RIO GRANDE, P.R. – Sophomore Samantha Brown started the spring with a career-low 68 (-4) and followed that with an even-par 72 (E) to lead Purdue Women’s Golf on the first day of the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic.
Originally scheduled for 18 holes each day, Sunday featured the first two rounds as heavy rain lingers in the island’s forecast on Monday and Tuesday. Eighteen teams played under sunny skies with temperatures in the 80s, and after 36 holes, the Boilermakers (-2) find themselves in 10th among a stacked field that features five Top 25 programs.
Purdue shot 1-under in both rounds, thanks in large part to ranking second in the field in par-5 scoring (-11). No. 4 Arkansas (-22) holds a one-shot clubhouse lead over No. 14 North Carolina (-21) heading into the final round.
Brown carded her best round as a Boilermaker by making six birdies and only two bogeys to start the day. After a par on her opening hole, she tallied three birdies through the next four holes to help Purdue jump to the top of the leaderboard early in the tournament. Following bogeys at the ninth and 11th, the sophomore played her final nine holes of the morning bogey free and 3-under par to secure the lowest round of her collegiate career. Brown countered three bogeys with three birdies in the afternoon for her team-leading ninth par-or-better round of the season. She played the par 5s 4-under on the day to rank second in the field in par-5 scoring, and at 4-under par for the tournament, Brown sits tied for 12th on the individual leaderboard.
Juniors Ashley Kim and Ella Weber were consistent, as both Boilermakers fired 72s in both the first and second rounds. Lauren Timpf produced Purdue’s best round of the afternoon with a 1-under 71, a four-stroke improvement from her morning round.
While three inches of rain is expected on Monday and Tuesday, the 18 teams will try to complete the tournament on Monday morning with a 7:30 a.m. AST (6:30 a.m. ET) shotgun start. The Boilermakers will be paired alongside North Texas (-3), North Florida (-1) and Iowa State (+3).
For updates throughout tomorrow’s final round, follow Purdue Women's Golf on Twitter @PurdueWGolf.
BOILERMAKERS
T-12. Samantha Brown: 68-72—140 (-4)
T-41. Ashley Kim: 72-72—144 (E)
T-41. Ella Weber: 72-72—144 (E)
T-57. Lauren Timpf: 75-71—146 (+2)
T-76. Luana Valero: 76-73—149 (+5)
*T-76: Michaela Headlee: 76-73—149 (+5)
*83. Ida Lindqvist: 75-76—151 (+7)
*Competing as an individual
TEAM LEADERBOARD
- #4 Arkansas: 279-275—554 (-22)
2. #14 North Carolina: 276-279—555 (-21)
3. LSU: 283-279—562 (-14)
4. #20 Northwestern: 281-284—565 (-11)
5. #15 Ole Miss: 285-281—566 (-10)
T6. Michigan State: 283-284—567 (-9)
T6. Kansas State: 283-284—567 (-9)
8. #10 Vanderbilt: 288-280—568 (-8)
9. North Texas: 286-287—573 (-3)
10. Purdue: 287-287—574 (-2)
11. North Florida: 285-290—575 (-1)
T12. Iowa: 286-293—579 (+3)
T12. Iowa State: 287-292—579 (+3)
T14. Minnesota: 289-291—580 (+4)
T14. UNCW: 290-290—580 (+4)
16. Michigan: 291-293—584 (+8)
17. Furman: 293-295—588 (+12)
18. Georgia Southern: 294-296—590 (+14)