BALTIMORE, Md. -- The Purdue men's golf team played its best golf of the week over the final nine holes in the third round to move into the top half of the final standings at the Big Ten Championships held at the Baltimore Country Club.
The Boilermakers tallied a 54-hole total of 23-over par 863 (285-285-293) to move into ninth place in the final standings, passing Minnesota and USC in the final round. The 13-over par was tied for the fourth-lowest round of the day (behind UCLA, Illinois and Michigan State) and enabled Purdue to finish in the top half of the standings for the sixth straight season – the longest stretch since eight straight years from 2000 to 2007.
UCLA, which entered the day in fourth, won the Big Ten Championship after a stellar round of 2-over par 282 for a 54-hole total of 2-over par 842. Illinois was second at 3-over par, followed by Michigan State (+14), Oregon (+15) and Ohio State (+17) to round out the top five.
The Baltimore Country Club showed its teeth on Sunday with the help of a North wind that gusted in excess of 30 miles per hour during the round. The course average in round three was 75.43, almost four shots higher than the previous two rounds. The round saw a total of 101 holes of double bogey or worse, combined with just 71 combined in the first two rounds. Eight holes saw fewer than five birdies the entire day.
The Boilermakers took advantage on the front nine (Purdue's second nine) in round three, with the counting team posting a combined score of even-par with three birdies, three pars and 30 pars. Purdue, which teed off the difficult back nine all three days, played the back nine in 19-over par combined during the three rounds. It played the easier front nine in 4-over par combined during the three rounds.
Sam Easterbrook (69-73-71) and Kent Hsiao (71-69-73) finished their Big Ten Championships tied for 15th at 3-over par 213 (69-73-71). For Easterbrook, it marked his ninth top-20 showing in 11 tournaments this season, good for the second most in a season in school history (Lee Williamson – 10 in 2001-02).
Supapon Amornchaichan (74-72-75) and Jenson Forrester (72-71-78) finished tied for 50th at 11-over par 221, while Nels Surtani was tied for 58th at 12-over par 222 (73-75-74).
The Boilermakers await their NCAA Regional destination, when the pairings will be announced on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET, on the Golf Channel. Purdue will be making their 10th NCAA Regional appearance in the last 11 tournaments. The regional sites are located in Illinois (Champaign, Illinois), Auburn (Auburn, Alabama), Florida State (Tallahassee, Florida), Virginia (Amherst, Virginia), Washington (Bremerton, Washington) and Nevada (Reno, Nevada).
The Boilermakers tallied a 54-hole total of 23-over par 863 (285-285-293) to move into ninth place in the final standings, passing Minnesota and USC in the final round. The 13-over par was tied for the fourth-lowest round of the day (behind UCLA, Illinois and Michigan State) and enabled Purdue to finish in the top half of the standings for the sixth straight season – the longest stretch since eight straight years from 2000 to 2007.
UCLA, which entered the day in fourth, won the Big Ten Championship after a stellar round of 2-over par 282 for a 54-hole total of 2-over par 842. Illinois was second at 3-over par, followed by Michigan State (+14), Oregon (+15) and Ohio State (+17) to round out the top five.
The Baltimore Country Club showed its teeth on Sunday with the help of a North wind that gusted in excess of 30 miles per hour during the round. The course average in round three was 75.43, almost four shots higher than the previous two rounds. The round saw a total of 101 holes of double bogey or worse, combined with just 71 combined in the first two rounds. Eight holes saw fewer than five birdies the entire day.
The Boilermakers took advantage on the front nine (Purdue's second nine) in round three, with the counting team posting a combined score of even-par with three birdies, three pars and 30 pars. Purdue, which teed off the difficult back nine all three days, played the back nine in 19-over par combined during the three rounds. It played the easier front nine in 4-over par combined during the three rounds.
Sam Easterbrook (69-73-71) and Kent Hsiao (71-69-73) finished their Big Ten Championships tied for 15th at 3-over par 213 (69-73-71). For Easterbrook, it marked his ninth top-20 showing in 11 tournaments this season, good for the second most in a season in school history (Lee Williamson – 10 in 2001-02).
Supapon Amornchaichan (74-72-75) and Jenson Forrester (72-71-78) finished tied for 50th at 11-over par 221, while Nels Surtani was tied for 58th at 12-over par 222 (73-75-74).
The Boilermakers await their NCAA Regional destination, when the pairings will be announced on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET, on the Golf Channel. Purdue will be making their 10th NCAA Regional appearance in the last 11 tournaments. The regional sites are located in Illinois (Champaign, Illinois), Auburn (Auburn, Alabama), Florida State (Tallahassee, Florida), Virginia (Amherst, Virginia), Washington (Bremerton, Washington) and Nevada (Reno, Nevada).