What to know about Purdue hosting the NCAA men's golf regional
WEST LAFAYETTE − Purdue's Kampen-Cosler Course is the host of an NCAA men's golf regional this week.
The host Boilermakers enter as the fifth seed in a field loaded with top teams and individuals.
The tournament is Monday through Wednesday and Purdue is aiming to advance to the NCAA Championships for the first time in seven years.
"It's a pretty big advantage," Purdue junior Nels Surtani said. "We're comfortable around the course. We know the course. It's a big advantage for us."
Here's a rundown of what to know as the NCAA regional tees off at 8 a.m. Monday.
More: Runner-up regional finish sends Purdue women's golf to NCAA Championships
What teams are in West Lafayette golf regional?
The field includes four top 25 teams, nine of the top-55 ranked individuals and 15 of the nation's top 100 individuals.
The favorite is No. 2 Vanderbilt, which has three of the top-18 ranked individual college golfers in No. 7 Gordon Sargent, No. 12 Matthew Riedel and No. 18 Cole Sherwood. No. 44 Jackson VanParis and No. 94 William Moll round out Vanderbilt's probable lineup.
Other top 25 teams include No. 12 Arizona, No. 14 Florida, the defending NCAA champion, and No. 23 New Mexico, led by No. 22 ranked individual Bastien Amat. Purdue, led by senior Herman Senke, who is ranked 39th individually, is the only other regional participant receiving votes in the coaches poll.
Additional participating teams include San Diego State, Mississippi State, Indiana, Charleston, Stetson, Colorado State, Southern Illinois and Tennessee Tech. Ten individual participants also will compete in the regional.
Purdue at a glance
The Boilermakers finished third in the Big Ten Championships at Columbus, Ohio, in their most recent outing. It was Purdue's seventh top-three tournament finish since September.
Senke, the Big Ten Golfer of the Year, leads Purdue with a 70.27 stroke average. Senke set the Purdue record for stroke average at 70.41 last season. He's currently ranked 18th on the PGA Tour U. rankings.
Surtani, a second-team All-Big Ten selection, and local product Peyton Snoeberger, a graduate of nearby Seeger High School, have a combined 11 rounds in the 60s this season and, along with Sam Easterbrook and Kent Hsiao, all have averages in the 72s.
Purdue's last time advancing to the NCAA Championships was in 2017, when it finished fifth in the regional at West Lafayette.
What's next?
Cumulative scores over three days are compiled. The top five teams and low individual from a non participating team qualify for the NCAA Championships.
The NCAA Championships are May 24-29 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa just north of San Diego.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: A look at NCAA men's golf regional hosted at Purdue
