Purdue in first place as final round begins

EAST LANSING, Mi. (WLFI) - The No. 22/12 Purdue women’s golf team turned in an impressive performance on its opening day of competition this fall. The Boilermakers hold an eight-stroke first-place lead with a 578 with one round to play at the Mary Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Mich. On Saturday, Purdue recorded an even-par 288 in the first round followed by a 290 in the second.

All five golfers representing Purdue are in the top 25 as individuals, led by Kishi Sinha and Paula Reto who are tied for first with two round totals of 142. Sinha, a redshirt senior from New Delhi, India, was a model for consistency with two rounds of 71 for her two-under par total of 142. Reto shot a three-under par in the morning wave and recorded a one-over par 73 in the afternoon to tie with her teammate.

Freshman Margaux Vanmol is tied for sixth after the first day. In her collegiate debut, she fired a two-over par 74 but shot even par in round two for a two-over par 146. Laura Gonzalez-Escallon, the 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year recorded a 149 and is tied for 12th place. The La Hulpe, Belgium, native opened with a 74 and shot a 75 in the afternoon. Sophomore Aurora Kan sits alone in 25th place with a total of 152. Kan shot a 78 to start the day but rebounded with a 74 in the second round to move into the top 25 as an individual.

The host team, Michigan State is in second place with a two-round total of 586 and Notre Dame is third after turning in a team score of 588. Krista Puisite (71-71=142) is tied for first place with Reto and Sinha while Michigan State’s Caroline Powers in fourth with a 144 (73-71).

Purdue freshman Brooke Beegle is competing as an individual and fired a 168 (84-84) for 88th place after the first two rounds.

The Mary Fossum Invitational is being held on the Forest Akers West Golf Course, a par-72, 6,236-yard venue.

The Boilermakers teed off at 8:30 Sunday morning. Play began with a shotgun start and Purdue is paired with the Spartans and the Fighting Irish on holes No. 1, 2 and 3. Live scoring is available at golfstatresults.com.