WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Following a week off, Purdue Women's Golf continues its spring campaign with another trip south. The Boilermakers return to the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational in Sarasota, Florida, joining 14 other teams at Palm Aire Country Club (Feb. 15-16).
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Sunday, Feb. 15: Rounds 1 and 2 (8:15 a.m. ET Shotgun Start)
Monday, Feb. 16: Round 3 (8:15 a.m. ET Shotgun Start)
THE LINEUP (+1 INDIVIDUAL)
Lauren Timpf – So.
- Ranked No. 121 in the nation
- Leads Purdue in stroke average (72.41), birdies (53), pars (197) and team-low rounds (7)
- Making her 19th appearance as a Boilermaker, including the 14th in the Purdue lineup
- Tied for 30th at last year’s Spartan Sun Coast Invitational (75-73-73—221)
- Has paced the Boilermakers in three of the six tournaments this season, including last time out at the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic (75-71-68—214) in which she ranked fourth in par-3 scoring (-3); her final round 68 (-4) was a career low and matched the lowest round of the season by a Boilermaker
- Led Purdue at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational with the ninth-best 36-hole total in program history (71-73—144); tied for 13th on the individual leaderboard and ranked third in par-4 scoring (-1)
- Played her best golf as a Boilermaker with a career-low 211 (70-69-72) to place third at the Wolverine Invitational
- Led the Wolverine Invitational field in birdies (12) and par-5 scoring (-3), while ranking third in par-4 scoring (-2)
- Tied for 15th at the season-opening Boilermaker Classic with a 219 (69-76-74)
- Ranked third in the Boilermaker Classic field in par-3 scoring (-2)
- Produced a 75.94 stroke average a season ago
- Played her best golf of last season at the NCAA Lubbock Regional; her 14th-place finish, 54-hole total (73-76-70—219) and final round 70 (-2) were all season bests, and she ranked fourth in the field in par-5 scoring (-5) throughout the week
- 2025 WGCA All-American Scholar
Ashley Kim – Jr.
- Ranked No. 187 in the nation
- Has been in the lineup in all six tournaments
- Holds a 72.88 stroke average, ranking second on the team
- Led Purdue at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational, tying for 14th (71-73-71—215)
- Placed 25th (+2) at the Windy City Collegiate Classic
- Tied for fifth at the Wolverine Invitational with a 216 (75-70-71), which included a second round 70 (-1); ranked third in the field in par-5 scoring (-2)
- In her Purdue debut, tied for 18th at the Boilermaker Classic (72-73-76—221)
- Transferred to Purdue after spending the past two seasons at Arkansas State and becoming one of the best golfers in program history
- Last season, set Arkansas State’s single-season school record for stroke average (71.70)
- Three-time Sun Belt Conference Golfer of the Week
- Shot par-or-better in 12 of her 20 rounds, the third most in a single season in program history
- Claimed medalist honors and led Arkansas State to a victory at the Maverick Classic by matching the lowest 54-hole total in school history; fired a 12-under 204 (66-68-70), and her 6-under 66 in the opening round was the second-lowest round ever by an ASU golfer
- Made 88 birdies as a freshman at ASU, ranking second in program history
Samantha Brown – So.
- Playing in her team-leading 21st tournament for Purdue, including the 20th time in the lineup
- Nine of her 17 rounds have been par-or-better, including four rounds in the 60s, leading the Boilermakers in both categories
- Holds a 73.41 stroke average, ranking third on the team
- Tied for 51st at last year’s Spartan Sun Coast Invitational (76-76-72—224)
- Last time out, began the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic with a career-low 68 (-4) to match the lowest round by a Boilermaker this season
- Paced the Boilermakers at the Windy City Collegiate Classic, tying for 18th with an even-par 216 (69-76-71) to match her personal best; ranked fourth in the field in par-5 scoring (-6) throughout the tournament and recorded her third career hole-in-one in the first round
- Started the season by leading Purdue at the Boilermaker Classic, tying for ninth by finishing even par (75-72-69—216) for her first career Top 10 performance; her 54-hole total was a career low
- Played the par 5s 4-under throughout the Boilermaker Classic, ranking third in the field
- As a freshman, cracked the lineup in all 14 tournaments
- Held a 75.76 stroke average a season ago, leading the team’s freshmen
- Led Purdue in eagles (4), including a pair of hole-in-ones, while ranking second on the team in pars (428)
- 2025 WGCA All-American Scholar
Ella Weber – Jr.
- Playing in her seventh tournament as a Boilermaker, including the fourth in the lineup
- Has recorded three eagles, including a pair on par 4s
- Holds a 77.06 stroke average
- Last time out, carded a career-low 219 (72-72-75) at the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic
- Returning to her home country and making her first appearance in the Purdue lineup, tied for 59th at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational (84-77—161)
- Tied for 25th at the Wolverine Invitational (79-75-69—233); her final round 69 (-2) was her best round as a Boilermaker
- Transferred to Purdue after spending the past two seasons at Michigan State
- Qualified for the 2025 U.S. Women’s Am at Bandon Dunes
- Tied for 11th at the 2025 PGA Women’s Championship of Canada and placed 16th at the Glencoe Invitational, a pair of Canadian pro events
Luana Valero – Fr.
- Has been in the lineup in all six tournaments
- Ranks fourth on the team with a 74.12 stroke average
- Leads the team with four eagles
- Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week to close out the fall, carding a career-low 218 (71-73-74) at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational
- Fired a 221 (72-74-75) at the Windy City Collegiate Classic
- Tied for 23rd at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational (74-73—147), her best finish as a Boilermaker; her 73 (+1) tied for Purdue’s lowest final round
- Tied for 28th (73-80-72—225) at the Boilermaker Classic, her collegiate debut
- In the final round of the Boilermaker Classic, eagled the par-4 seventh
- Placed third at the 2025 Women’s Amateur Latin America
- Rose to No. 166 in the world in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and entered Purdue ranked No. 187
- 17 ranked prospect in the world, including No. 3 among players signed by Big Ten programs, according to Golf Channel's Brentley Romine
- Won nine tournaments and racked up 32 Top 10 finishes over three years entering her Purdue career
Michaela Headlee – So. (Competing as an individual)
- Appearing in her fourth tournament of the season
- Holds a 77.00 stroke average
- Last time out, competed as an individual at the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic and carded a career-low 222 (76-73-73)
- Featured in the lineup for the first time in her career, tied for 42nd (75-79-74—228) at the Boilermaker Classic
- Competed in six tournaments as a freshman, all as an individual
- Recorded a 78.47 stroke average during her freshman season
- Tied for 22nd at the Coach Mo Classic (70-80-76—226), which included a career-low 70 in the opening round
- Fired a season-low 225 (73-73-79) to place 28th at the Boilermaker Spring Classic
THE FIELD
Clemson
College of Charleston
FIU
Illinois
Iowa
#25 Kent State
Kentucky
Michigan State (Host)
Michigan
#23 Northwestern
Ohio State
#23 Oklahoma
Princeton
Purdue
THE COURSE
- The tournament will take place on the Champions Course at Palm Aire Country Club, a par 72 layout measuring 6,191 yards.
- The Champions Course was shaped by Dick Wilson in 1957 before going through a redesign by Mike Benkusky in 2021.
- Known as Desoto Lakes Country Club in 1960, the course hosted a PGA tournament with a $40,000 purse, the largest in Florida at the time. Sam Snead won the event to collect $5,300, while and a young golfer named Arnold Palmer finished fourth and took home $1,475.
LAST YEAR IN SUNSHINE
- Purdue finished the 2025 Spartan Sun Coast Invitational strong, firing a 3-under 285 as a team for the third-best final round at Palm Aire Country Club.
- Momo Sugiyama led the way during the final day of play, carding a bogey-free 67 (-5) that matched the best round of her career.
- Despite shaving 15 and 17 strokes, respectively, off their opening two rounds, the Boilermakers (+23) finished in 13th place. Purdue made 15 birdies through the first 36 holes of the tournament before draining 20 during the final round.
LAST TIME OUT
- Just like the first day of the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic, the final round featured another career best by a Boilermaker. Twenty-four hours after Samantha Brown carded a 68 (-4), fellow sophomore Lauren Timpf fired a career-low 68 of her own to soar up the leaderboard and lead Purdue at Grand Reserve Golf Club.
- The Boilermakers (-1) finished under par as a team for the first time this season, placing 10th out a competitive 18-team field.
- Timpf tied for 24th at 2-under (75-71-68—214), leaping 33 spots up the leaderboard on the last day. The Macomb, Michigan, native made six birdies during the round, including three deuces on the par-3s. She played the short holes 3-under throughout the tournament to rank fourth in the 101-player field in par-3 scoring.
- Ella Weber carded her best 54-hole total as a Boilermaker (72-72-75—219), while Michaela Headlee played the best golf of her Purdue career with a 6-over 222 (76-73-73) competing as an individual.
FALL RECAP
- The Boilermakers played in five tournaments throughout the fall, recording a pair of Top 5 finishes to go along with three eighth-place performances.
- Samantha Brown, Ashley Kim, Lauren Timpf, Luana Valero and Ella Weber played in all five fall tournaments for Purdue. Kim, Timpf, Valero and Weber cracked the lineup for each tournament, while Brown was in the lineup in four tournaments to go along with an individual appearance.
- Timpf led the way with a 72.64 stroke average, posting Purdue’s lowest round five times throughout the fall. The sophomore finished third at the Wolverine Invitational with a career-low 211 (-2).
- Kim paced Purdue in birdies (43), while ranking second in stroke average (73.00). She earned a Top 5 finish of her own at the Wolverine Invitational.
- Brown recorded a team-high three rounds in the 60s, while Valero and Weber made three eagles apiece to lead the Boilermakers in that category.
- Valero finished her first fall of collegiate golf by becoming Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
WINNING WITH BYRD AND GUIAO
- Purdue Women’s Golf is in its fourth season under the leadership of head coach Zack Byrd and assistant coach Lauren Guiao. Over the past three years, the dynamic duo has brought the winning tradition back to West Lafayette.
- Purdue has won five tournaments under Byrd and Guiao, the most in a three-year span since winning six from 2012-14.
- After starting off the 2024-25 season with a win at the Boilermaker Classic, a victory at the Coach Mo Classic gave the Boilermakers multiple tournament wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since a six-year stretch from the fall of 2005 to the spring of 2011.
- Purdue has also claimed victories at the 2023 Boilermaker Classic, the 2023 Tulane Classic and the 2023 Mary Fossum Invitational with Byrd at the helm.
- The Boilermakers have advanced to nationals in each of the past two seasons. With the men making the NCAA Championships as well, Purdue is the only Big Ten school and one of only seven programs nationally to send both men’s and women’s teams to the national stage the past two years.
- Purdue collected just one tournament title in the five seasons prior to Byrd's arrival.
A LOOK AT THE REST OF THE SPRING
- Up next, Purdue competes in the one-day Shootout at Wachesaw at Murrells Inlet in Byrd’s home state of South Carolina (March 9) before remaining in the state for the Briar’s Creek Invitational on Johns Island (March 16-17).
- Ending the month of March, the Boilermakers travel to St. Augustine, Florida to defend their title at the Coach Mo Classic (March 30-31). 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 12-13).
- After venturing to the east coast the past two years to compete for a conference title, Purdue travels more than 2,000 miles for the 2026 Big Ten Championships. The league tournament is set to take place at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale, California (April 24-26).
- Rounding out the schedule, the Boilermakers plan to hear their names called for postseason play in one of six NCAA Regionals (May 11-13) with sights set on a third straight trip to the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California (May 22-27).