Huskers Capture First Team Title in Two Seasons

The <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska men’s golf team fired a 298 team score on Sunday in the final round of the Pepsi-Cola Invitational to hold off a charge from Texas State and capture the team title. The Huskers completed three rounds of play at the Tanglewood Resort in Pottsboro, Texas with a 910 team total, four strokes better than Texas State. <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

The tournament crown was Nebraska’s second under third-year Head Coach Bill Spangler and the Huskers’ first since winning the Branson Creek Invitational in April of 2002. The Huskers’ previous best finish in the 2003-04 season was a pair of fifth-place finishes.

 

Nebraska carried a five-shot lead into Sunday’s action, after posting rounds of 309 and 303 on Saturday at the 6,993-yard, par-72 layout. In the final round, Nebraska counted three scores of 75 or better, and Nebraska’s 298 final-round score was the fourth-best of the day. After Nebraska and Texas State, Oral Roberts and Texas A&M-Commerce tied for third at 921, while host school Northern Illinois rounded out the top five at 923.

 

Freshman Tom Bethel completed a strong tournament with a 74 in the final round, leaving him with a three-round total of 225 and a tie for third place. The Pepsi-Cola Invitational marked the first tournament Bethel had played in Nebraska’s team lineup and he responded with Nebraska’s highest individual finish of the season. Bethel had recorded top-20 finishes in each of Nebraska’s previous two tournaments while competing as an individual.

 

Redshirt freshman Drew Reynolds carded Nebraska’s top Sunday round with a one-over 73 and finished three rounds at 230, good for a tie for 12th place. Senior J.J. Sullivan posted a 77 on Sunday to finish at 231 (tie 14th), while freshman Brady Schnell had a 74 (232, tie 17th) and sophomore Judd Cornell rounded out the team lineup with a 78 on Sunday (233, tie 22nd). Two other Huskers competed as individuals this weekend. Sophomore Kent Schreiner posted a 79 on Sunday to complete three rounds at 231 (tie 14th), while senior Chris Hartwig shot 76 on Sunday (233, tie 22nd). The individual crown was captured by St. Louis University’s David Perritt who finished three rounds at 219, four shots better than Texas State’s Everett Nini.

 

Nebraska is next in action on Monday-Tuesday, April 5-6 at the Branson Creek Invitational in Branson, Mo.

 

Team Scoring

1. Nebraska                              309-303-298?910

2. Texas State                           307-310-297?914

3. Texas A&M-Commerce           308-309-304?921

Oral Roberts                              317-304-300?921

5. Northern Illinois                      311-317-295?923

6. Southwest Missouri                307-317-303?927

7. Iowa                                      311-319-300?930

8. Western Illinois                      318-306-307?931

9. St. Louis                               314-328-294?936

10. Belmont                               314-310-313?937

 

Individual Leaders

1. David Perritt, St. Louis                        69-76-74?219

2. Everett Nini, Texas State                    75-75-73?223

3. Tom Bethel, Nebraska                        75-76-74?225

Arvid Ganestam, Oral Roberts                 76-75-74?225

Ben Hermes, Western Illinois                  78-76-71?225

 

Nebraska Individuals

T3. Tom Bethel              75-76-74?225

T12. Drew Reynolds       78-79-73?230

T14. J.J. Sullivan            78-76-77?231

T17. Brady Schnell         78-80-74?232

T22. Judd Cornell           83-72-78?233

 

T14. *Kent Schreiner      79-73-79?231

T22. *Chris Hartwig        74-83-76?233

*-competing as an individual