Huskers Travel South for 49er Classic

Lincoln -- The Nebraska men's golf team continues its fall campaign this week at the 49er Collegiate Classic in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday and Tuesday. The tournament will be held at Skybrook Golf Club and is hosted by the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

Action will begin with 36 holes on Monday, with the final round set for Tuesday in Charlotte. The 49er Collegiate Classic is the fifth of Nebraska's six 2003 fall tournaments.

The Huskers are still looking for a breakthrough performance in the fall season. Nebraska has been close to putting together a strong tournament, but according to Coach Bill Spangler the Huskers have had several untimely poor holes and tough finishes to rounds.

Spangler expects his team to respond well this week against a field of 12 teams, predominantly from the southeast part of the United State, including host school N.C.-Charlotte. Xavier, James Madison and the host 49ers are among the top-ranked teams in the field.

Nebraska will continue with the same lineup it has fielded each of the past three tournaments. Senior J.J. Sullivan will return to the top of the Huskers' lineup for the 49er Collegiate Classic. Sullivan has been NU's most consistent golfer throughout the fall and averages 75.0 strokes per round. Sullivan is coming off a team-best 13th-place finish at last week's Jim Colbert Intercollegiate.

Sophomore Judd Cornell will play in the No. 2 spot for Spangler in Charlotte after a tie for 15th-place in Manhattan last week. Redshirt freshman Drew Reynolds has been a pleasant surprise for the Huskers this fall, with a 75.9 stroke average in 10 rounds. He will play the No. 3 spot, followed by senior Chris Hartwig and freshman Brady Schnell.

Nebraska is also hopeful of getting a full tournament in this week. Two of Nebraska's first four fall tournaments have been shortened by weather. The final day of NU's own Fairway Club Invitational was washed out, as was last week's final round at the Jim Colbert Intercollegiate in Manhattan.

NU Finishes Fifth in Rain-Shortened Event
Nebraska completed two rounds of play with a 601 team total at the Jim Colbert Intercollegiate last week in Manhattan, Kan. The tournament held at the demanding Colbert Hills layout was shortened to 36 holes because of rain on Tuesday.

Nebraska opened the tournament with a 302, paced by a pair of 74s from J.J. Sullivan and Judd Cornell. Schnell and Reynolds added 77s to account for the team total. The Huskers' counted three scores of 75 or less in round two, led by Chris Hartwig's one-over 73. Sullivan added a second consecutive 74, while Cornell posted a 75 in the second round.

Sullivan's 148 total placed him in a tie for 13th in the field, while Cornell was just behind at 149, good for a tie for 15th place. Missouri captured the team crown with a 576 total, eight shots better than Drake, while Kansas State, SW Misssouri and Nebraska rounded out the top five.