Baete Leads Huskers in Louisiana

New Orleans – Kirsten Baete used a spectacular second-round 66 (-6) and a solid final 18 holes to earn a top-20 individual finish while leading the Nebraska women’s golf team at the Tulane Classic presented by Chad Brownstein.

Baete, a senior from Beatrice, Neb., added a final-round 76 (+4) to climb into a tie for 17th with a three-round total of 231 (+15) at the English Turn Golf & Country Club. Her top-20 finish was made more remarkable after she closed the opening round of the tournament on Sunday in a tie for 86th with an 89.

“It was great to see Kirsten shoot a tournament-low 66 in the second round, especially after our opening round. It was really a solid tournament for Kirsten and Megan Whittaker,” Nebraska Head Coach Lisa Johnson said. “I think we learned a lot about ourselves in our first stroke-play tournament of the spring.”

Baete wasn’t the only Husker who struggled in the opening round. Michaela Vavrova matched Baete’s 89, while freshman Miu Takahashi was disqualified for failing to turn in a scorecard. Takahashi was playing as an individual outside Nebraska’s lineup. Nicole Hansen managed an 85, while Vanessa Bouvet settled for an 84. Whittaker led the Huskers with an 83 in a tie for 55th after a first round that left Nebraska tied for 15th in the 17-team field with a 341 – 41 shots behind the team leaders and eventual champions from North Texas.

With the deck stacked against them, the Big Red rallied in a big way in Monday’s second round, putting together the third-best team round of the day with a 294, led by Baete’s 66. The Huskers jumped from a tie for 15th into 12th, well within striking distance of a handful of teams including Big Ten rival Iowa. Whittaker helped the Huskers with an even-par 72 to join Baete in a tie for 23rd overall in the 93-player field after 36 holes. Bouvet and Hansen added solid rounds of 78.

The Huskers were unable to match Monday’s success in Tuesday’s final round, but they did climb one more spot in the team standings to finish 11th at 949 after a final-round 314. Baete’s final-round 76 moved her to 231 to put her in a tie for 17th, while Whittaker added a top-25 finish of her own with a closing 78 to end the 54-hole tournament in a tie for 24th at 233. 

Nebraska finished ahead of Big Ten counterparts Iowa (13th, 952) and Rutgers (T14th, 955). North Texas secured the team title with a three-round score of 895, eight strokes ahead of second-place Michigan at 903.

“We have a strong understanding now of the areas that need improvement before our next event,” Johnson said. “We are already looking forward to Westbrook – a course that suits our team’s strengths.”

Nebraska will return to action at the Westbrook Spring Invitational at the Westbrook Village Golf Course in Peoria, Ariz., Feb. 27-28.

Tulane Classic presented by Chad Brownstein

Feb. 13-15, 2022

English Turn Golf & Country Club (Par 72, 6,178 Yards)

New Orleans, Louisiana

Final Team Results

1. North Texas – 300-284-311=895 (+31)

2. Michigan – 307-300-296=903 (+39)

3. UTSA – 311-306-294=911 (+47)

T4. Texas State – 312-299-313=924 (+60)

T4. Clemson – 317-292-315=924 (+60)

6. Tulane – 322-301-308=931 (+67)

7. Boston College – 325-298-309=932 (+68)

8. SMU – 315-305-314=934 (+70)

9. Southern Miss – 320-308-310=938 (+74)

10. Charlotte – 324-309-312=945 (+81)

11. Nebraska – 341-294-314=949 (+85)

12. Memphis – 318-318-315=951 (+87)

13. Iowa – 328-306-318=952 (+88)

T14. Tulane (B) – 332-310-313=955 (+91)

T14. Rutgers – 327-317-311=955 (+91)

16. UAB – 341-320-318=979 (+115)

17. Wichita State – 343-330-330=1,003 (+139)

Final Individual Results

T1. Ashley Lau, Michigan – 74-76-71=221 (+5)

T1. Patricia Sinolungan, North Texas – 76-69-76=221 (+5)

3. Audrey Tan, North Texas – 76-69-77=222 (+6)

4. Ellie Roth, North Texas – 74-71-78=223 (+7)

5. Angel Lin, Boston College – 80-72-73=225 (+9)

T6. Camryn Carreon, UTSA – 78-77-71=226 (+10)

T6. Annabelle Pancake, Clemson – 77-74-75=226 (+10)

T6. Ashley Kim, Michigan – 78-72-76=226 (+10)

T9. Hailey Borja, Michigan – 79-74-74=227 (+11)

T9. Sandra Vazquez, Tulane – 80-72-75=227 (+11)

T9. Federica Tavelli-Westerlund, Texas State – 77-72-78=227 (+11)

Nebraska Individuals 

T17. Kirsten Baete – 89-66-76=231 (+15)

T24. Megan Whittaker – 83-72-78=233 (+17)

67. Vanessa Bouvet – 84-78-83=245 (+29)

T72. Nicole Hansen – 85-78-84=247 (+31)

84. Michaela Vavrova – 89-87-77=253 (+37)

DQ. Miu Takahashi* – DQ-83-79