Smith, Vavrova Lead Huskers in Colorado

Nebraska senior Kate Smith and freshman Michaele Vavrova fired the best scores among women’s golfers at the Golf Coaches Association of America Amateur Series in Fort Collins, Colo., on Tuesday.

Smith (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) and Vavrova (Bojnice, Slovakia) tied for 16th individually at 215 (+5) in a field of 64 golfers that included 48 men and 16 women. Smith put together rounds of 71-71-73, while Vavrova notched rounds of 69-74-72 on the par-70 layout of the Fort Collins Country Club, which played at 7,149 yards for the men.

Fellow Husker Megan Whittaker (Elkhorn, Neb.) added a tie for 24th at 218 (67-75-76), which included the best round of any woman in the field with a 67 (-3) on Monday. Smith, Vavrova and Whittaker finished as the top three women in the tournament, which included collegiate golfers from Colorado State, Wyoming, Northern Colorado, Rutgers, Tulsa and UTSA. The men’s portion of the field included college golfers from 14 NCAA Division I schools.

Six Husker women’s golfers competed in the tournament, including senior transfer Alice Duan (Reno, Nev.), who finished 34th at 222 (78-73-71). Seniors Noor Ahmed (Folsom, Calif.) and Jessica Haraden (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) tied for 46th at 228.

Colorado State men’s golfer Davis Bryant won the individual title by defeating Denver’s Jackson Solem in a playoff. Bryant, a Golf Coaches Association of American (GCAA) Honorable-Mention All-American and All-Mountain West golfer matched Solem with a 206 (-4) through 54 holes. Another Colorado State honorable-mention GCAA All-American and All-Mountain West golfer AJ Ott tied Colorado’s John Paterson for third at 207 (-3). The top eight finishers also included 2019 Summit League Championship MVP Calvin McCoy from Denver.

Golf Coaches Association of America Amateur Series – Fort Collins

Fort Collins (Colo.) Country Club

Par 70

Sept. 21-22, 2020

Nebraska Women’s Golfers

T16. Kate Smith – 71-71-73=215 (+5)

T16. Michaela Vavrova – 69-74-72=215 (+5)

T24. Megan Whittaker – 67-75-76=218 (+8)

34. Alice Duan – 78-73-71=222 (+12)

T46. Noor Ahmed – 79-78-71=228 (+18)

T46. Jessica Haraden – 78-77-73=228 (+18)