CARLSBAD, Calif. – The Purdue men’s golf team had its chances in round two at the NCAA Championships, but some big numbers hurt the Boilermakers’ chances to move up the leaderboard at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa.
Purdue finished round two with a 36-hole total of 15-over par 591 (296-295) to sit in 24th place entering Sunday’s third round. The Boilermakers are 12 shots out of fifth place, needing a big round on Sunday to advance to Monday’s fourth round.
Auburn leads the tournament at 20-under par, followed by Texas and Vanderbilt at 12-under par. Purdue entered the tournament as the 27th seed, trailing only Chattanooga and San Diego among teams it was seeded above.
The Boilermakers recorded 15 birdies on the day, one more than yesterday, but big numbers did in Purdue. The Boilermakers had a double-bogey, two triple-bogeys and a quadruple-bogey during the day that killed any momentum for the Boilermakers.
Three of them came on the front nine (Purdue’s second nine after it appeared the Boilermakers were ready to make a charge. Ten of Purdue’s 15 birdies came on the front nine. Aside from the four bad holes, Purdue’s five players were 1-over par.
Jenson Forrester continues to lead the Boilermakers and will have a chance on Sunday to qualify for the fourth round on Monday. Forrester is currently tied for 33rd at 1-under par 143 (72-71), but is currently tied for eighth among players currently not among the top-15 teams. Individuals that are in the top nine not on advancing teams will advance to Monday’s round.
Forrester entered the NCAA Championships having just three even- or under-par rounds in his last four events (11 rounds), two of which came in the Big Ten Championships.
Sam Easterbrook also has a chance to advance to Monday’s fourth round, currently in a 53rd-place tie at 1-over par 145 (72-73). Easterbrook posted 14 more pars, but a double-bogey on the fourth hole cost him a spot among the top 35. Easterbrook’s 28 pars through two rounds is tied for the tournament lead.
Supapon Amornchaichan is tied for 116th at 7-over par 151 (76-75), Kentaro Nanayama is tied for 126th at 8-over par 152 (76-76) and Will Harvey is tied for 141st at 10-over par 154 (76-78).
Purdue will tee off round three on Sunday from 3:45 to 4:29 p.m. ET, off hole one, while paired with Texas A&M and Louisville.
Purdue is looking for its first top-20 finish at the NCAA Championships since 2004 (T-16th). The Boilermakers are five shots out of 20th place.