CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Purdue men’s golf team remained in the hunt for a Regional championship, sitting in second place after 36 holes at the NCAA Corvallis Regional held at Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis, Oregon.
The Boilermakers currently sit at 20-under par after rounds of 272-276=548, good for second place, eight shots behind No. 17-ranked Oklahoma. The Sooners played outstanding golf in round two to take the lead from the Boilermakers after shooting a 19-under par 265 for a two-round total of 275-265=540.
Host Oregon State is third at 13-under par, while UCLA (-9) and top-seeded Arkansas (-8) are in fourth and fifth place. Georgia Southern and Liberty are tied for sixth at 6-under par, while the second seed and No. 7-ranked Texas Tech is in eighth at 3-under par.
Purdue enters the final round 14 shots clear of the cut line.
The top five finishers will advance to the NCAA National Championships to beplayed at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, on May 29 to June 3.
Purdue is looking for its third straight appearance for the first time since making 19 straight National Championships from 1949 to 1967.
Purdue once again started fast, playing the first five holes in six-under par and taking a five-shot lead in the team race over Oklahoma, reaching 18-under par as a team. However, over the next seven holes (6 to 13), Purdue lost five shots and the Sooners surged ahead.
Rallying in the latter half of the back nine, the Boilermakers torched the par-5s, playing holes 14 and 16 in a combined 7-under par on the counting team to right the ship and stay within range of the Sooners after 36 holes.
In the second round, Purdue’s five players had 12 birdies on the three par-5 holes and had a stretch where 11 straight Boilermakers made a birdie on a par-5, playing the par-5s in the second round with a 4.20 average.
The Boilermakers lead the field with 43 birdies in the first two rounds.
Supapon Amornchaichan continues to shine during NCAA competition, sitting in a tie for fifth at 6-under par 136 (68-68). Amornchaichan shot a 68 despite a double-bogey on hole No. 6, and sits just three shots off the pace.
Amornchaichan is looking for his third straight top-15 showing in NCAA competition.
Sam Easterbrook also continues to play well, matching Amornchaichan’s 36-hole total at 6-under par 136 (67-69). Easterbrook posted his 10th round this season in the 60s and 23rd round of even-par or better, just one off the school record set by Lee Williamson in 2002.
Freshman Will Harvey also with a strong day, moving into a 14th-place tie at 4-under par 138 (70-68), while Kentaro Nanayama also is T-14 after rounds of 67-71=138.
Jenson Forrester is tied for 70th at 7-over par 149 (75-74).
Purdue will tee off the final round at 10:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. PT on Wednesday off hole No. 1, and paired with Oklahoma and Oregon State.