Whittaker Wins The Harvest at Indian Creek

Megan Whittaker produced a three-round total of 225 (+9) to capture the individual title at The Harvest at Indian Creek conducted by the Nebraska Golf Association in Elkhorn, Oct. 10-11.

Whittaker, a junior from Elkhorn, held off Husker teammate Kirsten Baete by three strokes to claim the crown. Baete, a senior from Beatrice, finished with a 54-hole total of 228. Whittaker and Baete entered the final round tied for third at 149 behind Nebraska freshmen Michaela Vavrova (147) and Lindsey Thiele (148). Whittaker took the title by posting the best final round in the 22-player women’s field with a 76 (+4), while Baete managed a 79 in challenging scoring conditions.

Thiele (Wahoo) took third at 230 (+14), while Vavrova (Slovakia) finished fourth at 233 (+19) to give the Huskers the top four spots in the field. Husker senior Noor Ahmed (Folsom, Calif.) added a sixth-place finish at 236, while sophomore Leah Herzog (Red Wing, Minn.) tied for ninth at 240, including Sunday’s second-best round with a 77.

Nebraska seniors Jessica Haraden (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Hannah Thiele (Wahoo, Neb.) tied for 11th at 244.

Smith Ties for Seventh at Golfweek Purdue Amateur

Nebraska senior Kate Smith fired a four-under-par 68 to claim Sunday’s best score on her way to a tie for seventh in a 51-player field at the Golfweek Purdue Amateur in West Lafayette, Ind., Oct. 10-11.

Smith (Detroit Lakes, Minn.), who finished as the No. 3 Big Ten golfer in a talented field, closed with a 54-hole score of 218 (+2) on the 6,369-yard layout at the Ackerman-Allen Golf Course. She opened with a 77 in the first round, before adding a 73 in Saturday’s second round.

Three-time honorable-mention All-American Lauren Hartlage from Louisville won the tournament with a three-round score of 209 (-7), one stroke in front of Northwestern’s Irene Kim at 210 (-6). Louisville’s Lauren Thibodeau and Duke’s Erica Shepherd tied for third at 213 (-3). Penn State’s Mathilde Delavallade (215) and Duke’s Megan Furtney (217) rounded out the group who finished ahead of Smith.

Overall, 21 golfers from six different Big Ten Conference schools participated in the tournament that featured players from 19 NCAA Division I programs, including four ACC schools (Duke, Louisville, Notre Dame, Clemson) who added a total of eight golfers.