Purdue Struggles in NCAA Golf 1st RoundPurdue Struggles in NCAA Golf 1st Round

Purdue Struggles in NCAA Golf 1st Round

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May 28, 2016

Round 1 Results / Round 1 Photo Gallery / Round 2 Live Scoring

EUGENE, Ore. -- The Purdue men's golf team could get nothing going in round one of the NCAA Golf Championships, finishing the opening 18 holes in 30th place with a 19-over par 299.

The Boilermakers trail co-leaders Arkansas and TCU, both of which played in the morning wave, by 17 shots and 29th-place Houston by three shots (+16). The Boilermakers, however, are just one good round on Saturday from getting back in the mix, trailing the 15th-place team (Illinois, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arizona State) by a mere nine shots.

The top-15 teams after Sunday's third round will play a fourth and final round on Memorial Day to determine the top-8 teams for match play, which will begin Tuesday.

The Boilermakers actually started their first round in outstanding shape, leading the morning wave at 4-under par through just three holes of play. But Purdue played the final six holes of the front nine in a combined 12-over par to fall back off the pace.

The back nine was no different than the front nine as Purdue would often counter a birdie with a bogey and play the final nine holes in 14-over par.

Stuart Macdonald, playing in his final collegiate tournament, led the Boilermakers in round one with a 2-over par 72. Macdonald led the morning wave for a good portion of the round, recording three birdies in his first four holes, before falling back and ending his round bogey-bogey to give him an opening-round 72, good for 52nd place after 18 holes.

Macdonald's five birdies ranked second out of 156 players in the tournament field.

Junior Fernando Barco overcame a rough start to shoot a 3-over par 73 to sit in 72nd place after 18 holes. A double-bogey on No. 7 dropped Barco to 3-over par, but he played his final 11 holes in even-par to take some momentum into tomorrow' second round. Barco finished his round with four birdies.

Sophomore Brian Carlson birdied his first hole of the day, but struggled to a 6-over par 76 to finish round one in 126th place. He was 1-under par through four holes when three straight bogeys dropped him to 2-over par. He then parred his next five holes before playing his next four holes (Nos. 13 to 16) in 4-over par to send him to an opening-round 76.

Junior Austin Eoff and Jarle Volden each shot an opening-round 78 to rank 145th after 18 holes.

The Boilermakers will look to make a move up the leaderboard in round two, teeing off hole No. 10 at 1:37 p.m. PT / 4:37 p.m. ET. Purdue will be matched up with Kentucky and UAB.

Purdue is making its 28th appearance in the NCAA Championships and the second in three years under head coach Rob Bradley.