Huskers in Thick of Big Ten Title Race

Maineville, Ohio – Nebraska got solid scores from its top five golfers to stay squarely in the thick of the title hunt after the opening round at the Big Ten Women’s Golf Championship on Friday.

Megan Whittaker got the Big Red off to a great start by sinking three early birdie putts on the first eight holes and closed the front nine at 34 (-2).  The junior from Elkhorn, Neb., was back at three-under through 11 holes but took three bogeys on the final seven holes to finish at even-par 72 playing out of the No. 5 spot in Nebraska’s lineup.

Kate Smith matched Whittaker for Nebraska’s best round of the day with an even-par 72 of her own, playing both the front and back at even. Smith, a senior from Detroit Lakes, Minn., enters Saturday’s second round in a tie for seventh with Whittaker and seven other golfers in the 78-player Big Ten field.

“Megan impressed with her best round of the year,” Nebraska Coach Lisa Johnson said. “Kate’s steady play continues with some solid looks at birdies today that just didn’t fall.”

Graduate transfer Alice Duan also continued her solid late-season play with a one-over 73 on the 6,300-yard layout at TPC River’s Bend. Duan sat one-under through 13 holes before back-to-back bogeys on No. 14 and 15. She rallied to close the round with three straight pars, heading to the second round tied for 16th.

Freshman Michaela Vavrova (Bojnice Slovakia) and redshirt junior Kirsten Baete (Beatrice, Neb.) both added rounds of 76 to help the Huskers close with a first-round in fifth place in the 13-team field at 293.

In a tournament field that features six teams ranked among the top 42 in the nation, No. 38 Michigan State posted the top team score of the day at 286 (-2), while No. 19 Maryland ended the day in second place at 287 (-1). No. 25 Michigan (290) headed to Saturday in third, while No. 30 Northwestern (291) sat in fourth just two shots ahead of the Huskers.

Friday’s start at TPC River’s Bend was delayed by three hours from its original schedule because of frost. Despite the early morning cold, the Huskers started hot on the front nine with Whittaker (-3), Smith (-1), Vavrova (-1) and Duan (E) teaming to put the Huskers at five-under-par through the first eight holes. Nebraska made the turn at three-under, then pushed back to five-under through 11 before challenges on holes 12 through 15 slowed NU’s momentum.

“We had a very steady first round,” Johnson said. “We were confident with our game plan in this course. We will make a few adjustments tomorrow based on the knowledge we gained today, mainly with our tee shots. We’re excited for round two and we’re doing everything we can to mentally prepare for the impending rain and cooler temperatures.”

Michigan State’s Leila Raines produced the best individual round of the day with a 69 (-3), Purdue’s Kan Bunnabodee and Maryland teammates Laura Van Respaille and Patricie Mackova closed the day one shot back at 70 (-2). Michigan’s Ashley Lau and Monet Chun enter the second round in a tie for third at 71 (-1), just ahead of Smith and Whittaker.

The second round of the Big Ten Championship tees off at 7:30 a.m. (CT) on Saturday with live scoring available from GolfStat.com.

Big Ten Championship

TPC River’s Bend (Maineville, Ohio)

Par 72, 6,300 Yards

April 23-25, 2021

Team Leader Board (First Round)

1. Michigan State (38) – 286 (-2)

2. Maryland (19) – 287 (-1)

3. Michigan (25) – 290 (+2)

4. Northwestern (30) – 291 (+3)

5. Nebraska (55) – 293 (+5)

6. Purdue (42) – 295 (+7)

T7. Iowa (84) – 297 (+9)

T7. Penn State (72) – 297 (+9)

9. Rutgers (116) – 298 (+10)

10. Illinois (41) – 299 (+11)

T11. Minnesota (74) – 305 (+17)

12. Wisconsin (85) – 310 (+22)

13. Indiana (147) – 320 (+32)

national ranking in parentheses

Individual Leader Board (First Round)

1. Leila Raines, Michigan State – 69 (-3)

T2. Kan Bunnabodee, Purdue – 70 (-2)

T2. Laura Van Respaille, Maryland – 70 (-2)

T2. Patricie Mackova, Maryland – 70 (-2)

T5. Ashley Lau, Michigan – 71 (-1)

T5. Monet Chun, Michigan – 71 (-1)

T7. Kate Smith, Nebraska – 72 (E)

T7. Megan Whittaker, Nebraska – 72 (E)

T7. Paz Marfa, Michigan State – 72 (E)

T7. Brooke Riley, Northwestern 72 (E)

T7. Yurika Tanida, Michigan State – 72 (E)

T7. Mathilde Delavallade, Penn State – 72 (E)

T7. Xiaolin Tian, Maryland – 72 (E)

T7. Daniela Ballesteros, Purdue – 72 (E)

T7. Klara Wildhaber, Iowa – 72 (E)

Nebraska Individuals

T7. Kate Smith – 72 (E)

T7. Megan Whittaker – 72 (E)

T16. Alice Duan – 73 (+1)

T43. Kirsten Baete – 76 (+4)

T43. Michaela Vavrova – 76 (+4)

T70. Lindsey Thiele – 81 (+9)