Huskers Close Successful 2004-05 Season

The Nebraska men’s golf team gave its youthful roster solid experience through the 2004-05 season, finishing in the top five seven times and capturing two tournament titles in Coach Bill Spangler’s fourth year.  NU consistently posted low scores throughout the fall, capturing their first title of 2004-05 and placed in the top five twice more. 

 

The Huskers carried that momentum into the spring, capturing another tournament title and finishing in the top five four times for a total of seven times for the 2004-05 season.  Despite the success of the season as a whole, the Huskers finished the year on a disappointing 12th place in the Big 12 Tournament to finish out a solid year.  <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

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Nebraska began the season with an impressive win at the Fairway Club Invitational held in Lincoln, Neb.  The Huskers had three players place in the top 10 and junior Judd Cornell helped the Huskers to first place by finishing second with a score of 222 over three rounds, with his best score of 71 coming in the final round of the tournament.  Cornell posted scores of 75 or lower in 13 of 18 fall rounds, including six rounds under par. 

 

The Omaha, Neb., native provided consistently low scores throughout the season for the Huskers, shooting the second-best stroke average on the team at 73.9.  His high school teammate from Millard West, sophomore Brady Schnell, shot a team-best 73.8 stroke average through the 2004-05 season.  Despite undergoing knee surgery in October, Schnell came back to play a vital role in the spring as Nebraska’s top golfer, earning four top-10 finishes.  Schnell tied a Nebraska school-record with a round of 65 that he shot at the Pioneer Golf Classic in the spring of 2005.   

 

The Huskers followed up the fall win at the Fairway Club Invite with a fifth-place finish at the Kansas Invitational.  Schnell was the top Husker finisher, tying for 12th place with a score of 220.  Cornell was one stroke behind Schnell, placing him in a tie for 17th place and sophomore Ryan Lenahan was close behind with a score of 223, finishing in a tie for 23rd.

 

Lenahan, a native of Gross Pointe Shores, Mich., earned a spot in the Husker lineup seven times throughout the 2004-05 season, shooting a 75.7 stroke average.  He helped the Huskers capture the Fairway Club Invitational by tying for sixth place, and finished in the top 10 three times for NU.

 

The Huskers placed in the top five once more in the fall at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate held in Brighton, Colo.  Cornell and Schnell both posted team-lows of even-par 216, tying for 10th place.  Sophomore Drew Reynolds scored a solid 223 to finish in a tie for 43rd.  The Lee’s Summit, Mo., native compiled four top-20 individual finishes and worked his way into the No. 3 spot for NU in the spring. 

 

After the Huskers finished the fall out strong, they rolled into the spring with confidence, recording 12 top 20 places and four top five team finishes.  To open the spring, NU placed fifth at the Rice Intercollegiate in Houston, Texas.  Through two rounds of play, Lenahan finished with a team-best score of 145, finishing in a tie for 10th place and freshman Chris Bruening contributed a 19th-place tie with a score of 148.

 

The Huskers earned another top-five finish when they tied for fourth place at the Pioneer Golf Classic in Phoenix, Ariz., shooting a score of 863 over three rounds.  Schnell gave the Huskers a boost, tying for second place with a score of 208 (73-65-70). Reynolds contributed a score of 216 to tie for 21st.

 

Nebraska continued to gain momentum through the spring placing in a tie for second in the CU-Stevinson Ranch Invitational.  Schnell was at the front of the pack again with his score of 218 that was good enough for a sixth-place tie.  Cornell was close behind with a score of 220 that put him in a tie for 11th place. 

 

At the Branson Creek Invitational, the spring season reached its peak when the Huskers captured the tournament title.  After posting impressive team scores of 293 and 290, NU finished two strokes ahead of Southwest Missouri Sate to claim first place.  Schnell was NU’s top finisher, coming in second shooting a 216.  Reynolds and Lenahan tied for fifth place with scores of 219.

 

With a solid spring campaign behind them, the Huskers headed to the Big 12 Tournament at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas.  Going into the final day of competition sitting in ninth place, NU put up scores in the 80’s and slid down three spots to 12th place.  Schnell led the Huskers with a score of 227 and tying for 18th place, but no other Huskers were able to crack the top 20.