CARLSBAD, Calif. – Purdue junior Sam Easterbrook missed a spot on the NCAA All-Championship Team by one shot, wrapping up the NCAA Championships with a 16th-place finish at 5-under par 283.
The top 15 and ties earned a spot on the NCAA All-Championship team and guaranteed Honorable Mention All-America status by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). Two golfers finished tied for 14th at 6-under par, while Easterbrook was one shot back at 5-under par 283 (72-73-68-70).
Needing a birdie on one of his final three holes, Easterbrook had looks at birdie on all three holes. His approach shot on his 18th hole flew over the green, and his chip from just over the green slid past by about an inch on the right side.
Easterbrook played brilliantly all week, going the last 34 holes of the NCAA Championships without a bogey while playing the same span in 7-under par.
His 283 is the lowest 72-hole score at the NCAA Championships since Shiv Kapur finished tied for 10th in the 2004 NCAA Championships with a 2-over par 282. His score in relation to par (5-under par) is the second-best 72-hole score in Purdue history in relation to par (Rick Dalpos; 6-under at the 1981 Big Ten Championships).
The round concludes a record-breaking season for the junior from Tomworth, England. Easterbrook set school records for most rounds of even-par or better (26), most rounds of 75 or lower (36) and most birdies made in a season (147). He finished the year with a 70.72 stroke average, good for second in school history, and finished the year a cumulative 26-under par.
As a team, Purdue concluded the season in Sunday’s third round at the NCAA Championships with a 23rd-place finish, the highest NCAA Championships finish since 2004. Purdue set the school record for stroke average at 284.79, posting a cumulative score of 26-under par.
Purdue will return five of six regulars for next season, while welcoming in a highly-regarded recruiting class.