Huskers Open Spring Season Sunday in Puerto Rico

The Nebraska men’s golf team opens its 2025 spring campaign by competing in the Palmas Del Mar Collegiate in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Feb. 9 through Tuesday, Feb. 11.

The three-day, 54-hole event on a 7,122-yard, par-72 layout at the Palmas Del Mar Golf Club is hosted by the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Action begins with a shotgun start on Sunday at 6:30 a.m. (CT), followed by Monday’s second round, which is also set for a 6:30 a.m. shotgun start. The final round begins at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Fans can follow the live scoring at scoreboard.clippd.com.

Nebraska’s lineup in the 5-count-4 scoring format will take on a strong 14-team field that includes seven top-100 teams, including No. 46 TCU, No. 59 Kennesaw State, No. 61 Indiana, No. 76 Michigan, No. 82 Nebraska, No. 87 Arkansas and No. 99 Boston College. Butler, Drexel, Maryland, North Texas, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and the hosts from UNCG round out the field.

Rudy Sautron leads the Huskers to Puerto Rico following an outstanding fall season that propelled him to No. 77 in the national rankings. The sophomore from Reunion Island, France produced three top-10 finishes during the fall, including a title in his Husker debut at the Gopher Invitational (Sept. 8-9). He added a tie for third at the Quebin Cup (Oct. 14-15), before closing the fall with a sixth-place showing at Steelwood.

Sautron leads the Huskers with a 71.07 stroke average over 15 rounds.

Senior Hamish Murray will play out of the No. 2 spot in the Husker lineup after posting a strong 72.40 stroke average over 15 rounds in the fall. Murray closed the fall with a tie for 12th individually with a 211 (-5) at the Steelwood Collegiate. It was his third top-15 finish of the fall, including a season-best tie for seventh at the Git-R-Done Invitational at Firethorn (Sept. 23-24).

Graduate student Reed Malleck, who played some of the most consistent golf of his Husker career during the fall, will occupy the No. 3 position in the Big Red lineup in Puerto Rico, while redshirt sophomore Evan McDermott makes his sixth consecutive lineup appearance of 2024-25.

Freshman Brodie Cunningham rounds out Nebraska’s top five, while Davis Johnson, Jackson Benge and James Ackerman will compete as individuals in Puerto Rico.

Live updates and scoring for the Steelwood Collegiate can be found at HuskersGolf on Instagram and X, and Scoreboard.clippd.com. Complete coverage can be found at Huskers.com. 

Palmas Del Mar Collegiate

 

Rudy Sautron made his NCAA Division I debut as a Husker by capturing the tournament title at the season-opening Gopher Invitational (Sept. 8-9). The sophomore from Reunion Island, France, who transferred to Nebraska after spending his first collegiate season at NCAA Division II Cameron University in Oklahoma, tied the Nebraska sophomore tournament record with a 208 (-5) at the Windsong Farm Golf Club.

Sautron’s three-round total included an opening-round 69 (-2) that featured Nebraska’s first eagle of the season on No. 18. He added a second-round 70 (-1) before closing with a final-round 69 (-2). His 208 matched the NU sophomore record set by former PGA pro Brady Schnell (2004-05) and Seth Porter (1999-2000).

Sautron’s performance helped the Huskers to a third-place team finish in a strong 15-team field in Minnesota - Nebraska’s best team finish since 2021.

His effort also earned him a share of the first Big Ten Conference Men’s Golfer-of-the-Week award for the 2024-25 season announced Sept. 12.

Sautron added a second top-five finish with his tie for third to help the Huskers to another third-place finish in a loaded 13-team field at the Qubein Cup in Greensboro, N.C. (Oct. 14-15). Sautron finished with a three-round total of 213 (+3) that included an opening-round 69 (-1).

He closed the fall by tying his Husker sophomore record with a 208 (-8) at the Steelwood Collegiate (Oct. 26-27), which included a school-record 63 (-9) in the final round.

Murray Registers Four Top-25 Finishes in Fall Season
Hamish Murray, a second-year Husker from Sydney, Australia, produced his best Nebraska individual finish with a tie for seventh with a 209 (-4) at the Git-R-Done Invitational (Sept. 23-24). It was Murray’s second straight top-25 finish to open the season, joining his tie for 24th at the Gopher Invitational (Sept. 8-9).

He continued his solid play by tying for 12th at 215 (-1) at the Badger Invite (Sept. 29-Oct. 1).

Murray, who owns nine top-25 showings in 15 tournaments as a Husker, shot 74 or better in eight of his first nine rounds in 2024-25, including a Husker career-best 66 (-6) in the second round of the Badger Invite (Sept. 30). 

He closed the fall strong with a tie for 12th that included rounds of 71-69-71 to finish at 211 (-5) at the Steelwood Collegiate (Oct. 26-27).

Murray, who led Nebraska with a 72.69 stroke average as a junior in 2023-24, carries a 72.40 average through 15 rounds in 2024-25.

He opened his Husker career with three straight top-20 finishes, including a season-best tie for ninth in his Nebraska debut at the Bearcat Invitational (Sept. 18-19, 2023). He closed with a three-round score of 211 (-2) on a par-71, 7,279-yard layout at the Coldstream CC in Cincinnati.

Murray produced a tie for 19th with a 215 (-1) at the Badger Invitational in Wisconsin (Oct. 1-3), before tying for 17th at Purdue with a 214 (+1).

Murray closed the fall with a tie for 33rd with an even-par 216 at the Everett Buick GMC Classic in Little Rock, Ark., Oct. 16-17.

He added his fourth top-20 effort by tying for 19th at 146 (73-73) in the rain-shortened Battle at Briar’s Creek in South Carolina (Feb. 5-6). He added another tie for 19th with a 214 (-2) to lead NU at The Johnnie-O at Sea Island (March 11-12).

During the summer of 2024, Murray was the runner-up at the Nebraska Amateur Championship with a four-round total of 274 (-10), trailing only champion Reed Malleck (273, -11).

Murray, who was a 2024 GCAA Scholar All-American and a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District VII selection, also took time during the summer to participate in the Nebraska Life Skills No Filter Service Trip Abroad to Panama.

Murray was ranked among the top 50 golfers in NCAA Division II by Golfstat in 2022-23 and was the Cameron Athlete of the Year across all sports.

 

Malleck Leads Husker Sweep at 116th Nebraska Amateur
Reed Malleck fired a final-round 69 to end with a winning four-round total of 273 (-11) to capture the Nebraska Amateur Championship at the Fremont Golf Club (July 19).

Malleck, a four-year letterman for the Huskers entering the 2024-25 season, put together four consistent rounds (68-68-68-69) to work his way to his first Nebraska Amateur title. Malleck was the 2020 Nebraska Junior Match Play champion, and the 2022 Nebraska Match Player runner-up.

He led a Husker sweep of the top three spots at the 116th Nebraska Amateur by holding off  teammate Hamish Murray (Sydney, Australia) who finished one shot back at 274 (-10), including a final-round 70 (-1).

Evan McDermott (Spring Lake, Michigan), a redshirt sophomore for the Huskers in 2024-25, added a third-place finish at 277 (-7), including a final-round 69 (-2).

Malleck became the 32nd Husker golfer in history to win the Nebraska Amateur Championship, but the first Husker to win the title since Brandon Crick in 2009. 

Husker Roster Features Experienced Leaders
Nebraska’s 11-man roster for 2024-25 features a growing group of experienced, high-character leaders both on and off the course.

Graduate student Reed Malleck returns for his fifth competitive season hoping to help lead the Huskers to an NCAA Regional berth. The reigning Nebraska Amateur champion, Malleck has represented the Huskers twice at the Big Ten Championship. The three-time Academic All-Big Ten choice was a 2024 GCAA Scholar All-American and Nebraska’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner in 2023, before earning his bachelor’s degree in finance from Nebraska in May of 2024.

Senior Hamish Murray has been a leader on the course, in the classroom and the community. The second-year Husker led Nebraska with five top-25 finishes a year ago before adding GCAA Scholar All-America honors. He was also Nebraska’s 2024 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner.

Senior Grant Jabenis adds more leadership skills on and off the course. Jabenis has competed in 32 rounds for the Huskers, including an appearance at the 2023 Big Ten Championships. He was also a 2024 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. He is coming off a tie for sixth with a 215 (+5) at the Qubein Cup (Oct. 14-15).

Juniors Quinn Yost (41 rounds) and Davis Johnson (29 rounds) add substantial experience. Yost was a 2024 GCAA Scholar All-American, while Johnson has competed for the Big Red at both the 2023 and 2024 Big Ten Championships while adding Academic All-Big Ten accolades.

Evan McDermott, who redshirted in his second season at Nebraska in 2023-24, also has seen significant playing time. The redshirt sophomore has competed in 29 rounds, including all 12 for the Huskers in 2024-25, while adding Academic All-Big Ten honors as a mechanical engineering major in 2024.

Nebraska Adds Three Talented Freshmen in 2024-25
Nebraska added a trio of talented freshmen to the mix for 2024-25.

Jackson Benge (Omaha, Neb.), James Ackerman (Leawood, Kan.) and Brodie Cunningham (Glasgow, Scotland) signed their letters of intent to join the Nebraska men’s golf program on Nov. 8, 2023.

Benge brings a rich family tradition with him from Nebraska high school power Omaha Westside. Benge, whose mother Amy (Roux) was a standout on the Husker women’s golf team, helped the Warriors to back-to-back Class A state team titles in 2023 and 2024. The 2022 Nebraska Junior Match Play champion, Benge was a two-time Class A all-state selection (2022, 2023) and qualified for the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur. He is also the cousin of Gold Glove winner and World Series champion Alex Gordon, and the nephew of Nebraska men’s gym All-American Ted Harris.

Ackerman was the 2023 Kansas Class 6A Player of the Year after leading Blue Valley High School to back-to-back state team titles in 2021 and 2022. Ackerman also competed at the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur in Oregon.

Cunningham comes to Nebraska after capturing back-to-back Barrie Douglas Scottish Junior Masters championships in 2023 and 2024. He competed at the Scottish Men’s Open Championship at Muirfield in May of 2024, putting together rounds of 72 and 73.

Sautron Poised to Make Immediate Impact for Huskers
One of the top newcomers in NCAA Division II in 2023-24, Rudy Sautron joined the Huskers for the 2024-25 season after signing with Nebraska in early March.

The former vice champion of France was named to the Golf Coaches Association of America Division II All-Freshman Team after producing eight top-10 finishes in 11 tournaments.

Sautron claimed one of five spots on the NCAA Division II All-Freshman Team selected by the GCAA after qualifying as an individual to the NCAA Division II West/South Central Super Regional. He was also named to the Division II PING All-South Central Region team.

Sautron followed former Cameron golfer Hamish Murray to Nebraska, after Murray joined the Huskers for the 2023-24 season. Sautron and Murray were not teammates at Cameron.

2024-25 Nebraska Season Bests
Team Total: 859 (+7), Git-R-Done, Sept. 23-24
Team to Par: +5 (869), Steelwood, Oct. 26-27
Team Finish: 3rd, Qubein Cup, Oct. 14-15
                3rd, Gopher Invite, Sept. 8-9
Individual Finish: 1st, Rudy Sautron, Gopher Invite, Sept. 8-9
Individual Total: 208
Rudy Sautron, Steelwood, Oct. 26-27 (-8)
Rudy Sautron, Gopher Invite, Sept. 8-9 (-5)
Individual to Par: -8 (208)
Rudy Sautron, Steelwood, Oct. 26-27
Individual Round: 63 (-9) (school record)
Rudy Sautron, 63, Steelwood, 3rd, Oct. 27
Individual Round to Par: -9 (school record)
Rudy Sautron, 63, Steelwood, 3rd, Oct. 27
Eagles (6):
Rudy Sautron, No. 18 (Par 5), 3rd, Steelwood, Oct. 27
Grant Jabenis, No. 5 (Par 5), 1st, Qubein Cup, Oct. 14
Rudy Sautron, No. 9 (Par 5), 2nd, Badger, Sept. 30
Brodie Cunningham, No. 2 (Par 5), 1st, Badger, Sept. 29
Rudy Sautron, No. 11 (Par 5), 3rd, Git-R-Done, Sept. 24
Rudy Sautron, No. 18 (Par 5), 1st, Gopher, Sept. 8