Lundin Leads Huskers at Firethorn

Lincoln – Jack Lundin shot an even-par 142 through two rounds to lead the Nebraska men’s golf team through 36 holes on the first day of the Git-R-Done Husker Invitational at Firethorn Golf Club on Saturday.

Lundin, a freshman from Sioux Falls, S.D., closed the day in sixth place individually after following his opening-round 70 (-1) with a one-over-par 72 in the second round. Lundin ended the day with a one-shot lead over teammate Tom Westenberger, who is hunting for his third straight top-10 individual finish. Westenberger (Wuppertal, Germany) matched Lundin’s 70 (-1) in the first round, before adding a 73 in the second round on the 7,040-yard, par-71 layout at Firethorn.

With Lundin and Westenberger leading the way for the Huskers in the third consecutive tournament, Nebraska ended the day with a two-round total of 582. The Huskers opened the day with a 289, before adding a second-round 293. NU sits in fourth place in the team standings heading into Sunday’s final round. 

“We got off to a solid start today and played consistently throughout the day,” Nebraska Head Coach Mark Hankins said. “Jack and Tom played well and we had some nice scores from a bunch of our guys. Tomorrow is a new day but we need to continue to stick to our original game plan, be ready to go on the first tee and take what the golf course has to offer tomorrow.”

Michigan State owns the top spot on the team leader board at 569 (291-278), while the top two Spartan golfers, James Piot (68-69-137) and Troy Taylor II (70-68-138) occupy the top two positions on the individual leader board.

Minnesota sits four strokes back of the Spartans in second place at 573, while Kansas State enters Sunday’s final round in third at 574.

Mark Foelbaek contributed in a big way for the Huskers by tying for 18th through 36 holes at 146, after carding back-to-back rounds of 73. Branden Meyer added a 76 in the first round to complete NU’s team score through the first 18 holes, while Will Marshall pitched in a 75 in the second round to complete the scoring for the Husker lineup. Marshall heads to the final round tied for 44th (152), while Meyer is tied for 47th (154).

In addition to the Huskers competing in the lineup, several Nebraska golfers produced outstanding performances while playing as individuals on Saturday. Caleb Badura (Aurora, Neb.) posted Nebraska’s best individual score of the day with a two-under-par 140 that included a 68 (-3) in the second round. Badura’s second round included three birdies and 15 pars. Badura closed the day in third place individually.

Jeremy Sisson (Skaneateles, N.Y.) added a 145 (74-71) to close the day in a tie for 13th, while freshman Gentry Scheve (Emporia, Kan.) put another Husker in the top 25 at 147 (74-73) in a tie for 21st. 

Reed Malleck (T30th, 149), Tristan Nelko (T47th, 154), Will Harding (T54th, 157) and Daniel Pearson (60th, 170) rounded out the Nebraska contingent.