Huskers Open Spring in Florida

The Nebraska women’s golf team tees up its 2023 spring season by traveling to Boca Raton for the FAU Paradise Invitational, Feb. 6-7.

The 14 teams in the tournament, hosted by Florida Atlantic University, will face a challenging 6,204-yard, par-72 layout at the Osprey Point Golf Club. Pre-tournament action begins with Sunday’s practice round, before the Huskers open competition on Monday with a shotgun start at 7 a.m. (CT). Following a 36-hole day on Monday, the tournament will conclude with the final round on Tuesday, beginning again with a shotgun start at 7 a.m. (CT).

The Huskers will be challenged by a strong field that includes Wisconsin and Indiana from the Big Ten, along with Vanderbilt and Missouri from the SEC. Kansas State adds Big 12 Conference representation, while South Florida and the hosts from FAU add Florida flavor. Brigham Young, Colorado State, Georgia Southern, Kennesaw State, Mercer and UTSA round out the field that features 11 top-100 teams. Live scoring for the tournament will be available through GolfStat.com.

True freshman Kelli Ann Strand leads Nebraska into the spring after posting a team-best 72.07 stroke average and a trio of top-five individual finishes through her first five college tournaments. 

Graduate student Megan Whittaker added five top-30 finishes and a 72.97 stroke average during the fall. Sophomore Miu Takahashi (73.24) contributed a trio of top-25 finishes, including an individual title at the Dale McNamara Invitational (Oct. 10-11), while junior Lindsey Thiele has provided solid play with five top-40 showings and a 74.00 stroke average.

Nebraska earned top 25 national rankings from Golfweek (No. 19, Sept. 22) and the Mizuno WGCA Poll (No. 20, Sept. 23), and the Huskers enter the spring at No. 47 in the GolfStat head-to-head rankings. Nebraska is one of seven Big Ten teams in the top 50, joining Michigan (29), Ohio State (35), Northwestern (37), Michigan State (43), Maryland (46) and Purdue (48).

FAU Paradise Invitational

Location: Boca Raton, Florida

Host: Florida Atlantic

Course: Osprey Point Golf Club

Par / Yardage: Par 72 / 6,204 yards

Schedule

Monday, Feb. 6 (Rounds 1/2): 7 a.m. (Shotgun)

Tuesday, Feb. 7 (Round 3): 7 a.m. (Shotgun)

Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

14 Participating Teams (GolfStat Ranking)     

Brigham Young (87)

Colorado State (77)

Florida Atlantic (194)

Georgia Southern (69)

Indiana (114)

Kansas State (97)

Kennesaw State (55)

Mercer (101)

Missouri (91)

Nebraska (47)

South Florida (70)

UTSA (85)

Vanderbilt (19)

Wisconsin (64)

Nebraska Lineup

1. Kelli Ann Strand

2. Megan Whittaker

3. Miu Takahashi

4. Michaela Vavrova

5. Lindsey Thiele

IND – Andrea Velez

NCAA Championship Changes

The NCAA Women’s Golf Championship will expand from 24 to 27 teams in 2023 at the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. (May 19-24).

The 2023 NCAA Championship features six regional sites with 12 teams and six individuals  qualifying in each region (72 teams, 36 individuals overall).

Regionals will be held at the University of Georgia Golf Course (Athens), PGA National Resort (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), Palouse Ridge Golf Club (Pullman, Wash.), Lonnie Poole Golf Course (Raleigh, N.C.), TPC San Antonio (Texas) and The Club at Chatham Hills (Westfield, Ind.), May 8-10, 2023.