May 2, 2010
MAPLE PLAIN, Minn. - The Purdue men's golf team used a 299 (+15) in the final round of the Big Ten Men's Championships to finish in fifth place. The Boilermakers finished just four strokes behind fourth-place Michigan and eight strokes ahead of sixth-place Indiana.
Minnesota, who finished in eighth, played host to the field at the par-71, 7,380-yard Windsong Farm. The Big Ten participants played 36 holes on Friday and 18 holes on Saturday and Sunday.
Purdue entered the fourth round in fifth place after carding a 22-over 306 in the third round. The fourth-round 294 was the third lowest team total of the day. Illinois won the Championship with a team total of 1157 (+21). The Illini finished three strokes ahead of second-place Iowa and six strokes ahead of third-place Northwestern.
Sophomore Tyler Duncan recorded Purdue's lowest round of the day with a two-under 69. Duncan's four-round total of 293 (+9) placed him in a tie for 13th. Fellow Boilermaker, junior Nakarintra Ratanakul also carded a 293 for the tournament. Ratanakul fired a Purdue-low three-under 68 in round two. Junior Erich Johnston was Purdue's top individual scorer. Johnston carded a two-over 73 on Sunday and landed in a seventh-place tie with a cumulative score of 290 (+6). Other scoring Boilermakers included sophomore William Sjaichudin with a 303 (+19) and freshman Henry Plager who carded a 316 (+32).
David Lipsky of Northwestern took home medalist honors with a three-under 281. Lipsky finished two strokes ahead of second-place Matt Thompson of Michigan. The two were tied heading into the final round. Barret Kelpin of Iowa, Luke Guthrie of Illinois and Jack Schultz of Michigan round out the top-five. Those five golfers receive All-Tournament Team honors with their finish.
The Boilermakers were looking to solidify their résumé for an NCAA Regionals bid. To qualify for Regionals, a team must either win its conference tournament or finish the season with a record of .500 or better in a cumulative head-to-head comparison of the field at each of its events. The Boilermakers will be given word Monday if they qualified for a bid.
Championships are available at golfstat.com. The Big Ten Network will broadcast the tournament on a tape-delayed basis at noon ET on Sunday, May 23.