WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men’s golf team looks to start its postseason on a high note when it travels to the Pacific Northwest and Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club for the 106th Big Ten Championships.
Purdue will enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed and has put itself in position to win its first Big Ten Championship since 1981. The Boilermakers are ranked No. 41 in the latest Clippd national rankings and behind Illinois (#12), USC (#26) and UCLA (#33) in the national rankings. This year’s event features 16 teams ranked inside the top 100 (compared to 12 last year).
Purdue owns an 18-12-0 (.600) head-to-head record against Big Ten teams this season, having played 13 Big Ten squads.
The trip to the Pacific Northwest marks Purdue’s first appearance in the region since the 2016 NCAA Championships, played at the Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Oregon.
THE SCHEDULE
• Friday, May 1 – 12:30 to 1:10 p.m. ET – Off hole 10, paired with Northwestern and Washington
• Saturday, May 2 – 12:30 to 2:50 p.m. ET – To Be Determined on first-round scores.
• Sunday, May 3 – 12:30 to 2:50 p.m. ET – To Be Determined on second-round scores.
THE COURSE (Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club – Witch Hollow; North Plains, Oregon)
Considered among the nation’s best classic-style courses, Bob Cupp designed the par-72, 7,017-yard Witch Hollow course to blend harmoniously with its natural surroundings in the shadows of the Cascade Mountains. Woven through a tapestry of fir, maple, oak and ash trees with dramatic views of the Tualatin Hills, the course’s undulating fairways, wide manicured greens, numerous wetland areas and variety of ponds, lakes and streams add to the layout’s mystical allure and beauty.
Witch Hollow was named by Golf Digest the “#2 Best New Private Course in the U.S.” when it opened in 1992, and continues to garner national acclaim thanks to its imaginative design and superb conditioning. In 1996, Tiger Woods brought notoriety to Witch Hollow when he won his unprecedented third consecutive U.S. Amateur Championship in a dramatic come-from-behind finish over Steve Scott.
THE FIELD (April 27, 2026 Clippd Rankings)
12 Illinois
26 USC
33 UCLA
41 Purdue
49 Northwestern
52 Washington
62 Oregon
65 Ohio State
71 Minnesota
76 Michigan State
83 Nebraska
84 Iowa
86 Rutgers
88 Michigan
97 Maryland
98 Indiana
108 Wisconsin
121 Penn State
PURDUE LINEUP
-- Sam Easterbrook (Jr. / Tomworth, England)
• 70.97 stroke average; 5 top-10 finishes; 6 rounds in the 60s.
• 10th and T-2nd in his last two events.
• 14 career top-10 placings (6th in Purdue history).
• 19 rounds of par or better (4th in Purdue history).
• 4th on single-season stroke average list (70.97).
-- Will Harvey (Fr. / Westfield, Indiana)
• 71.92 stroke average; 5 top-20 showings; 2 top-5 placings; 6 rounds in the 60s.
• 6th-ranked Big Ten golfer among freshmen.
• T-16th, T-4th, T-6th in his last three events.
• 3 top-10s are 3rd most by a freshman in school history (Austin Eoff, Adam Schenk – 4).
• 71.92 stroke average is best by a freshman in school history by over a stroke.
-- Kentaro Nanayama (Sr. / Jakarta, Indonesia)
• 72.21 stroke average; 3 top-20 finishes; 6 rounds in the 60s.
• 72.45 career stroke average in 44 rounds on the counting team.
• Posted T-12th and T-3rd finishes in back-to-back events in the fall.
• Has shot 76 or better in his last 11 rounds (every round this spring).
• Six top-30 placings in nine full events this season.
-- Andre Zhu (R-Fr. / Richmond Hill, Ontario)
• 72.24 stroke average; 3 top-20 showings; 13 rounds of par or better.
• School-record holder for lowest tournament score by a freshman (201).
• Second on the team in birdies with 89.
-- Supapon Amornchaichan (So. / Bangkok, Thailand)
• 72.46 stroke average; 3 top-20 finishes; 15 rounds of par or better.
• 22 of his 26 rounds have been 75 or lower.
• Only career top-10 finish came at the 2025 NCAA Championships (T-9th).
-- Jenson Forrester (Jr. / Wolverhampton, England)
• 72.85 stroke average; 1 top-10 showing; 11 rounds of par or better.
• Posted four top-30 finishes during the fall season.
PURDUE IN THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
• Sam Easterbook (2025; Baltimore Country Club) – 69-73-71=213 (+3); T-15th
• Sam Easterbrook (2024; Scioto Country Club) – 74-79-76=229 (+19); T-39th
• Supapon Amornchaichan (2025; Baltimore Country Club) – 74-72-75=221 (+11); T-50th
• Jenson Forrester (2025; Baltimore Country Club) – 71-72-78=221 (+11): T-50th
TEAM NOTES
• Purdue’s stroke average of 284.28 is currently the lowest in school history by almost 2.5 strokes per round (2021-22; 286.63).
• Purdue is a combined 48-under par through its 29 rounds this season. Seventeen of the 29 rounds have been even- or under par. The 17 even- or under-par rounds are already tied for the most in school history, with at least six more rounds to play.
• Purdue has had just six top-5 individual finishes this season. However, all six of Purdue’s regulars have at least two top-20 placings.
• Purdue’s six regulars have between a 70.97 and 72.85 stroke average, all currently ranking in the top 25 of the single-season stroke average chart.
• All six of Purdue’s regulars have had rounds of 68 or better.
• Purdue has four players that have recorded six rounds in the 60s.
PURDUE AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
• Purdue is looking for its first Big Ten Championship since 1981.
• Purdue has finished in the top five just three times in the last 10 tournaments (T-4th in 2017; 2nd in 2019; 3rd in 2024).
• Purdue has won 12 Big Ten Championships, tied for the third most in Big Ten history (Ohio State – 23; Illinois – 20). Purdue’s 14 individual champions rank as the fifth most.
• Purdue hasn’t had an individual champion since 2007 (Pariya Junhasavasdikul).
• Purdue hasn’t posted a tournament total of even-par or better since the 2005 Championships.
WEATHER FORECAST
• Friday, May 1 – Mostly Cloudy, 68 degrees; NW wind 5-10 MPH
• Saturday, May 2 – Partly Cloudy, 70 degrees; N wind 5-10 MPH
• Sunday, May 3 – Partly Cloudy, 83 degrees; NE wind 5-10 MPH