WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s golf team starts its month of March by hosting six other teams for the Shootout at Wachesaw in Murrels Inlet, South Carolina (March 9). The one-day, 36-hole event takes place at Wachesaw Plantation Club, the home course of Purdue head coach Zack Byrd.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, March 9: Rounds 1 and 2 (9 a.m. ET Shotgun Start)
THE LINEUP (+1 INDIVIDUAL)
Samantha Brown – So.
- Ranked No. 183 in the nation
- Playing in her team-leading 22nd tournament for Purdue, including the 21st time in the lineup
- Eleven of her 20 rounds have been par-or-better, including four rounds in the 60s, leading the Boilermakers in both categories
- Also paces Purdue in team-low round (9), birdies (60) and Top 20 finishes (3)
- Holds a 73.30 stroke average, ranking second on the team
- Last time out, produced the best finish of her career, tying for fifth at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational with a 2-over 218 (71-76-71); ranked fourth in the field in par-5 scoring (-4)
- 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
- 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
Luana Valero – Fr.
- Has been in the lineup in all seven tournaments
- Ranks fourth on the team with a 74.25 stroke average
- Leads the team with four eagles and ranks second in pars (220)
- Last time out, placed 23rd on the individual leaderboard at 9-over (74-80-71—225), tying the best finish of her career; her final round 71 (-1) matched her career low and led the Boilermakers to their best team final round of the season (E)
- 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
- 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
Ashley Kim – Jr.
- Has been in the lineup in all seven tournaments
- Holds a 73.35 stroke average, ranking third 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
Lauren Timpf – So.
- Ranked No. 156 in the nation
- Leads Purdue in stroke average (73.00), pars (231) and Top 20 finishes (3)
- Making her 20th appearance as a Boilermaker, including the 15th in the Purdue lineup
- Has paced the Boilermakers in three of the seven tournaments this season, including 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 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
Michaela Headlee – So.
- Appearing in her fifth tournament of the season, including her third in the lineup
- Holds a 76.92 stroke average
- Last time out, tied for 39th at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational (78-76-76—230)
- Competed as an individual at the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic and carded a career-low 222 (76-73-73)
- Featuring 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
Ella Weber – Jr. (Competing as an individual)
- Playing in her eighth tournament as a Boilermaker
- Has recorded three eagles, including a pair on par 4s, to rank second on the team
- Holds a 77.055 stroke average
- 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
THE FIELD
Augusta
Coastal Carolina
Iowa
Minnesota
Purdue (Host)
#18 South Carolina
Wisconsin
THE COURSE
- The tournament will take place at Wachesaw Plantation Club, a par 72 layout measuring 6,269 yards.
- Designed by Tom Fazio, Wachesaw takes advantage of the site’s inherent beauty and interesting elevation changes not typically found in the Carolina Low Country.
- The club was head coach Zack Byrd’s home course during his time as a professional golfer.
LAST TIME OUT
- Behind 1-under par 71s from sophomore Samantha Brown and freshman Luana Valero, Purdue recorded an even-par 288 in the final round of the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational. The Boilermakers (+38) shaved 27 strokes off of their second round team score and ended the tournament in seventh place.
- The even-par total as a team marked Purdue’s best final round of the 2025-26 season.
- Brown produced the best finish of her career, tying for fifth with a 2-over 218 (71-76-71). The Westfield, Indiana, native played the par 5s 4-under throughout the week to rank fourth in the field in par-5 scoring.
- Valero placed 23rd on the individual leaderboard at 9-over (74-80-71—225), tying the best finish of her career. She matched her lowest round of the season with a final round 71 that featured four birdies.
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
- Following the 36 holes at Wachesaw, the Boilermakers return to South Carolina next week 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).