Kelli Ann Strand charged 16 spots up the individual leader board in the final round to take a top-five finish and help the Nebraska women’s golf team claim the championship at the Badger Invitational in Wisconsin on Tuesday.
The Huskers, who entered the final round four strokes behind the leaders from Notre Dame, dominated the field in 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, capped the best tournament of her career in eighth place 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 last week at the Green Wave Classic in New Orleans.
While Strand and Takahashi continued to climb the leader board on the final day, Husker Megan Whittaker struggled with a final-round 80 after leading Nebraska through the first 36 holes (71-69-140). Whittaker finished with a solid 54-hole score of 220 (+4) to tie for 19th individually, but her final round did not count toward Nebraska’s team score in the five-count-four format.
Michaela Vavrova stepped up with her best round of the tournament, posting a 74 (+2) to close in a tie for 34th at 224 (+8). Following a one-hour and 20-minute mid-afternoon lightning delay, Vavrova carded birdies on No. 18 and No. 1, before ending her round with a bogey on No. 2. The junior from Bojnice, Slovakia put up four birdies in the round to help offset six bogeys while managing just eight pars.
Fellow junior Lindsey Thiele (Wahoo, Neb.) notched Nebraska’s final counting score with a 75 (+3) to tie for 31st individually at 223 (+7) for the tournament. Thiele produced four birdies while taking seven bogeys and just seven pars in a challenging day.
“We learned a lot last week in New Orleans by playing side by side with LSU in the final pairing,” Nebraska Head Coach Jeanne Sutherland said. “We faltered down the stretch last week, and then we came back and talked about it as a group. I think that was really important for us to discuss it openly and honestly. Our goal today was to finish strong, and we did that. It was an incredible team effort. Obviously, Kelli Ann was clutch today with a bogey-free round, but Megan was great for us the first two days, and Miu was solid all three days. Lindsey and Michaela gave us solid scores all three rounds. It was truly a great team win. We’ve still got a long way to go as a team to get where we want to be, but we are headed in the right direction.”
The last time Nebraska opened a season with a pair of top-two team finishes came in 2008-09, when the Huskers won their own Chip-N Club Invitational before tying for first and dropping a playoff at the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational. The Big Red has never opened a season with three straight top-two finishes.
The Huskers will be back in action at the Big O Classic at Oak Hills Country Club in Omaha (Oct. 3-4), before traveling to the Dale McNamara Invitational in Broken Arrow, Okla. (Oct. 10-11).
Badger Invitational
Madison, Wisconsin
University Ridge Golf Course (Par 72, 6,248 Yards)
Sept. 18-20, 2022
Team Results (Final)
1. Nebraska – 292-283-288=863 (-1)
T2. Old Dominion – 293-288-293=874 (+10)
T2. Notre Dame – 284-287-303=874 (+10)
T4. North Florida – 293-290-293=876 (+12)
T4. Wisconsin – 296-291-289=876 (+12)
T4. Washington State – 295-288-293=876 (+12)
7. Colorado State – 295-289-293=877 (+13)
8. Rutgers – 298-295-295=888 (+24)
9. Delaware – 298-299-292=889 (+25)
T10. UC Davis – 300-296-308=904 (+40)
T10. Iowa – 298-304-302=904 (+40)
12. Indiana – 317-295-297=909 (+45)
13. East Carolina – 313-305-308=926 (+62)
Individual Results (Final)
T1. Leigha Devine, Rutgers – 72-69-68=209 (-7)
T1. Montgomery Ferreira, Notre Dame – 72-66-71=209 (-7)
3. Panchalika Arphamongkol, Colorado State – 73-70-69=212 (-4)
T4. Kelli Ann Strand, Nebraska – 77-69-67=213 (-3)
T4. Lauren Beaudreau, Notre Dame – 67-73-73=213 (-3)
T6. Alexis Florio, Indiana – 75-70-69=214 (-2)
T6. Wyndom Burnett, North Florida – 70-72-72=214 (-2)
8. Miu Takahashi, Nebraska – 73-70-72=215 (-1)
T9. Dominika Burdoua, Indiana – 79-67-70=216 (E)
T9. Christin Eisenbeiss, North Florida – 73-71-72=216 (E)
T9. Federica Torre, Old Dominion – 73-67-76=216 (E)
Nebraska Individuals
T4. Kelli Ann Strand – 77-69-67=213 (-3)
8. Miu Takahashi – 73-70-72=215 (-1)
T19. Megan Whittaker – 71-69-80=220 (+4)
T31. Lindsey Thiele – 73-75-75=223 (+7)
T34. Michaela Vavrova – 75-75-74=224 (+8)
*T60. Andrea Velez – 76-76-84=236 (+20)
* competed as an individual outside the Husker lineup
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