Huskers Look for Third Straight Strong Finish

The Nebraska men's golf team enters the home stretch of its season playing its best golf of the spring. The Huskers have finished first and second, respectively, in their last two tournaments and will look to build on that momentum next week at the ASU Indian Golf Classic.

The 54-hole tournament begins on Monday, April 12 with 36 holes at RidgePointe Country Club in Jonesboro, Ark. The final round is set for Tuesday at the 6,539-yard, par-72 layout. Play will begin both days at 8 a.m.

Scouting the Field
The Huskers will be competing against one of the strongest fields they have faced during the spring season. Leading the field are six teams ranked in the top 100 in the latest (4/5) GolfWeek statistical rankings. Lamar heads the field with a No. 62 ranking, followed by North Texas (73), Southern Mississippi (75), South Florida (78), Missouri (80) and Middle Tennessee (98). In addition to Missouri, Iowa State is also in the field as Nebraska will get a bit of a preview of the April 26-27 Big 12 Championships.

About the Huskers
The Huskers are coming off a second-place showing at the Branson Creek Invitational on Monday and Tuesday. Nebraska posted its best three-round score of the 2003-04 campaign with a total of 870, including a 285 in the second round, the Huskers' best round of the spring.

Five Huskers finished in the top 20 at the Branson Creek tournament, led by Drew Reynolds and J.J. Sullivan who finished in a tie for seventh place with three round totals of three-over par 216.

Sullivan continues to lead the Huskers in stroke average at 75.03 strokes for 31 rounds during the 2003-04 season. A fifth-year senior, Sullivan matched his best round of the season with a 70 in the final round of the Branson Creek Invitational. Joining Sullivan and Reynolds in the lineup for the ASU Indian Classic will be Tom Bethel, Judd Cornell and Chris Hartwig. Those players earned spots in the lineup based on their top-20 finishes earlier this week.

Last season, Nebraska finished fourth in a 14-team field at the ASU Indian Classic with a three-round total of 893. Individually, Cornell led the way with a tie for eighth place at 218.

Branson Creek Invitational Recap
Nebraska finished second at the Branson Creek Invitational in Hollister, Mo., this past Monday and Tuesday. The Huskers finished with a three-round total of 870, second only to Oklahoma City, who finished at 842.

Nebraska opened the tournament with rounds of 294 and 285 on Monday at the Branson Creek Golf Club to move into second place. Illinois State pushed the Huskers on Tuesday, but Nebraska held on to a one-stroke advantage over the third-place Redbirds.

Individually, Sullivan and Reynolds tied for seventh with 216 totals on the par-71, 7,015-yard layout. Chris Hartwig finished in a tie for 14th place while competing as an individual, while Tom Bethel and Judd Cornell finished 16th.