious ANNIKA Intercollegiate, tying for 23rd (73-75-71—219)
• 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, 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)
• 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 sixth time
• Holds a 76.07 stroke average
• Last time out, 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

 
Jocelyn Bruch – Sr.

• Making her team-high 38th appearance as a Boilermaker, all in the Purdue lineup and totaling 102 rounds
• Holds a 76.27 stroke average this season
• Tied for 24th (75-75-77—227) to help Purdue win the season-opening Boilermaker Classic
• Ended last season 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
• Earned a 2024 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award
• Three-time Academic All-Big Ten; graduated last spring

Natasha Kiel – Sr.

• Ranked No. 19 in the national rankings
• Named to the ANNIKA Award Watch List at the end of the fall
• Making her 19th appearance as a Boilermaker, but playing in her 31st collegiate tournament
• Leads the team in stroke average (71.79), birdies (51), rounds of par-or-better (8) 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

 
Michaela Headlee – Fr. (Competing as an individual)

• Competing for the third time in her career
• Participating as an individual, tied for 46th at the White Sands Bahamas Invitational to end the fall (81-77—158)
• In her collegiate debut, tied for 83rd at the season-opening Boilermaker Classic (77-86-84—247)
• Four-time all-state honoree
• Finished runner-up (+2) at the 2023 IHSAA State Championship to lead Carmel to a second consecutive state title
• Posted a 73.1 stroke average as a senior

 
THE FIELD
#7 Arizona State
Baylor
Eastern Michigan
#24 Kansas (Host)
Purdue
San Jose State
#17 Texas A&M
 
THE COURSE

• Superstition Mountain, located in Gold Canyon, Arizona, features two golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus.
• The Match in the Desert will take place on the Prospector Course, a par 72 that will measure 6,271 for the tournament.
• The Prospector Course opened in 1998 and was recently named one of the Top 100 Residential Courses in the country by Golfweek. The course hosted the LPGA Safeway International annually from 2004-08.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• Natasha 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.
• Purdue (+17) claimed runner-up honors ahead of No. 24 Baylor (+19) and No. 15 Texas A&M (+23).
• 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).
• Jasmine Kahler recorded eight birdies during the tournament, leading the field, on her way to a sixth-place finish (+3) for her third career Top 10 and best performance of the season. The sophomore also played the par 4s 2-under, ranking second just behind Kiel.

 
FALL RECAP

• The Boilermakers ended the fall ranked No. 33 in the country with the help of a victory at the season-opening Boilermaker Classic and a runner-up finish at the White Sands Bahamas Invitational.
• Samantha Brown, Natasha Kiel and Momo Sugiyama played in all five fall tournaments for the Boilermakers, while Jocelyn Bruch and Jasmine Kahler cracked the lineup four times.
• Kiel paced Purdue in four of the five tournaments, recording two wins and a runner-up performance to soar into the national rankings (No. 19).
• Bruch appeared in four events, helping her reach the century mark in rounds as a Boilermaker. The senior currently has played 102 rounds for the Old Gold and Black.
• All three freshmen played in fall tournaments. Along with five by Brown, Lauren Timpf competed four times while Michaela Headlee had a pair of appearances as an individual.

 
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 which would be a single-season school record if maintained throughout the spring. 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

• Kicking off the month of February, the Boilermakers serve as hosts of the Puerto Rico Classic at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico (Feb. 2-4).
• Purdue tees 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 (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).