WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Struggling with a stomach illness throughout the majority of his round, Toledo senior Barend Botha shot a seven-over par 79, dropping him into a tie for 57th place in the second round of the NCAA men’s golf regional at Purdue’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex Kampen Course on Tuesday.
He had been in a tie for 17th after round one.
Botha, competing for UT as an individual entrant at the regional, shot a four-over on the front nine, then he was hurt by a rough three-hole stretch after making the turn.
At the par-5 10th hole, Botha registered a triple bogey. He then bogeyed the par-4 11th, and followed that up with a double bogey at the par-4 12th.
"Barend woke up this morning around 5 a.m. feeling pretty poorly with a bug that may have been food poisoning," Toledo coach Jeff Roope said. "He really fought just to stay upright for the first 8-10 holes and then thankfully started feeling better after a couple visits with the athletic trainer and medical staff. He showed character down the stretch being able to string some good holes together. Hopefully he can just have a great day tomorrow and finish on a high note."
As Roope alluded to, Botha closed his round strong, notching birdies on three of his last five holes. He collected birdies at the par-4 14th, par-4 15th, and par-5 16th to give him some momentum down the stretch.
Botha currently sits at seventh among individuals competing without their full teams at the tournament. Wisconsin’s Cameron Huss (4-under for the tournament) leads individuals in this respective category and is tied for fifth overall.
Vanderbilt leads the 13-team field at 16-under par 560 with Purdue (561) just one stroke behind the Commodores. Arizona (567), New Mexico (573), and Florida (574) round out the top five.
The top five teams plus one individual not on an advancing team will advance to the NCAA Championships in Scottsdale, Ariz. on May 26-31.
First Published May 14, 2024, 11:46 p.m.
