Purdue holds off Northwestern to win at Erin Hills

It was a race to the finish by a couple of Midwestern teams at the Marquette Intercollegiate on Tuesday. Playing at Erin Hills Golf Course in Hartford, Wis., a venue relatively close to home, Purdue and Northwestern tried to outdo each other over the final 18 holes. In the end, Purdue held on to the title even as Northwestern won the day.

The Wildcats went 13 under at the former U.S. Open venue, thanks in large part to a fast start. The four counters combined to go 5 under in the opening two holes. It was a much-needed boost considering they started the day trailing Purdue.

When the scorecards were all signed, however, Purdue had compiled a 12-under 276. After starting the day at 3 over, that strong final round pushed the Boilermakers to 9 under for the tournament. It was good for a two-shot victory on Northwestern.

Despite taking the lead into the final round, Purdue’s situation after the first round was drastically different. The team had started with a 13-over 301, which set up a steep climb for the rest of the week. After the first round, Purdue was ninth, and eight shots off the lead.

"I'm really proud with the way the guys bounced back after a tough first round. To come from ninth to win the title in just 36 holes is a testament to their grit and fight they displayed this week," head coach Rob Bradley said. "We had a lot of great performances this week with eight rounds of under par in the final two rounds. It was a great team effort to get this win."

UCLA moved one spot down the leaderboard to 5 under and South Florida was fifth behind that.

Information from Purdue Athletics used in this report