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SUGAR GROVE, Ill. ââ'¬" Sophomore Timmy Hildebrand shot a 2-under par 70, but the Purdue men's golf team missed a golden opportunity to post a low score in round one of the NCAA Golf Championships held at Rich Harvest Farms.
The Boilermakers totaled a 10-over par 298 under near-perfect conditions to finish the morning wave (15 teams) in a tie for 13th place. As time of release, Purdue was tied for 27th, it's likely position entering Saturday's second round, give or take one or two spots.
Auburn led the morning wave with a 6-under par 282, while Alabama shot a 1-under par 287. Baylor, which teed off in the afternoon, was leading the way at 8-under par before play was halted for about an hour at 3:04 p.m. CT, for lightning in the area.
"We really missed out on a big opportunity this morning. The conditions were almost perfect out there and we just didn't play well enough to take advantage," head coach Rob Bradley said. "Timmy Hildebrand continues to play very well and I thought Fernando Barco really bounced back after a tough start, but we just need to be better. I'm anxious for us to get back out there again tomorrow, because I really think we can post a solid score. We can get back into position, but it's going to have to be a team effort up and down the lineup."
Hildebrand, a sophomore from Westfield, Indiana, posted his team-best 15th round this year or even-par or better with a 2-under par 70. He finished the morning wave tied for seventh and at time of release, was in a 12th-place tie.
Hildebrand played the par-5 holes in 3-under par and was 2-under par through 14 holes. He would bogey No. 15, but managed to par the difficult 16th and 17th holes, before birdieing the par-5 18th for his 2-under par 70.
In relation to par, Hildebrand's 2-under par score is tied for the fifth-best score for a Purdue golfer in NCAA Championships history. His 15 rounds of even-par or better are now the ninth most in a season in school history.
Barco, meanwhile, recovered from a rough start to shoot a 1-over par 73. Barco triple-bogeyed the par-5 second hole and then bogeyed the par-5 seventh hole, before posting three birdies in a five-hole span on Nos. 9, 11 and 13 to get back to 1-over par. He would finish the round with five straight pars and play his last 10 holes in 3-under par.
Jarle Volden recorded a 4-over par 76 after struggling on the greens most of the day. Volden struck the ball well, but could never get the putter working in his opening round, finishing 4-over par.
Austin Eoff fired a 7-over par 79, while freshman Thomas Lewis tallied a 9-over par 81.
Purdue will tee off Saturday's second round with Jacksonville and Kennesaw State at 1:22 p.m. CT / 2:22 p.m. ET, off hole No. 10. The start could be pushed back a bit depending on if today's afternoon wave are able to finish their rounds.
Purdue Misses Chance in Round One
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