WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Fresh off a 22-stroke victory at the Fighting Irish Classic, Purdue Women’s Golf returns to action at a familiar tournament. The Boilermakers begin the month of October by returning to the Windy City Collegiate Classic (Oct. 5-6) as three-time tournament champions (2008, 2009, 2010).
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Oct. 5: Rounds 1 and 2 (Tee Times beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET)
Tuesday, Oct. 6: Round 3 (Tee Times beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET)
THE LINEUP (+1 INDIVIDUAL)
Samantha Brown – Jr.
- B1G Preseason Player to Watch
- Playing in her team-leading 31st tournament, posting a 73.94 career stroke average
- Holds a team-best 71.22 stroke average this season and leads the team in team-low rounds (7), rounds in the 60s (3), birdies (35) and pars (99)
- Named Big Ten Golfer of the Week after claiming medalist honors and leading Purdue to a 22-shot victory at the Fighting Irish Classic; her 4-under 209 (70-67-72) was a career low and good enough for a 3-shot win, marking the 10th-lowest 54-hole total in school history
- Placed seventh at the Mason Rudolph Championship with a 211 (68-75-68)
- At the Boilermaker Classic, led the field in par-3 scoring (-2) and tied for 16th (71-74-76—221)
- Second Team All-Big Ten as a sophomore, ending the season at No. 130 in the national rankings
- Paced Purdue with a 72.69 stroke average, as well as team-low rounds (17), birdies (108) and Top 10 finishes (5)
- Tied the single-season school record with six rounds in the 60s
- Nineteen of her 36 rounds were par-or-better, the third most by a Boilermaker in a single season
- Became Big Ten Golfer of the Week after guiding Purdue to a victory at the 2025 Coach Mo Classic; tied for third with a 3-under 213 (75-66-72) for her best finish as a Boilermaker
- Two-time WGCA All-American Scholar and 2026 Academic All-Big Ten
Lauren Timpf – Jr.
- B1G Preseason Player to Watch
- Playing in her 29th tournament as a Boilermaker, holding a 74.22 career stroke average
- Leads team in rounds of par-or-better (6), while ranking second in stroke average (72.56) and birdies (32)
- Last time out, tied for 11th to help Purdue win the Fighting Irish Classic; ranked third in the field in par-4 scoring (E)
- Tied for 25th at the Mason Rudolph Championship (71-76-71—218)
- Led Purdue at the season-opening Boilermaker Classic, making a field-best 16 birdies and placing ninth at 2-over (72-75-71—218) for her fourth career Top 10 performance; also ranked fourth in the field in par-4 scoring (-1)
- Ended the 2025-26 season ranked No. 151 in the nation
- Last season, led Purdue in pars (416), while ranking second in stroke average (73.00), team-low round (13), rounds in the 60s (3) and Top 20 finishes (7)
- Named to the 2026 Big Ten All-Championships Team after tying for fifth (74-67-72—213) at the conference tournament; her 67 (-3) in the second round was a career low
- Her second-place performance at the Boilermaker Spring Classic (71-70-73—214) was a career best and the best finish by an individual Boilermaker throughout the 2025-26 season; played the par 5s 5-under, ranking third in the 94-player field
- Two-time WGCA All-American Scholar and 2026 Academic All-Big Ten
Luana Valero – So.
- Making her 17th appearance after cracking the lineup in all 13 tournaments as a freshman, holding a career stroke average of 74.02
- Holds a 74.11 stroke average this season
- Tied for seventh at the Fighting Irish Classic (73-71-71—215) to help Purdue claim the team title
- Tied for 25th at the Mason Rudolph Championship (74-75-69—218), which included a final round 69 (-2)
- 2026 Big Ten All-Freshman and three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week
- Her 74.00 stroke average was the fourth best by a freshman in program history
- Recorded three rounds in the 60s and three Top 10 finishes, ranking third and fifth, respectively, by a freshman in Purdue history
- Guided Purdue to a third-place finish, while placing fourth (personal best) on the individual leaderboard, at the 2026 Big Ten Championships (67-69-74—210) to earn a spot on the all-championships team; paced the B1G field with 12 birdies, while ranking second in par-4 scoring (-1) throughout the week
- Her three-day total of 210 (67-69-74) at the B1G Championships was the second-lowest 54-hole tally by a Boilermaker competing in the conference tournament, as well as the lowest of her career; the opening round 67 (-3) was a personal best
- Led the team with four eagles a season ago
Ashley Kim – Sr.
- B1G Preseason Player to Watch
- Making her 17th appearance as a Boilermaker, all in the lineup
- Her 73.91 career stroke average is the best among all active Boilermakers
- Holds a 74.00 stroke average this season
- Tied for seventh at the Fighting Irish Classic (73-70-72—215) to help Purdue claim the team title
- Fired a 68 (-3) in the first round of the Mason Rudolph Championship, her best round as a Boilermaker
- Cracked the lineup for all 13 tournaments a season ago, recording a 73.89 stroke average to rank third on the team
- Ranked second on the team in birdies (102) and third in Top 20 finishes (6)
- Led Purdue at the 2025 Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational, tying for 14th (71-73-71—215)
- Tied for fifth at last year’s 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)
- Transferred to Purdue after spending two years at Arkansas State and becoming one of the best golfers in program history
- 2026 Academic All-Big Ten
Olivia Hemmila – Sr.
- Making her fourth appearance as a Boilermaker after spending the past three years at Oakland
- Holds a 74.33 stroke average this season
- Helped Purdue win the Fighting Irish Classic, tying for 14th with a season-low 218 (72-73-73) for her best finish as a Boilermaker
- Carded a season-low 72 (+1) in the final round of the Mason Rudolph Championship
- In her Purdue debut, tied for 30th at the Boilermaker Classic (74-79-73—226)
- 2026 Horizon League All-League First Team
- Played in all 11 tournaments a season ago, recording a 76.58 stroke average
- Led Oakland to its third straight Horizon League Championships, tying for fourth individually (75-74-82—231) and earning a spot on the Horizon League All-Tournament Team
- Claimed medalist honors and led the team to victory at the NKU Julie Invitational (70-74-77—221); named Horizon League Golfer of the Week
- Fired a 3-under 68 in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Ann Arbor Regional
- 2026 WGCA All-American Scholar and Horizon League All-Academic Team
Michaela Headlee – Jr. (Competing as an individual)
- Playing in her 19th tournament as a Boilermaker, fourth of the season
- Holds a 77.44 stroke average this season
- Recorded a 76.19 stroke average a season ago, appearing in 10 tournaments that included five in the lineup
- Placed ninth at the 2026 Boilermaker Spring Classic with a career-low 218 (73-72-73) for her first career Top 10 performance; played the par 5s 5-under to rank third in the field, while ranking fourth in the field with 10 birdies throughout the tournament
- Competing as an individual, fired a season-low 72 (E) in the final round of the 2026 Coach Mo Classic
- Competed as an individual at the 2026 Purdue Puerto Rico Classic and carded a 6-over 222 (76-73-73)
- Featuring in the lineup for the first time in her career, tied for 42nd (75-79-74—228) at the 2025 Boilermaker Classic
- 2026 Academic All-Big Ten
THE FIELD
Arizona
Arizona State
Columbia
Duke
Illinois
Iowa State
Northwestern (Host)
Oregon
Purdue
Stanford
Tulsa
Virginia
THE COURSE
- Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Lake Shore Country Club was founded in 1908 in Glencoe, Illinois, just 25 miles north of Chicago.
- The par 71 course will play at 6,273 yards for the Windy City Classic.
- Some of the most renowned architects in golf history have had an influence on Lake Shore’s greens—from Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. to Tom Bendelow and Donald Ross to the most recent renovation by Ron Prichard.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
- Purdue is no stranger to the Windy City Collegiate Classic. Starting in the fall of 2008, the Boilermakers competed in every edition but one (fall 2012) until the fall of 2021 (2020 event cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
- The Boilermakers captured the tournament title in their first three appearances, claiming a 3-peat in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
- A 279 during the 2009 Windy City Collegiate was a then-school record for lowest round as a team; the mark still stands tied for sixth in program history.
- Last year, the tournament was held at Glen View Club is located in Golf, Illinois.
FIGHTING IRISH CLASSIC CHAMPS
- The Fighting Irish Classic belonged to Purdue, as the Boilermakers dominated two days of play to win the tournament by a whopping 22 strokes. Led by medalist Samantha Brown (-4), Purdue finished 1-under as a team to capture the team title at Warren Golf Course on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.
- The Boilermakers’ three-round total of 851 (286-277-288) was the fifth-lowest 54-hole score in program history. Purdue led by five after the opening round, and by the end of the day following play on Saturday afternoon, the lead ballooned to 19. The Boilermakers did not let up, posting the lowest round of the day and increasing their margin of victory to 22 strokes over Louisville (+21). Wisconsin (+28) rounded out the Top 3, while North Florida and host Notre Dame tied for fourth at 30-over par.
- The 22-shot win was Purdue's largest margin of victory since taking the 2013 Butler Fall Invitational by 28 strokes. The victory secured the Old Gold and Black a team title for the fifth straight season.
- Purdue paced the field in birdies (50), par-3 scoring (E), par-4 scoring (+11) and par-5 scoring (-2). Individually, all five Boilermakers cracked the Top 15.
B1G GOLFER OF THE WEEK
- After earning her first individual win as a Boilermaker and leading Purdue to a 22-shot victory at the Fighting Irish Classic, junior Samantha Brown was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week, the league office announced Thursday afternoon (Oct. 1).
- Brown collected the weekly accolade for the second time in her career. She was Big Ten Golfer of the Week in the spring after helping the Boilermakers defend their title at the 2026 Coach Mo Classic (March 30-31).
- Brown put together a career-low 209 (70-67-72) for the 10th-best individual three-round score by a Boilermaker. She finished 4-under for the tournament to claim medalist honors, three shots ahead of Xavier’s Isabel Brozena.
- The Westfield, Indiana, native made a field-best 15 birdies over 54 holes of play, while also leading the field in par-5 scoring (-3). With her 67 (-4) in the second round, Brown fired her 10th round in the 60s to become just the 11th Boilermaker to record double digit career rounds in the 60s.
WINNING WITH BYRD AND GUIAO
- Purdue Women’s Golf is in its fifth season under the leadership of head coach Zack Byrd and assistant coach Lauren Guiao. The dynamic duo has brought the winning tradition back to West Lafayette.
- Purdue has won seven tournaments under Byrd and Guiao, the most in a five-year span since winning 14 from 2010-14. The Boilermakers have won at least one tournament in five straight seasons for the first time since a streak of nine consecutive years from 2006-14.
- In just the third tournament of the 2026-27 campaign, Purdue dominated the Fighting Irish Classic with a 22-shot victory. With the fifth-lowest 54-hole total in program history, it was the Boilermakers’ largest margin of victory since 2013.
- The Boilermakers defended their title at the 2026 Coach Mo Classic, the 17th tournament that the program has won multiple times.
- 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 Boilers collected just one tournament title in the five seasons prior to Byrd's arrival.
NEXT ON THE TEE
- The Boilermakers conclude the fall by going to Texas for the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate (Oct. 19-21), which will be broadcast live on Golf Channel.
THE REST OF THE SCHEDULE
- Flipping the calendar to 2027, the Boilermakers serve as hosts of the Golf Reservation Center Dominican Republic Classic in Punta Cana (Jan. 31-Feb. 2). The tournament replaces the annual Purdue Puerto Rico Classic, as the Boilermakers welcome teams to Cocotal Country Club for the international event.
- Purdue returns to two more tournaments that were on the schedule the past three seasons, both in the state of Florida. The Boilermakers tee it up at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational in Sarasota (Feb. 14-15) and the Coach Mo Classic in St. Augustine (March 29-30) as the reigning two-time defending champions. Nestled in between the two events is the Puerto Vallarta Invitational in Mexico (March 19-21).
- Serving as the final tune-up before the conference championship, Purdue returns to West Lafayette for the Boilermaker Spring Classic. The spring tournament will take place on the other BBGC Pete Dye course, Ackerman-Allen (April 11-12).
- After venturing more than 2,000 miles west for last year’s conference tournament, Purdue travels east for the 2026 Big Ten Championships at the prestigious Nemacolin Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania (April 23-25). Last year, the Boilermakers placed third at B1G Championships for their best conference finish since 2019.
- Rounding out the schedule, the Boilermakers plan to hear their names called for postseason play in one of six NCAA Regionals (May 10-12) with sights set on a return to the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California (May 21-26).