After finishing last at 2024 NCAA Championships, revenge on mind for Purdue men's golf
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Purdue golf coach Andrew Sapp on men's NCAA Championships
Hear what Boilermakers men's golf coach Andrew Sapp said about Purdue returning to the NCAA Championships.
WEST LAFAYETTE ― Avenging last season's final showing has been at the forefront all season long for Purdue men's golfers.
It was no shock the Boilermakers got to last year's NCAA Championships. But it was when Purdue finished 30th ― dead last ― at the tournament in 2024, the first time Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California, hosted the NCAA Championships.
Since then, Purdue lost its head coach to South Carolina, elevated its assistant to lead the program, added a transfer from East Tennessee State who played at last year's NCAA Championships, and won three tournaments throughout the 2024-25 season.
They get their shot at redemption May 23-28.
"I think we all want to get revenge on that course a little bit," said senior Nels Surtani, one of four current Boilers who played in the NCAA Championships a year ago. "We know what we're expecting and we know what to practice a little bit more this year. And we know what shots we have to hit, so everyone's going and practicing this week with the intention of playing well out there."
It took climbing two spots on the leaderboard in the final day of last week's Auburn Regional, but the Boilermakers are right back where the expected to finish the season and ultimately have their shot at revenge against the course that got the better of them 12 months earlier.
Prior experiences this year helped Purdue finish the regional comeback, not succumbing to a pressure-packed final round. They've won team titles in the 12-team Island Resort Intercollegiate in September, the 15-team Puerto Rico Classic in February and the 15-team Hootie Intercollegiate in March.
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"I think the experience we've had this year with winning and being under pressure helped us a lot," sophomore first-team All-Big Ten honoree Sam Easterbrook said. "Come the last day of regionals we were super comfortable and knew that if we just take care of business, we were going to get through."
There remains no pressure.
Purdue can do no worse than last season and the Boilermakers enter familiar territory.
"Guys have been there before. It's unique," said first-year Boilermakers head coach Andrew Sapp. "We have four guys who played in this championship last year going to this tournament. That is the exciting part."
It's that excitement that helped keep Sapp in West Lafayette during his second move to Purdue. Sapp was previously an assistant under Devon Brouse when he became Purdue's head coach in 1998. Sapp returned three seasons ago as an assistant under Rob Bradley, now at South Carolina.
Sapp now leads his third different program to the NCAA Championships after as head coach at Michigan and North Carolina.
In Sapp's first season as Purdue's head coach, Purdue broke the program record for 18-hole average in a season at 285.69. Among the 18 lowest rounds in Purdue men's golf history, five have come since Sapp took over as head coach.
"When we've played well, we've all played really consistent and steady golf," Easterbrook said. "That's something that's great with this team is I think a lot of guys are really consistent and you can depend on your teammates. If you're having a bad day, they can kind of pick you up and have a good score themselves."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
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