WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men’s golf team competes for its third straight weekend when it travels to South Bend for the Fighting Irish Classic, starting Monday at Warren Golf Course.
It marks the third-of-four straight weeks with tournaments for the Boilermakers, who have competed at the loaded Olympia Fields Invitational and the Windon Memorial Classic. Following this week, Purdue will host its own tournament on Oct. 13 and 14, and then conclude the fall season on Oct. 25 and 26 in Loxley, Alabama.
This marks the third straight year that Purdue will compete at the Fightin Irish Classic. Two years ago, the Boilermakers finished eighth, while a year ago, the Boilermakers were runners-up to the host Irish.
Thirteen of the nation’s top 100, including nine of the top 60 and last year’s national champion, from last year’s final national ranking appear in the field.
THE FIELD (Final 2025 Clippd Rankings)
2 Oklahoma State
12 North Carolina
14 UCLA
25 Tennessee
28 Louisville
38 Purdue
40 Notre Dame
51 Santa Clara
53 Little Rock
72 Indiana
76 Kent State
79 Georgia Southern
95 Iowa
101 Miami, Ohio
129 Louisiana Tech
TEAM NOTES
• Purdue continues to avoid the big numbers on its counting team. The Boilermaker five have accounted for just five double-bogeys in 810 holes played. Two of the five players (Supapon Amormchaichan, Kentaro Nanayama) have yet to record a double-bogey or worse through the first two tournaments.
• In the opener, The Boilermakers’ score of 49-under par 815 was the second-lowest, 54-hole score in school history. It featured a second-round tally of 24-under par 264, the lowest 18-hole score in school history.
• Purdue has shot 280 or better in all three rounds in a tournament seven times in school history. Three of the occurrences have come under head coach Andrew Sapp.
PURDUE LINEUP
• Sam Easterbrook (Jr. / Tomworth, England)
... 2025 First-team All-Big Ten honoree.
... Owns 10 top-10 finishes in just 28 career events, needing one more top-10 finish to move into the top 10 in school history.
... Has a 72.32 career stroke average, good for second all-time behind All-American Herman Sekne (71.42).
... Owns 18 career rounds in the 60s and 38 of his 81 career rounds have been even or under par.
... Finished T-6th at the season-opening Island Resort Intercollegiate at 12-under par 204 (71-66-67); was 11-under par 133 over his final two rounds.
• Supapon Amornchaichan (So. / Bangkok, Thailand)
... 40 of his 49 career rounds have been 75 or lower. Saw a streak of 19 straight rounds of 75 or better end with his final-round 77 at Olympia Fields.
... Seven of his nine rounds so far this season have been between 69 and 73.
... 2025 Honorable Mention All-American as a freshman – one of three freshmen nationally to be named to ANY All-American squad.
... Finished T-9th at the NCAA Championships, the highest finish for a Boilermaker since 1961.
... Finished T-15 at the season-opening Island Resort Intercollegiate, his third straight top-15 finish dating to his freshman season.
• Andre Zhu (R-Fr. / Richmond Hill, Ontario)
... Named Big Ten Golfer of the Week (Sept. 4) following a T-3 showing at the Island Resort Intercollegiate, in his first career event (68-65-68=201; -15).
... All nine of his rounds have been 75 or lower.
... The 201 in the opener was the third-lowest, 54-hole score in Purdue history, and the lowest by five shots by a freshman.
... Became the fourth player in school history to have three rounds of 68 or better (Herman Sekne, Cole Bradley, Pariya Junhasavasdikul).
... Redshirted a year ago at the University of South Carolina, under previous Purdue head coach Rob Bradley.
• Kentaro Nanayama (Sr. / Jakarta, Indonesia)
... Totaled a 6-under par 210 (69-71-70) to finish T-23 at the Island Resort Intercollegiate.
... Six of his nine rounds this season have been even- or under-par; 11 of his last 18 rounds dating to last year have been even- or under-par.
... Has a 72.40 career stroke average in 57 rounds, despite playing just 25 rounds on the counting team.
... Owns two top-20 finishes, including a T-18 finish at the Boilermaker Invitational where he was in the top five after 36 holes.
... Won the Badger Individual to start his redshirt freshman year in Sept. 2022.
• Jenson Forrester (Jr. / Wolverhampton, England)
... Owns three rounds of par or better through his first two tournaments.
... Averaging 72.00 strokes in the first and second rounds; 74.50 in the final round.
... Four top-10 finishes in 15 career events.
... Ranks second on the team with 21 birdies.
PREVIOUSLY AT THE FIGHTING IRISH CLASSIC
This marks Purdue’s third straight appearance at the Fighting Irish Classic, finishing T-8th in 2023 and second in 2024. Last season, Purdue finished second at 6-over par, 11 shots behind the host school Notre Dame, but ahead of national powers Louisville, Tennessee, UCLA and Duke. Jenson Forrester finished seventh at 1-under par 279, while Supapon Amornchaichan was 12th and Sam Easterbrook tied for 17th. Two seasons ago, Easterbrook finished tied for 43rd.
THE COURSE
One of Indiana’s top courses, Warren Golf Course is a links-style course nestled on 250 wooded acres. Rated as one of the top collegiate golf courses in America, the course hosted the 2019 U.S. Senior Open as well as Big East Conference championships in 2001 to 2005 and NCAA Regionals in 2005 and 2010.
WEATHER FORECAST
Monday: Sunny, 84 degrees; SW winds 10 MPH
Tuesday: Showers, 71 degrees; WSW winds 10 MPH