Huskers Head to Houston for All-American

The Nebraska men’s golf team travels to Texas to face a challenging 16-team field at the All-American Intercollegiate, March 16-17.

The two-day, 54-hole event gets underway with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. (CT) for two rounds on Monday, March 16 in Humble, Texas. The teams will wrap up the three-round event on the the par-72, 7,422-yard layout of the Golf Club of Houston on Tuesday, March 17 at 8 a.m. (CT).

The No. 79 Huskers will face a strong field headlined by No. 4 Arkansas along with No. 49 Rice, the hosts from No. 61 Houston, Abilene Christian, Eastern Michigan, Houston Christian, Lamar, North Texas, Sam Houston, Tarleton State, Texas State, Louisiana-Monroe, UT Arlington, UT Rio Grand Valley and Odessa College along with individual golfers from LSU.

Junior Rudy Sautron has been dominant for the Huskers early this spring, capturing back-to-back tournament titles at the Hal Williams Collegiate and The Johnnie-O at Sea Island in record-breaking fashion. Sautron fired a school-record 18-under-par 198 to share the championship at The Johnnie-O (March 9-10). It followed a school-record 195 (-15) at the Hal Williams Collegiate (Feb. 16-17). His effort in Semmes, Ala., included a school-record 62 (-8).

Sautron has tied the school record for titles in a single season, matching Jamie Rogers (1997-98) with three this year, including a then-school-record 200 (-13) at the Git-R-Done Invitational (Sept. 22-23). His win last week in Georgia vaulted him 50 spots in the national rankings up to No. 69. He opened the spring at No. 206, before jumping 87 spots to No. 119 with his win in Alabama.

Sautron also captured his third Big Ten Golfer-of-the-Week award of the season (March 12). Sautron owns a team-best 69.57 stroke average over 23 rounds, more than two strokes better than his school-record 71.70 stroke average a year ago.

Evan McDermott matched his career best with a 211 (-5) to tie for 33rd as Nebraska’s No. 2 finisher at The Johnnie-O. The redshirt junior from Spring Lake, Mich., carries a 72.40 stroke average over 20 rounds for the Huskers this season.

Freshman Caden Mickelson and sophomore Jackson Benge have been reliable scorers for the Big Red throughout the year. Mickelson owns Nebraska’s No. 2 stroke average (71.55) over 22 rounds, while Benge has played every round alongside Sautron in the Husker lineup and produced a 71.74 average.

Sophomore Brodie Cunningham rounds out the Husker lineup with his 72.32 stroke average over 22 rounds this season.

Live updates and scoring for the All-American Intercollegiate can be found at HuskersGolf on Instagram and X, and Scoreboard.clippd.com. Complete coverage can be found at Huskers.com.

All-American Intercollegiate
Humble, Texas (Host: Houston)
Golf Club of Houston (Par 72, 7,422 Yards)

Schedule
Monday, March 16 (Rounds 1 & 2) - 8 a.m. CT (shotgun)
Tuesday, March 17 (Round 3) - 8 a.m. CT (shotgun)

Live Scoring: Scoreboard.clippd.com

Participating Teams (16)
Abilene Christian, Arkansas, Eastern Michigan, Houston, Houston Christian, Lamar, Nebraska, North Texas, Odessa College, Rice, Sam Houston, Tarleton State, Texas State, ULM, UT Arlington, UT Rio Grand Valley

Nebraska Lineup (5-count-4)
1. Rudy Sautron, Jr., Reunion Island, France
2. Evan McDermott, RJr., Spring Lake, Michigan
3. Jackson Benge, So., Omaha, Nebraska
4. Caden Mickelson, Fr., Kansas City, Missouri
5. Brodie Cunningham, So., Glasgow, Scotland
IND - Bryson Oots, Sr., Kansas City, Missouri

Sautron Owns Top Spot in Pathway to Progression
Nebraska’s Rudy Sautron earned the top spot in the PGA Tour Underclass Elite Ranking (Feb. 11). The Pathway to Progression Underclass Elite Ranking is a new enhancement within the PGA Tour Development program designed to evaluate and recognize the top emerging collegiate golfers, highlighting a diverse group of elite underclass athletes - predominantly African American players - from across the country. It supports players who are in their freshman, sophomore and junior years.

Sautron has maintained the top spot since the initial ranking was released in November. Argyle Downes (Rutgers), Sascha Robinson (Florida A&M), Roman Solomon (USF) and Jayden Lizama (Gonzaga) round out the top five.

The top player in the final ranking receives an exemption into The Monroe Invitational, an elite summer amateur event in Pittsford, N.Y. The top 15 players earn invitations to participate in the Pathway to Progression Underclass Elite Showcase at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois (July 13-16).

Huskers Go Low Early During 2025-26 Season
A trio of Huskers have consistently shot below par during the 2025-26 campaign.

Junior Rudy Sautron leads Nebraska with a 69.57 stroke average. Through 23 rounds, Sautron’s average is 1.78 strokes below par per round. He is coming off two of the best performances in school history with an NU record 18-under-par (198) to share the title at The Johnnie-O (March 9-10). It followed a school-record 195 (-15) to share the individual title at the Hal Williams Collegiate (Feb. 16-17). His effort included a school-record 62 (-8) in the first round.

Sautron’s fall season included a then-school-record 200 (-13) at the Git-R-Done Invitational, which included a final-round 64 (-7). It was just one stroke shy of his previous school-record 63 (-9) that he carded at the Steelwood Collegiate in the fall of 2024.

True freshman Caden Mickelson owns a 71.55 average (+0.23 strokes per round above par). His fall included a school freshman-record 201 (-12) in a third-place finish at the Git-R-Done Invitational, when he fired an opening-round 66 (-5). Eight of his 22 rounds have been below par.

Sophomore Jackson Benge owns nine rounds below par this year and carries a 71.74 stroke average (+0.39 strokes per round above par).

In addition to the Husker regulars in the lineup, newcomers Thomas Bryson and Bryson Oots both put together even-par stroke averages of 71.50 over six fall rounds outside the Husker lineup.

Huskers Hope to Break Through with 2026 NCAA Bid
Nebraska believes its 10-man roster has the ingredients to break through with its first team NCAA Regional berth since 2007.

Nebraska, which has made significant jumps in the final national rankings in each of Coach Judd Cornell’s three seasons, including a No. 83 ranking to end 2024-25, has a balanced roster with experienced seniors and talented juniors and sophomores leading the way.

Juniors Rudy Sautron and Evan McDermott have experience playing in the heart of Nebraska’s lineup. Both were leaders for the Big Red as sophomores in 2024-25, and both are focused on continuing NU’s drive for postseason play.

Brodie Cunningham leads a talented sophomore class that includes Jackson Benge and James Ackerman. Cunningham set Nebraska’s freshman stroke average record a year ago, while Benge got a strong taste of collegiate action.

Freshmen Caden Mickelson and Thomas Bryson hope to make impacts on the Husker lineup in their first season. Both players were individual high school state champions and four-time all-state selections during their prep careers. Mickelson was NU’s top finisher (T12th) with a school freshman-record 207 (-9) at the Island Resort Invitational (Aug. 31-Sept. 1). He shattered that freshman mark just three weeks later by taking third at the Git-R-Done Invitational (Sept. 22-23) with a 54-hole total of 201 (-12).

2025-26 Season Bests
Team Total: 823 (-29), Git-R-Done, Sept. 22-23 - school record
Team to Par: -29 (823), Git-R-Done, Sept. 22-23 - school record
Team Finish: 1st, Git-R-Done, Sept. 22-23, 2025

Individual Finish: T1st
Rudy Sautron, Git-R-Done, Sept. 22-23
Rudy Sautron, Hal Williams, Feb. 16-17
Rudy Sautron, The Johnnie-O, March 9-10

Individual Total: 195 (-15) - school record
Rudy Sautron, Hal Williams, Feb. 16-17

Individual to Par: -18 (198) - school record
Rudy Sautron, The Johnnie-O, March 9-10

Individual Round: 62 (-8) - school record
Rudy Sautron, 62, Hal Williams, 1st, Feb. 16

Individual Round to Par: -8 (62) / -8 (64)
Rudy Sautron, 62, Hal Williams, 1st, Feb. 16
Rudy Sautron, 64, The Johnnie-O, 1st, March 9

Eagles (19):
Brodie Cunningham, No. 18 (Par 5), 3rd, Island Resort, Sept. 1
Jackson Benge, No. 9 (Par 5), 1st, Gopher, Sept. 7
Bryson Oots, No. 14 (Par 4), 1st, Bluejay, Sept. 15
James Ackerman, No. 12 (Par 5), 2nd, Bluejay, Sept. 15
Thomas Bryson, No. 16 (Par 5), 2nd, Bluejay, Sept. 15
Evan McDermott, No. 12 (Par 5), 3rd, Bluejay, Sept. 16
Brodie Cunningham, No. 8 (Par 5), 2nd, Git-R-Done, Sept. 22
Brodie Cunningham, No. 16 (Par 5), 1st, Purdue, Oct. 13
Rudy Sautron, No. 4 (Par 5), 1st, Steelwood, Oct. 25
Rudy Sautron, No. 5 (Par 4), 1st, Steelwood, Oct. 25
Evan McDermott, No. 18 (Par 5), 1st, Steelwood, Oct. 25
Caden Mickelson, No. 6 (Par 5), 2nd, Hal Williams, Feb. 16
Rudy Sautron, No. 18 (Par 5), 2nd, The Johnnie-O, March 9
Rudy Sautron, No. 10 (Par 4), 3rd, The Johnnie-O, March 10
Evan McDermott, No. 14 (Par 5), 3rd, The Johnnie-O, March 10
Rudy Sautron, No. 4 (Par 5), 3rd, The Johnnie-O, March 10