PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Purdue Women's Golf battled Northwestern throughout the finals of Big Ten Match Play, but in the end, the Wildcats emerged with a 4-2 victory to claim the tournament title Tuesday (Feb. 1) at Innisbrook Resort.
The Boilermakers finished their spring opener with a 2-1 record, taking runner-up in the event with a loss in the finals. Redshirt-freshman Jocelyn Bruch and senior Inez Wanamarta won all three of their matches over the two days of play. The duo accounted for both of Purdue's points in the championship match.
Bruch had the biggest win of the week for the Boilermakers, cruising to a 5-and-3 victory over Northwestern's Kelly Su. That domination started on the opening hole as Bruch made a birdie before a par at the second was enough to put her 2-up through two holes. After tying a pair, the Purdue golfer won back-to-back holes to build her lead to 4-up after just six holes of play. Her advantage grew to as much as 6-up with six to play, locking up the match and a perfect 3-0 week for Bruch.
Wanamarta didn't get to the 16th hole either as she led throughout her match, which ended in a 4-and-3 win. Like Bruch, Wanamarta took the opening two holes before finding herself 3-up on the eighth tee. Northwestern's Jane Lu won the last two holes on the front to slice Wanamarta's advantage to one. However, the veteran never lost her lead and grew it coming down the stretch. Her birdie at the par-5 15th sealed the win, her third individual victory in as many matches.
Daniela Ballesteros came back from 2-down through five, winning three straight holes to grab a 1-up lead. However, Northwestern's Kelly Sim took control of the match on the back nine to capture a 3-and-2 win. Despite the loss, Ballesteros ended the week with a 2-1 record to start her spring campaign.
Up next, the Boilermakers will return to stroke play by competing in the Columbia Classic at Melbourne, Florida (Feb. 13-14). Purdue will play three rounds at Duran Golf Club, going up against 14 other teams.
Final Match Results: Northwestern Beats Purdue 4-2
Kelly Sim (Northwestern) defeats Danielle du Toit (Purdue) 2&1
Jennifer Cai (Northwestern) defeats Daniela Ballesteros (Purdue) 3&2
Inez Wanamarta (Purdue) defeats Jane Lu (Northwestern) 4&3
Jocelyn Bruch (Purdue) defeats Kelly Su (Northwestern) 5&3
Jieni Li (Northwestern) defeats Sifat Sagoo (Purdue) 5&4
Lauryn Nguyen (Northwestern) defeats Thitapa Pakdeesettakul (Purdue) 6&5
The Boilermakers finished their spring opener with a 2-1 record, taking runner-up in the event with a loss in the finals. Redshirt-freshman Jocelyn Bruch and senior Inez Wanamarta won all three of their matches over the two days of play. The duo accounted for both of Purdue's points in the championship match.
Bruch had the biggest win of the week for the Boilermakers, cruising to a 5-and-3 victory over Northwestern's Kelly Su. That domination started on the opening hole as Bruch made a birdie before a par at the second was enough to put her 2-up through two holes. After tying a pair, the Purdue golfer won back-to-back holes to build her lead to 4-up after just six holes of play. Her advantage grew to as much as 6-up with six to play, locking up the match and a perfect 3-0 week for Bruch.
Wanamarta didn't get to the 16th hole either as she led throughout her match, which ended in a 4-and-3 win. Like Bruch, Wanamarta took the opening two holes before finding herself 3-up on the eighth tee. Northwestern's Jane Lu won the last two holes on the front to slice Wanamarta's advantage to one. However, the veteran never lost her lead and grew it coming down the stretch. Her birdie at the par-5 15th sealed the win, her third individual victory in as many matches.
Daniela Ballesteros came back from 2-down through five, winning three straight holes to grab a 1-up lead. However, Northwestern's Kelly Sim took control of the match on the back nine to capture a 3-and-2 win. Despite the loss, Ballesteros ended the week with a 2-1 record to start her spring campaign.
Up next, the Boilermakers will return to stroke play by competing in the Columbia Classic at Melbourne, Florida (Feb. 13-14). Purdue will play three rounds at Duran Golf Club, going up against 14 other teams.
Final Match Results: Northwestern Beats Purdue 4-2
Kelly Sim (Northwestern) defeats Danielle du Toit (Purdue) 2&1
Jennifer Cai (Northwestern) defeats Daniela Ballesteros (Purdue) 3&2
Inez Wanamarta (Purdue) defeats Jane Lu (Northwestern) 4&3
Jocelyn Bruch (Purdue) defeats Kelly Su (Northwestern) 5&3
Jieni Li (Northwestern) defeats Sifat Sagoo (Purdue) 5&4
Lauryn Nguyen (Northwestern) defeats Thitapa Pakdeesettakul (Purdue) 6&5