Huskers Hit Columbus for Nebraska Open

Although the college golf season is on hold for the University of Nebraska, every active member of both the Husker men’s and women’s golf teams will converge on the city of Columbus to participate in the Nebraska Open this weekend at Elks Country Club. 

The field of 99 golfers will include all 13 members of the Husker men’s golf team and 12 golfers from the Nebraska women’s squad, who are waiting to officially compete for the Big Red during the 2020-21 season.

The 12 representatives of Coach Lisa Johnson‘s women’s team include 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifier Kate Smith (Detroit Lakes, Minn.), who finished among the top 32 at the nation’s premier amateur event earlier this summer. Nebraskans Hannah and Lindsey Thiele (Wahoo), along with Kirsten Baete (Beatrice) and Megan Whittaker (Elkhorn) will also represent the women’s team, alongside Husker graduate transfer Alice Duan (Reno, Nev.), Jessica Haraden (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Noor Ahmed (Folsom, Calif.), Vanessa Bouvet (France), Nicole Hansen (Bloomingdale, Ill.), Leah Herzog (Red Wing, Minn.) and freshman Michaela Vavrova (Slovakia).

The 13 members of Coach Mark Hankins‘ Husker men’s team will be led by senior Tanner Owen (Parkville, Mo.), who was a top-16 finisher at the 2019 Big Ten Championships. He will be joined by fellow Husker seniors Branden Meyer (Gilbert, Ariz.), Daniel Pearson (Longmont, Colo.), Mark Foelbaek (Denmark) and Tom Westenberger (Germany). Nebraskan Caleb Badura (Aurora) joins Tristen Nelko (Plymouth, Minn.) as juniors for the Husker men this year, while Will Marshall (Elburn, Ill.) is the lone representative in the sophomore class. A five-player freshman class features Nebraskan Reed Malleck (York) along with Will Harding (Prairie Village, Kan.), Jack Lundin (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Gentry Scheve (Emporia, Kan.) and Jeremy Sisson (Skaneateles, N.Y.).

This weekend’s action at the Nebraska Open begins with tee times at the Elks Country Club starting on Friday, Sept. 11, at 8 a.m. The par-72 layout will be playing at 6,599 yards. Second-round tee times start at 8 a.m. again on Saturday, before the tournament concludes on Sunday in Columbus.