Huskers Close Fall in Florida

The Nebraska women’s golf team plans to put the finishing touches on a strong 2022 fall campaign by competing at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Fla., Oct. 31-Nov. 1.

The tournament hosted by the University of Miami at the Biltmore Golf Club will get underway with practice rounds on Sunday, Oct. 30, before the 12-team field takes the course for the first two rounds of competition beginning with a shotgun start at 7 a.m. (CT) on Monday, Oct. 31. The 54-hole tournament on the 6,100-yard, par-72 layout at Biltmore GC concludes with a shotgun start again at 7 a.m. (CT) on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

The Huskers will be challenged by a national-caliber field that includes Augusta State, BYU, Illinois, Kent State, Miami, New Mexico, San Diego State, SMU, South Florida, Texas State and UNLV. Live scoring for the tournament will be available through GolfStat.com.

True freshman Kelli Ann Strand will lead the Huskers to Miami with a team-best 71.74 stroke average and a trio of top-five individual finishes through her first four college tournaments. 

Graduate student Megan Whittaker has added four consecutive top-25 finishes and a 73.04 stroke average during the fall. Sophomore Miu Takahashi (73.48) has added a pair of top-10 finishes, including an individual title at the Dale McNamara Invitational (Oct. 10-11), while junior Lindsey Thiele has provided solid play with four consecutive top-35 showings and a 74.17 stroke average.

Nebraska, which was ranked No. 33 by Golfweek (Oct. 19), entered the national polls at No. 19 by Golfweek (Sept. 22) and No. 20 in the Mizuno WGCA Coaches Poll (Sept. 23). The Huskers are No. 45 in the GolfStat head-to-head rankings (Oct. 21).

Hurricane Invitational

Coral Gables, Florida

Host: University of Miami

Biltmore Golf Club (Par 72, 6,100 Yards)

Monday, Oct. 31 (Rounds 1&2) – 7 a.m. CT (Shotgun)

Tuesday, Nov. 1 (Round 3) – 7 a.m. CT (Shotgun)

Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

Participating Teams (12)

Augusta State

BYU

Illinois

Kent State

Miami

Nebraska

New Mexico

San Diego State

SMU

South Florida

Texas State

UNLV

Nebraska Lineup

1. Miu Takahashi, So. (Nasu-machi, Japan)

2. Kelli Ann Strand, Fr. (Challis, Idaho)

3. Megan Whittaker, Gr. (Elkhorn, Nebraska)

4. Michaela Vavrova, Jr. (Bojnice, Slovakia)

5. Lindsey Thiele, Jr. (Wahoo, Nebraska)

IND – Ariel Gonzalez, Fr. (Merida, Mexico)

Takahashi Takes Title, Huskers Finish Second at Dale McNamara Invitational

Miu Takahashi won her first collegiate title to lead Nebraska to a runner-up finish at the Dale McNamara Invitational in Broken Arrow, Okla., Oct. 10-11. Takahashi’s one-stroke win came with a career-best 213 (-3) that included a final-round 69 (-3) to storm to the top of the leader board.

Freshman Kelli Ann Strand added her third consecutive top-five finish to open her career, tying for third at 215 (-1), including a final-round 69 of her own.

Junior Michaela Vavrova contributed a season-best 70 (-2) in the final round to surge into a tie for 22nd, while graduate Megan Whittaker added a tie for 22nd as well with a three-round total of 223. Lindsey Thiele also pitched in a 70 in the final round to tie for 30th (226) in a 75-player field in Oklahoma.

The Huskers closed the 54-hole tournament with an 869 (+5) team score, just one stroke back of the team champions from Tulsa. Nebraska’s final-round 280 (-8) was the best 18-hole score of any team in the tournament.

Huskers Storm to Badger Invite Title

Kelli Ann Strand charged 16 spots up the individual leader board to take a top-five finish and help the Huskers claim the team title at the Badger Invitational (Sept. 18-20). 

The Huskers, who entered the final round four strokes behind the leaders from Notre Dame, dominated the field on a stormy day on the 6,248-yard layout of the University Ridge Golf Course in Verona. Nebraska put up the best team round for the second straight day, closing the final eight holes with an even-par 288 to end the tournament at 863 (-1) over three rounds. The Big Red defeated both Notre Dame (874) and Old Dominion (874) by 11 strokes in the final team standings. ODU closed the tournament with a final-round 293 (+5), while the Fighting Irish struggled down the stretch with a 303 (+15).

Strand, a true freshman from Challis, Idaho, carded a final-round 67 (-5) to jump from a tie for 20th into a tie for fourth in the final standings. Strand’s final round included an eagle on No. 16 and three birdies to go along with 14 pars. Strand closed the tournament with a 54-hole score of 213 (-3). She battled her way into the final top five after ending the opening day in a tie for 50th with a 77. Her final-round 67 was the low round of the day and one of just 10 rounds better than par on the final day of the tournament in the 75-player field.

Miu Takahashi added a top-10 individual finish of her own, closing an impressive tournament with an even-par 72. The sophomore from Nasu-machi, Japan, finished eighth at 215 (-1). Takahashi’s final round included birdies on No. 5, No. 9 and No. 16 to overcome a trio of bogeys, while adding 12 pars. Her three-round total of 215 was three strokes better than her previous career-best 218 (+2), which she set the previous week at the Green Wave Classic in New Orleans.