WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After seeing a six-shot lead slip away late in the final round, the Purdue men's golf team rallied late to force a playoff, then dominated the extra hole to win its second straight tournament at the Hootie Intercollegiate at Bulls Bay Golf Club.
A month after winning the prestigious Puerto Rico Classic, Purdue has now won back-to-back full-sized tournaments for the first time since the 1980-81 season.
In his first season, head coach Andrew Sapp has led the Boilermakers to three team titles, the most for a first-year head coach in school history. The three full-event (at least 10 teams) victories are also the most for the Boilermakers in school history.
"Obviously, I am really proud of our fight today. South Carolina and Furman played absolutely great golf today and for us to rally late in the round against them was really encouraging," Sapp said. "Then to make the shots we made during the playoff when nerves are going really says a lot about the guys. It was a great experience to go through and will really pay dividends for us. It was just another good week for us and proud of the guys for coming through down the stretch."
Purdue and No. 18 South Carolina finished the 54-hole even tied at 30-under par, forcing a one-hole, five-person playoff. The two teams played the difficult, uphill par-3 14th hole into a strong wind, where most players hit 4-iron. The Boilermaker five played the hole in 3-under par to secure their second title of the spring season.
Furman finished in third at 27-under par, while the College of Charleston (-26) and Missouri (-21) rounded out the top five.
Purdue's 834 is tied for the seventh-lowest, 54-hole score in Purdue history. The win moves Purdue's spring record to a gaudy 27-0-1 and all six rounds this spring have been 280 or lower.
Individually, the Boilermakers had two players in the top five, led by Jenson Forrester's third-place finish at 11-under par 205 (68-66-71). The finish matched his career-best finish and the 205 was his lowest 54-hole score of his career.
Sam Easterbrook continued his strong spring with a fifth-place showing at 10-under par 206 (68-71-67). It marks his third top-five finish this season and he has seven top-25 finishes in eight events.
Kent Hsiao finished tied for 22nd at 4-under par 212 (69-70-73), while Nels Surtani was tied for 27th at 3-under par 213 (70-72-71). Surtani has been even- or under-par in eight straight rounds, the third-longest streak in school history.
Supapon Amornchaichan finished tied for 50th at 1-over par 217 (74-72-71), turning in his best round of the tournament on Tuesday.
Playing as an individual, Kentaro Nanayama tied for 54th at 2-over par 218 (72-73-73).
Purdue will play next in the Calusa Cup in Naples, Florida, on April 6 to 8.
A month after winning the prestigious Puerto Rico Classic, Purdue has now won back-to-back full-sized tournaments for the first time since the 1980-81 season.
In his first season, head coach Andrew Sapp has led the Boilermakers to three team titles, the most for a first-year head coach in school history. The three full-event (at least 10 teams) victories are also the most for the Boilermakers in school history.
"Obviously, I am really proud of our fight today. South Carolina and Furman played absolutely great golf today and for us to rally late in the round against them was really encouraging," Sapp said. "Then to make the shots we made during the playoff when nerves are going really says a lot about the guys. It was a great experience to go through and will really pay dividends for us. It was just another good week for us and proud of the guys for coming through down the stretch."
Purdue and No. 18 South Carolina finished the 54-hole even tied at 30-under par, forcing a one-hole, five-person playoff. The two teams played the difficult, uphill par-3 14th hole into a strong wind, where most players hit 4-iron. The Boilermaker five played the hole in 3-under par to secure their second title of the spring season.
Furman finished in third at 27-under par, while the College of Charleston (-26) and Missouri (-21) rounded out the top five.
Purdue's 834 is tied for the seventh-lowest, 54-hole score in Purdue history. The win moves Purdue's spring record to a gaudy 27-0-1 and all six rounds this spring have been 280 or lower.
Individually, the Boilermakers had two players in the top five, led by Jenson Forrester's third-place finish at 11-under par 205 (68-66-71). The finish matched his career-best finish and the 205 was his lowest 54-hole score of his career.
Sam Easterbrook continued his strong spring with a fifth-place showing at 10-under par 206 (68-71-67). It marks his third top-five finish this season and he has seven top-25 finishes in eight events.
Kent Hsiao finished tied for 22nd at 4-under par 212 (69-70-73), while Nels Surtani was tied for 27th at 3-under par 213 (70-72-71). Surtani has been even- or under-par in eight straight rounds, the third-longest streak in school history.
Supapon Amornchaichan finished tied for 50th at 1-over par 217 (74-72-71), turning in his best round of the tournament on Tuesday.
Playing as an individual, Kentaro Nanayama tied for 54th at 2-over par 218 (72-73-73).
Purdue will play next in the Calusa Cup in Naples, Florida, on April 6 to 8.