Murray Leads Huskers on First Day at Firethorn

Lincoln - Hamish Murray fired a four-under-par 67 in the second round to finish the first 36 holes of the Git-R-Done Invitational at 137 (-5) to lead the Nebraska men's golf team at Firethorn Golf Club on Monday.

Murray, a senior from Sydney, Australia, closed the second round tied for third in the 65-player field, while the Huskers sat in third place among the 11 schools in the tournament. As a team, Nebraska ended the day at 566 (-2), including a season-best 280 (-4) in the second round.

Fellow Husker Evan McDermott matched Murray with a career-best-tying 67 (-4) of his own in the second round to enter Tuesday's final round in a tie for 12th at 140 (-2). The sophomore from Spring Lake, Mich., opened the day with a 73 (+2) on the 7,003-yard, par-71 layout at Firethorn. McDermott's second round featured seven birdies to overcome a bogey on No. 9 and a double-bogey on No. 16 as the only blemishes in his round.

While McDermott and Murray surged in the second round, Reed Malleck produced back-to-back even-par 71 (E), including a 33 (-2) on the back nine in the second round, to end his day in a tie for 16th (142).

Sophomore Rudy Sautron matched Malleck with an even-par 71 in the opening round, but settled for a 75 in the second round. He heads to the final round in a tie for 32nd at 146 (+4).

Junior Davis Johnson rounded out Nebraska's top lineup with a 76 (+5) to close his day in a tie for 48th at 150 (+8).

Overall, four Huskers finished the day among the top-20 golfers in the tournament, including Brodie Cunningham. The freshman from Glasgow, Scotland, performed well in his collegiate debut with a 141 (-1) through 36 holes that included a 70 (-1) in the opening round. Cunningham is tied for 12th to lead Nebraska's "B" lineup in the tournament. The Husker "B" team sits in sixth place at 574 (+6) after rounds of 288 and 286. 

Quinn Yost, a junior from Farmington, N.M., sits in a tie for 22nd with a 36-hole total of 143 (+1), including an opening-round 69 (-2). Senior Grant Jabenis (Omaha, Neb.) freshman James Ackerman (Leawood, Kan.) also are hunting top-20 finishes after tying for 28th at 145 (+3) through two rounds.

Jackson Benge and Rhett Hughes rounded out the 11 Huskers in the field.

Sam Houston State took control of the team standings with a 272 (-12) in the second round to finish the day at 551 (-17). Bearkats Bret Gray and Hugo Trommetter enter the final round tied atop the individual leaderboard at 133 (-9), four shots ahead of Nebraska's Murray.

South Alabama sits 10 strokes behind Sam Houston State heading to the final round, as a trio of Jaguars - Filip Svendsen, Joshua Hill and Hugo Thyr - are among the top six in the tournament. Svenden is tied for fourth at 138 (-4), while Hill and Thyr are one shot back in a tie for sixth at 139 (-3).

Louisiana sits in fourth place as a team at 569 (+1) three shots behind the Huskers, behind the strong play of Eli Ortego, who is tied for fourth at 138 (-4).

The 2024 Git-R-Done Invitational concludes with Tuesday's final round beginning with tee times off No. 1 and No. 10 at 8 a.m. (CT). Live scoring will be available at Huskers.com from Scoreboard.clippd.com.

Git-R-Done Invitational
September 23-24, 2024
Lincoln, Nebraska
Firethorn Golf Club (Par 71, 7,003 Yards)

Team Standings (Two Rounds)
1. Sam Houston State - 279-272=551 (-17)
2. South Alabama - 281-280=561 (-7)
3. Nebraska - 286-280=566 (-2)
4. Louisiana - 275-294=569 (+1)
5. Xavier - 288-284=572 (+4)
6. Nebraska (B) - 288-286=574 (+6)
T7. Wichita State - 293-283=576 (+8)
T7. South Dakota State - 293-283=576 (+8)
9. Kansas City - 288-290=578 (+10)
T10. Minnesota - 295-284=579 (+11)
T10. Omaha - 295-284=579 (+11)
12. Creighton - 294-300=594 (+26) 

Individual Leaderboard (Two Rounds)
T1. Bret Gray, Sam Houston State - 67-66=133 (-9)
T1. Hugo Trommetter, Sam Houston State - 68-65=133 (-9)
3. Hamish Murray, Nebraska - 70-67=137 (-5)
T4. Eli Ortego, Louisiana - 64-74=138 (-4)
T4. Filip Svendsen, South Alabama - 70-68=138 (-4)
T6. Ty Kretz, South Dakota State - 69-70=139 (-3)
T6. Bennett Swavely, Minnesota - 69-70=139 (-3)
T6. Carson Bellish, Xavier - 70-69=139 (-3)
T6. Joshua Hill, South Alabama - 68-71=139 (-3)
T6. Hugo Thyr, South Alabama - 69-70=139 (-3)

Nebraska Lineup (A)
T3. Hamish Murray - 70-67=137 (-5)
T12. Evan McDermott - 74-67=141 (-1)
T16. Reed Malleck - 71-71=142 (E)
T32. Rudy Sautron - 71-75=146 (+4)
T48. Davis Johnson - 74-76=150 (+8)

Nebraska Lineup (B)
*T12. Brodie Cunningham - 70-71=141 (-1)
*T22. Quinn Yost - 69-74=143 (+1)
*T28. Grant Jabenis - 74-71=145 (+3)
*T28. James Ackerman - 75-70=145 (+3)
*T48. Jackson Benge - 75-75=150 (+8)

Nebraska Individual
*T56. Rhett Hughes - 80-72=152 (+10)

*competing as an individual outside Nebraska's top lineup