Women’s golf stays in the South, returns to action in Georgia

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. After spending last weekend in the Sunshine State, Purdue Women’s Golf returns to competition by staying in the South. The Boilermakers will join 14 other teams in the 51st annual Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Georgia.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

• Friday, March 24: Round 1 (Tue times begin at 8:30 a.m. ET)
• Saturday, March 25: Round 2 (Tue times begin at 8:30 a.m. ET)
• Sunday, March 26: Round 3 (Shotgun starts at 8:30 a.m. ET)

CONFIGURATION
Ashley Kozlowski Jr. (at 10:31 a.m., number 10)

• He played in his 24th tournament as a Boilermaker, including his seventh of the season
• He has a 74.4 batting average this season after posting a 75.1 average in 12 tournaments last season
• Tied for 15th at last week’s FSU Match Up, his fourth career Top 20 finish.
• Named B1G Women’s Golfer of the Week (Feb. 15) and becomes the first Boilermaker to earn the honor since 2019
• Led Purdue to a victory at the Tulane Classic and finished second for a career-best finish
• He has recorded the team’s top three eagles this season
• 2021-22 Academic All-Big Ten

Maybe Bunnabodee Sr. (10:22 off No. 10)

• Appearing in his 23rd tournament as a Boilermaker
• Tied for 15th at last week’s FSU Match Up, his best finish of the season and eighth Top 20 as a boilermaker.
• He made his season debut at the Tulane Classic and finished 17th, helping Purdue capture the team title.
• Missed the entire fall due to injury
• Earned First Team All-Big Ten honors last season, becoming the first Boilermaker to earn First Team honors since 2018
• Ranked in the top 100 in Golfstat’s national rankings throughout the 2021-22 season
• 2021-22 Academic All-Big Ten

Danielle du Toit Mr. (10:13 a.m. ET off No. 10)

• Has played in 41 tournaments as a Boilermaker, the most on the team, totaling 113 rounds
• Leads the team in birdies (62) and ranks second on the team in stroke average (73.8)
• Finished a career-best third to help Purdue win the Tulane Classic to start the spring
• Tied for team best at Illini Invitational, tied for 26th at 3-under (72-67-74218)
• His 67 (-5) in the second round of the Illini Invitational matched a career low and was a Boilermaker’s best round of the season; it was also his 100th game at Purdue
• Won the men’s tournament in the summer and captured the IGA Challenge Tour Road to #5 at Akasia Golf Club in his native South Africa

Momo Sugiyama So. (10:04 a.m. ET off No. 10)

• Ranked 82nd in Golfstat’s national ranking
• Leads team in scoring average (73.1) and scoring (243)
• Has led Purdue in four tournaments as a Boilermaker, including a fourth-place finish (75-74-69218) at the Windy City Collegiate Classic
• Has produced a low in nine of 21 rounds this season, including a team-best four rounds in the 60s
• He made his eighth appearance as a Boilermaker, but is playing in his 19th 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 (73.40), rounds at par or better (13), birdies (85) and 54-hole score (211).

Jocelyn Bruch R-Yes. (9:55 a.m. ET off No. 10)

• He made his 16th appearance as a Boilermaker, including his sixth of the season
• Led Purdue at The Show, tied for 31st in 6-year-olds (75-71-76222)
• Posted a career-best 70 (-2) in the second round of the Illini Invitational before leading the Boilermakers to a 1-over 73 in the final round.
• He has a 75.1 batting average after last season’s 76.52 batting average
• Tied for ninth at the 2022 Michigan PGA Women’s Open in the summer, competing against the pros; his performance included a hole-in-one during the opening round
• 2021-22 Academic All-Big Ten

FIELD

Alabama
Arkansas
#10 Auburn
College of Charleston
Daytona State
#21 Florida
Georgia
South Georgia
Louisville
North Carolina
Purdue

San Diego State
#4 South Carolina
#9 Texas A&M
#19 Virginia

COURSE

• The Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, one of the oldest sporting events in women’s athletics, is contested at the University of Georgia Golf Course (Par 72, 6,327 yards).
• The course was designed in 1968 by Robert Trent Jones Sr before being renovated in 2006 by Love Golf Design.
• In 1971, the golf course hosted the Girls’ and Women’s Intercollegiate Championship, the equivalent of the current NCAA Women’s Golf Championship.

BUSY SCHEDULE

• The Boilermakers are still on a roll as they look to earn a spot in the NCAA Regionals, going through five tournaments in six weekends.
• The Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic (March 24-26) marks Purdue’s second straight weekend of competition after playing in the Florida State Match Up last weekend (March 17-19).
• Next up, the Boilermakers will travel to Texas to take on foes at The Bruzzy Challenge hosted by North Texas (April 1-2).
• After a week off, Purdue will compete in the Lady Buckeye Invitational (April 15-16), the final tune-up before the Big Ten Championships at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh (April 21-23).

THE LAST TIME

• The Boilermakers finished all three rounds tied for sixth in the FSU Match Up, placing in the middle of the standings.
• Purdue finished third as a team in birdies (36), par-4 scoring (+42) and par-5 scoring (E).
• Maybe Bunnabodee and Ashley Kozlowski tied for 15th at 10-over through 54 holes. Both Boilermakers earned their second Top 20 performances of the season, while Bunnabodee’s finish was his best of the season.
• Danielle du Toit (+13) and Momo Sugiyama (+14) broke the Top 25, placing 23rd and 25th.

TULANE CLASSIC CHAMPIONS

• Purdue started the spring season on a high note, defeating 17 teams at the Tulane Classic at the English Turn Golf & Country Club in New Orleans (Feb. 12-14).
• In just the fifth tournament under a first-year head coach Zack ByrdThe Boilermakers won their first team title since winning the 2018 Illini Women’s Invitational.
• The Boilermakers (+33) had a Top-5 individual performance on the year Ashley Kozlowski (second), Danielle du Toit (third) and Momo Sugiyama (fifth) to secure a four-shot victory.
• The Boilermakers recorded 37 birdies during the 54-hole tournament, the most of any team. Purdue also paced the field in par-3 scoring (E) and par-5 scoring (+1) on the difficult par 72 course.
• For leading Purdue to victory, Kozlowski was named the B1G Golfer of the Week following the tournament.

BYRD’S YEAR

• Following the retirement of legendary coach Devon Brouse Zack Byrd was named the new head coach of Purdue Women’s Golf prior to the start of the 2022-23 campaign.
• One of the nation’s top recruits, Byrd moved 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 title in Ole Miss history.
• Before beginning his coaching career, Byrd spent 10 years as a golfer; his career included an appearance at the 2011 US Open and qualifying for the final stage of the PGA Tour Q School.
• Byrd was hired Lauren Guiao as an assistant coach; Guiao transitioned into coaching and returned to the program after playing in 20 tournaments during his Purdue career (2017-21).