KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Making her debut as a Boilermaker, redshirt-freshman Jade Gu fired rounds of 73 (+2) and 71 (E) to lead Purdue Women’s Golf through the first two rounds of the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship. After 36 holes at Cherokee Country Club, the Boilermakers found themselves in ninth place at 13-over par (297-284—581).
Purdue got off to a difficult start in the opening round, firing a 297 (+13) that pushed the squad down into 12th place after 18 holes. However, the Boilermakers battled during the afternoon, shaving 13 strokes as a team to shoot an even-par 284 in the second round. The improvement moved Purdue three spots up the leaderboard into a tie for ninth alongside Maryland (292-289—581).
Despite a double bogey on the first hole of her collegiate career, Gu responded to post Purdue’s lowest two-round total. She played the final 35 holes of the day at level par, which included four birdies. After closing with a 73 (+2) in the morning, Gu parred the first 10 holes of the second round. A bogey broke her par streak, but she answered with back-to-back birdies to get into red figures. The Yardley, Pennsylvania, native finished the round at even par, putting her at 2-over for the tournament and in a tie for 29th.
Jocelyn Bruch and Momo Sugiyama finished the day at 4-over, tied alongside one another in 34th place. Bruch began her season with a birdie on the par-4 ninth but settled for an opening-round 75. She dropped four strokes in the afternoon, countering four birdies with four bogeys to card a 71. Sugiyama, making her Purdue debut like Gu, stayed consistent with consecutive rounds of 73 (+2). The Hawaii transfer did not let a triple bogey dramatically affect her day, responding with five birdies over her 36 holes.
The round of the day belonged to senior Danielle du Toit, as the senior fired a 2-under 69 in the afternoon. Her morning round was a forgettable one, but the veteran bounced back to card a round in the 60s. The Pretoria, South Africa, native played the first 14 holes of her second round bogey-free, which included a 3-under 33 on the back nine. She closed the day with a birdie on the par-4 seventh…
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