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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Sophomore Jarle Volden fired a 4-under par 68 and the Purdue men's golf team surged in round two, putting itself in a strong position heading into tomorrow's final round at the NCAA Golf Regionals hosted at the Kampen Course.
The Boilermakers totaled a 1-under par 287 to finish 36 holes in 3-over par 579 (292-287), nine shots off the lead and in a third-place tie with SEC powers Auburn and Florida.
New Mexico and UNLV continue to lead the way, sitting at 6-under and 3-under par respectively. Purdue, Florida and Auburn are all tied nine shots back at 3-over par 579. Illinois is sixth at 8-over par 584, while Augusta is seventh at 10-over par 586 and Saint Mary's is eighth at 14-over par 590.
"I thought we played a really solid round today. Jarle (Volden) went out there and shot the round of the day. He played great golf, and when he gets going, he has the ability to shoot low scores," head coach Rob Bradley said. "Brian (Carlson) fighting back from the round he played yesterday and to shoot what he did today was really big for us.
"It was huge today to see that play from the back-end from our lineup after our seniors struggled a little bit today," Bradley added. "It shows everyone that we are all in this and everyone is fighting. I am sure they will respond well tomorrow."
Volden, a native of Oslo, Norway, turned in a sensational performance in round two, posting the low round of the day with a 4-under par 68 to sit in a seventh-place tie at 2-under par 142 (74-68). His round was one of just four rounds in the 60s among the 75 players and featured five birdies against just one bogey. His 68 is tied for the fifth-best round by a Purdue player in NCAA competition.
Volden had it rolling on the inward nine (Purdue started on 10), recording four birdies in a seven-hole span, then made timely clutch putts to save pars on several holes before a birdie on No. 7 (his 16th hole) moved him to 4-under par.
Volden is tied for seventh at 2-under par 142 (74-68). In last year's NCAA Regionals in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Volden was also tied for seventh after 36 holes.
"I feel I played pretty steady and kept the ball in play. I gave myself a lot of good looks and played a simple, easy round," Volden said. "My iron play was really strong today and had some sloppy drives, but left them in the right spots. I hit a lot of fairways today and put the ball in a good position to score."
Another sophomore, Timmy Hildebrand, turned in another solid round, posting a 1-under par 71 to finish round two in 13th place at even-par 144 (73-71). Hildebrand got to 3-under par through seven holes and was still 2-under through 13 holes when a bogey dropped him to 1-under par. He parred the last four holes to finish with his 14th round of par or better this year.
"It was a tough day today with the wind, but we had a lot of solid performances to get in a good position entering tomorrow," Hildebrand said. "We're all on the same page. We've talked about going out and winning the day tomorrow. If we go out and win the day, there won't be any issues."
Brian Carlson had a strong bounceback round Tuesday, firing a 1-over par 73 after an opening-round 83. Carlson was even-par through 12 holes before a double-bogey on his 13th hole (No. 4) dropped him to 2-over par. He managed to birdie No. 7 and finish his round 10 strokes better than Monday.
Austin Eoff and Fernando Barco shot identical rounds of 3-over par 75 to round out Purdue's scoring. Eoff is tied for 19th at 2-over par 146 (71-75), while Barco is tied for 32nd at 7-over par 149 (74-75).
Purdue will be paired with Auburn and Illinois in Wednesday's final round, teeing off hole No. 1, at 7:50 a.m. ET. The top five finishers will advance to the NCAA National Championships to be played at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois, on May 26 to 31.
Purdue is looking for its 29th all-time appearance in the national championships and third trip in the last four years under head coach Bradley.
Purdue Surges in NCAA Golf 2nd Round
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