Women’s Golf Heads to Medinah for Illini Invitational

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Women's Golf returns to Illinois for the second consecutive week, competing in the Illini Invitational at historic Medinah Country Club (Oct. 10-11).
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

• Monday, Oct. 10: Rounds 1 and 2 (9:30 a.m. ET Shogun Start)
• Tuesday, Oct. 11: Round 3 (10 a.m. ET Shotgun Start)

THE LINEUP
Momo Sugiyama – So. (10:18 a.m. ET off No. 10)

• Has led Purdue in both tournaments as a Boilermaker, including a fourth-place finish (75-74-69—218) last time out at the Windy City Collegiate Classic
• Leads the team in scoring average (72.00), birdies (20) and pars (70)
• Has produced the lowest score four out of six rounds this season, including a pair of final rounds in the 60s
• In her Purdue debut, tied for 21st to lead the Boilermakers at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship with a 1-over 214 (73-73-68)
• Making her third appearance as a Boilermaker but playing in her 14th collegiate tournament
• Transferred to Purdue after earning First Team All-Big West accolades as a freshman at Hawaii
• Set new Hawaii single-season records for stroke average (73.4), rounds of par-or-better (13), birdies (85) and 54-hole score (211)
• Cracked the Top 10 in nine of the 13 tournaments throughout her collegiate career

Ashley Kozlowski – Jr. (9:51 a.m. ET off No. 10)

• Preseason B1G honoree
• Playing in her 19th tournament as a Boilermaker
• Tied for 24th (75-73-76—224) in the competitive Windy City Collegiate Classic, her 2022-23 debut
• Recorded a 75.06 stroke average over 12 tournaments last season
• Tied for sixth at last year's Illini Invitational with a 5-under 211 (73-70-68)
• Led Purdue in birdies (86) and pars (379) throughout the 2021-22 season
• Finished in the top 10 twice as a sophomore, both sixth-place performances (Illini Invitational, Indiana Invitational)
• 2021-22 Academic All-Big Ten

Jocelyn Bruch – R-Fr. (10:00 a.m. ET off No. 10)

• Making her 13th appearance as a Boilermaker, including the third of the season
• Played in 10 tournaments last season, recording a 76.52 stroke average
• Tied for ninth at the 2022 Michigan PGA Women's Open over the summer, competing against professionals; her performance featured a hole-in-one during the opening round
• Started last spring by going 3-0 in Big Ten Match Play, helping Purdue finish runner-up
• 2021-22 Academic All-Big Ten

Jade Gu – R-Fr. (9:42 a.m. ET off No. 10)

• Playing in her third tournament of the season which also matches her career appearances as a Boilermaker
• Tied for 26th in her Purdue debut, second best on the team, at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship with a 3-over 216 (73-71-72)
• Finished runner-up at the 2022 Pennsylvania Women's Am
• Tied for 16th at the 2022 Canadian Women's Am
• Redshirted a season ago

Danielle du Toit – Sr. (10:09 a.m. ET off No. 10)

• Preseason B1G honoree
• Making her 37th appearance as a Boilermaker, the most on the team
• As a freshman, helped Purdue win the 2018 Illini Invitational with a top-10 finish at 6-under (69-71-70)
• Fired a 69 (-2) in the second round of the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship
• Won a men's tournament over the summer, capturing the IGA Challenge Tour's Road to #5 at Akasia Golf Club in her home country of South Africa
• Led Purdue at the 2022 NCAA Stanford Regional, tying for 14th with a season-low 215 (71-73-71)
• Earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors as a freshman during the 2018-19 season

THE FIELD (Rankings – WGCA Coaches Poll)
Alabama
#22 Auburn
East Tennessee
Georgia
Illinois (Host)
Kentucky
Northwestern
Oklahoma
#19 Oklahoma State
Oregon State
Purdue
#13 San Jose State
Tennessee
TCU
Texas Tech
 
THE COURSE

• The tournament will take place on Medinah Country Club's Course No. 2, a par 72 layout measuring 6,166 yards.
• Medinah Country Club is one of the most prominent private country clubs in the country located just 25 miles west of downtown Chicago.
• The famous course No. 3 has hosted numerous major championships and prestigious international golf events, such as three U.S. Opens (1949, 1975, 1990), two PGA Championships (1999, 2006) and one Ryder Cup (2012). Medinah is set to host the 2026 Presidents Cup.

 
HISTORY AT THE TOURNAMENT

• Purdue has had success at the Illini Invitational with two of the three lowest 54-hole scores in program history occurring at the fall tournament.
• The Boilermakers captured the 2018 Illini Invitational, finishing atop the leaderboard at 27-under par. The 54-hole total of 837 (278-279-280) set a new school record.
• Last season, Purdue placed third at 14-under (284-282-284—850), the third-best team score in program history.
• Both in the lineup this year, Danielle du Toit and Ashley Kozlowski have earned top-10 performances at Medinah; Kozlowski tied for sixth, a personal best, at last year's tournament. Du Toit placed 10th when she helped Purdue win the 2018 event as a freshman.

MO BIRDIES

• Sophomore transfer Momo Sugiyama, the first signee by Zack Byrd, has made an immediate impact since joining the Boilermakers from Hawaii, leading Purdue in both fall tournaments thus far.
• The Australian paced Purdue at the Windy City Collegiate Classic, tying for fourth against a competitive field; her final round 69 (-3) was her second round in the 60s this season and included seven birdies.
• Sugiyama has made a team-high 20 birdies this season, while leading the Boilermakers in pars (70) as well.
• She also produced the lowest score at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Classic with a 1-over 214 (73-73-68) that featured a final round 68, her lowest round as a Boilermaker.

BYRD ERA UNDERWAY

• Following the retirement of legendary coach Devon Brouse, Zack Byrd was named the new head coach of Purdue Women's Golf.
• One of the top recruiters in the country, Byrd made the move to West Lafayette after spending four seasons at Ole Miss.
• Byrd helped the Rebels capture the 2021 NCAA National Championship, the first women's team national championship in Ole Miss history.
• Prior to beginning his coaching career, Byrd spent 10 years as a professional golfer; his career featured an appearance in the 2011 U.S. Open and qualifying for the final stage of PGA Tour Q School.
• Byrd hired Lauren Guiao as assistant coach; Guiao made the move to coaching and returned to the program after playing in 20 tournaments over her Purdue career (2017-21).

PRESEASON B1G HONOREES

• A trio of Boilermakers were named Big Ten Preseason Women's Golf Honorees, the conference office announced ahead of the season. Kan Bunnabodee, Danielle du Toit and Ashley Kozlowski received the recognition.
• Bunnabodee earned First Team All-Big Ten honors a season ago, becoming the first Boilermaker to land on the league's first team since 2018; she will miss the fall due to injury.
• Du Toit is the veteran of the group, playing in 34 tournaments as a Boilermaker; she played her best golf late last spring and looks to continue that momentum into her senior season.
• Kozlowski played in a team-high 12 tournaments during the 2021-22 campaign; the Littleton, Colorado, native led the Boilermakers in birdies (86) and pars (379) throughout the season.

MISSING BUNNABODEE

• Purdue is going through the fall campaign with 2022 First Team All-B1G golfer Kan Bunnabodee sidelined due to injury.
• Bunnabodee, the first Boilermaker to earn first team honors since 2018, will miss the entire fall after getting surgery over the summer.

NEXT ON THE TEE

• The Boilermakers wrap up the fall campaign at the Landfall Invitational in Wilmington, North Carolina (Oct. 28-30).