2019-20 Review/Statistics

Tanner Owen produced a team-best 75.46 stroke average in 2019-20. Owen’s third-place finish at the Prairie Club Invitational was Nebraska’s top performance of the season.

Despite an abrupt end to the 2020 spring season brought on by the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus, the Nebraska men’s golf team took another step in its growth phase under second-year Coach Mark Hankins in 2019-20.

Nebraska’s success on the course included a fourth-place team finish for the second straight season at the Big Ten Match Play Championship, despite a nearly complete turnover in the lineup from 2019 to 2020.

Senior Tanner Owen led Nebraska again individually with a 75.46 stroke average while competing in all 15 rounds for the Huskers. He also produced NU’s top individual finish with a third-place showing at the Prairie Club Invitational in Valentine, Neb. (Sept. 29-30).

While Owen continued to lead the Big Red at the top of the lineup, Nebraska’s No. 2 through No. 5 golfers throughout most of the season were first-year Huskers.

A trio of junior college All-Americans - Branden Meyer, Tom Westenberger and Mark Foelbaek - all made significant impacts. Meyer produced Nebraska’s No. 2 stroke average (75.53) while joining Owen as the only Huskers to compete in all 15 rounds on the season. Westenberger added NU’s No. 3 stroke average (76.42) while competing in 12 rounds.

Another newcomer, transfer Caleb Badura, also competed in 12 rounds for the Big Red and produced a 76.67 stroke average. Badura also made Husker history by going a perfect 4-0 at the 2020 Big Ten Match Play Championship.

FALL SEASON

The Huskers opened the 2019-20 season with a 10th-place finish at the Duke/Rod Myers Invitational in Durham, N.C. (Sept. 14-15). It marked a three-spot improvement over Nebraska’s finish at the event in Hankins’ inaugural season as the Huskers’ head coach in 2018-19. As a team, Nebraska shot an 896 (+32), which was an 18-stroke improvement over the previous season. Owen led the Huskers individually with his tie for 34th at 222 (+6).

The Huskers returned to Nebraska to host the Prairie Club Invitational and tied for fifth behind Owen’s third-place individual effort. The senior fired a 217 (-2), including a final-round 70 (-3) in Valentine. Meyer added a tie for 11th (224, +5) as Nebraska’s No. 2 finisher for the second straight event to open the season.

Nebraska made it three straight top-10 team finishes by taking 10th at the Maridoe Invitational in Carrollton, Texas (Oct. 6-8). Owen led the Big Red with a tie for 12th (225, +9), while Westenberger tied for 14th (226, +10).

The Huskers returned to Texas two weeks later to close the fall season at the Royal Oaks Invitational (Oct. 21-22). Meyer and freshman Will Marshall led Nebraska with three-round totals of 225 (+12), while Westenberger added a 226 to finish 59th.

Owen closed the fall with a team-best 74.50 stroke average, while Meyer ranked second among the Huskers with his 75.58 average over the same 12 rounds.

SPRING SEASON

Nebraska began its spring season at the 2020 Big Ten Match Play Championship, Feb. 7-8, at Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Fla. Nebraska opened the tournament by winning the tiebreaker in a 3-3 match against No. 4 seed Ohio State. Later the same day, the Huskers improved to 2-0 with an impressive 3.5-2.5 victory over Michigan State.

The Huskers secured a fourth-place team finish despite suffering a 4-2 setback to Northwestern and a 3.5-2.5 loss to Maryland on the tournament’s final day.

Badura provided the biggest individual highlights for the Huskers in Florida by becoming the first Nebraska golfer to go 4-0 at the Big Ten Match Play. Meyer added an impressive 3-1 match play performance for the Big Red.

Badura built momentum for the spring by leading the Huskers a month later at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate in Arizona (March 7-8). The Aurora, Neb., native tied for 21st with a 223 (+7) on the Outlaw Course at Desert Mountain, while Meyer added a tie for 32nd (226) to help Nebraska to a ninth-place team finish.

The Huskers were scheduled to play at The Aggie Invitational (April 4-5), the Git-R-Done Husker Invitational (April 11-12) and the Hawkeye Invitational (April 18-19) prior to competing at the Big Ten Championships (May 1-3), but the COVID-19 pandemic ended college sports seasons around the nation in mid-March.

Owen capped his 2020 season by earning his bachelor’s degree from Nebraska, while being named a Golf Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten. Owen was also Nebraska’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner for men’s golf. Meyer joined Owen as a GCAA Scholar All-American, while Daniel Pearson and Patrick Clare added Academic AllBig Ten honors of their own.

The 2019-20 Nebraska men’ golf team (from left): Head Coach Mark Hankins, Will Marshall, Mitch Klooz, Tanner Owen, Patrick Clare, Branden Meyer, Tristan Nelko, Caleb Badura, Tom Westenberger, Daniel Pearson, Mark Foelbaek, Assistant Coach Brett Balak.

2019-20 FINAL SEASON STATISTICS

Player Rds Strokes Avg. +/- Par +/- Per Rd. Low High L-54 H-54 Top Finish Tanner Owen .......................15 ............ 1,132.......... 75.46........... +52 ............+3.47 .............. 68.......... 82 ..........217 ......... 238.....................................3rd Branden Meyer....................15 ............ 1,133.......... 75.53........... +53 ............+3.53 .............. 72.......... 82 ..........224 ......... 234................................ T-11th Tom Westenberger..............12 .............. 917 ........... 76.42........... +43 ............+3.58 .............. 70.......... 86 ..........226 ......... 237................................ T-14th Will Marshall .........................6 ............... 459 ........... 76.50........... +30 ............+5.00 .............. 71.......... 83 ..........225 ......... 234................................ T-45th Caleb Badura.......................12 .............. 920 ........... 76.67........... +56 ............+4.67 .............. 70.......... 81 ..........223 ......... 236................................ T-21st Daniel Pearson .....................3 ............... 230 ........... 76.67........... +14 ............+4.67 .............. 76.......... 77 ..........230 ......... 230................................ T-45th Mark Foelbaek......................9 ............... 706 ........... 78.44........... +55 ............+6.11 .............. 72.......... 88 ..........226 ......... 251................................T-23rd Tristan Nelko.........................3 ............... 236 ........... 78.67........... +20 ............+6.67 .............. 78.......... 80 ..........236 ......... 236................................ T-66th Individual Totals ................75 ........... 5,733......... 76.44 .........+323..........+4.19 ............. 68......... 88 .........217 .........251..................................3rd

Lineup Team Totals 15 4,521 301.40 +202 +13.46 287 896 T-5th

Top-20 Finishes (4)— Owen (2), Meyer (1), Westenberger (1) Rounds In The 60s (1)— Owen (1) Subpar Rounds (6)—Owen (3), Badura (1), Meyer (1), Westenberger (1) Even-Par Rounds (7)—Meyer (2), Westenberger (2), Badura (1), Marshall (1), Owen (1) Match Play Records (10-12-2)— Badura (4-0), Meyer (3-1), Westenberger (1-2-1), Foelbaek (1-3), Pearson (1-3), Owen (0-4) Average Score Per Round—1st Round: 303.60 (5), 2nd Round: 300.40 (5), 3rd Round: 300.20 (5)

2019-20 SCHEDULE & RESULTS

FALL Date

Sept. 14-15 Sept. 29-30 Oct. 6-8 Oct. 21-22

Tournament

Duke/Rod Myers Invitational Prairie Club Invitational Maridoe Invitational Royal Oaks Invitational

Location

Durham, N.C. Valentine, Neb. Carrollton, Texas Dallas, Texas

Course

Duke University GC Prairie Club Maridoe GC Royal Oaks GC

Team Score

896 (+32) 901 (+25) 918 (+55) 903 (+51)

Team Finish

10th/13 T-5th/7 10th/12 12th/12

Top Finisher

Tanner Owen, T-34th Tanner Owen, 3rd Tanner Owen, T-12th Meyer/Marshall, T-57th

SPRING Date

Feb. 7-8 Feb. 7 Feb. 7 Feb. 8 Feb. 8 March 7-8 April 4-5 April 11-12 April 18-19 May 1-3

Tournament

Big Ten Match Play Championship vs. Ohio State vs. Michigan State vs. Northwestern vs. Maryland Desert Mountain Intercollegiate The Aggie Invitational Git-R-Done Husker Invitational Hawkeye Invitational Big Ten Championships

Location

Palm Coast, Fla.

Course

Hammock Beach Resort

Desert Mountain, Ariz. Outlaw GC College Station, Texas Traditions Club Lincoln, Neb. Firethorn GC Iowa City, Iowa Finkbine GC Sugar Grove, Ill. Rich Harvest Farms

Team Score Team Finish

4th/14 W, 3-3 (Tiebreaker) W, 3.5-2.5 L, 2-4 L, 2.5-3.5 903 (+39) 9th/12 Canceled (COVID-19) Canceled (COVID-19) Canceled (COVID-19) Canceled (COVID-19)

Top Finisher

Caleb Badura, T-21st

Caleb Badura became the first Husker golfer in history to post a perfect 4-0 record at the Big Ten Match Play Championship in 2020. Badura helped Nebraska to a fourth-place team finish. Durham, N.C. Dallas, Texas Valentine, Neb. Feb. 8-9, 2019

Badura (NEB) 3&1 over Hinton (OSU)

Carrollton, Texas

Meyer (NEB) 4&3 over Taylor II (MSU) Badura (NEB) 4&2 over Walker (MSU)

vs. Northwestern (L, 2-4)

Nyfjall (NU) 6&4 over Owen (NEB) Meyer (NEB) 1 up over McIntosh (NU) Driscoll III (NU) 5&4 over Westenberger (NEB) Hawkins (NU) 4&2 over Foelbaek (NEB) Badura (NEB) 2 up over Artigolle (NU) Imai (NU) 6&5 over Pearson (NEB)

vs. Maryland (L, 2.5-3.5)

Knade (UMD) 2&1 over Owen (NEB) Meyer (NEB) 1 up over Barbin (UMD) Westenberger (NEB) Tie with Park (UMD) Lane (UMD) 3&1 over Foelbaek (NEB) Badura (NEB) 1 up over Celiberti (UMD)

DUKE/ROD MYERS INVITATIONAL Duke University GC (Par 72) Sept. 14-15, 2019

Nebraska Finish: 10th/13 309-287-300 = 896 (+32)

Husker Lineup

T34. Tanner Owen T41. Branden Meyer T44. Mark Foelbaek T44. Caleb Badura T66. Tristan Nelko 80-68-74 = 222 (+6) 78-72-74 = 224 (+8) 77-75-74 = 226 (+10) 76-72-78 = 226 (+10) 78-78-80 = 236 (+20)

PRAIRIE CLUB INVITATIONAL Prairie Club (Par 73) Sept. 29-30, 2019

Nebraska Finish: T5th/7 294-307-300 = 901 (+25)

Husker Lineup

3. Tanner Owen T11. Branden Meyer T23. Mark Foelbaek T37. Caleb Badura 40. Tom Westenberger 71-76-70 = 217 (-2) 72-77-75 = 224 (+5) 75-78-76 = 229 (+10) 76-79-80 = 235 (+16) 82-76-79 = 237 (+18)

MARIDOE INTERCOLLEGIATE Maridoe GC (Par 72) Oct. 6-8, 2019

Nebraska Finish: 10th/12 309-301-309 = 918 (+55)

Husker Lineup

T12. Tanner Owen T14. Tom Westenberger 77-75-73 = 225 (+9) 77-72-77 = 226 (+10) T45. T45. 66. Branden Meyer Will Marshall Mark Foelbaek 82-76-76 = 234 (+18) 73-78-83 = 234 (+18) 88-80-83 = 251 (+35)

ROYAL OAKS INVITATIONAL Royal Oaks CC (Par 71) Oct. 21-22, 2019

Nebraska Finish: 12th/12 310-292-300 = 903 (+51)

Husker Lineup

T57. Branden Meyer T57. Will Marshall 59. Tom Westenberger T64. Tanner Owen 66. Caleb Badura 78-73-74 = 225 (+12) 78-71-76 = 225 (+12) 77-74-75 = 226 (+13) 80-74-76 = 230 (+17) 77-78-78 = 233 (+20)

BIG TEN MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP Palm Coast, Fla. Hammock Beach Resort

Nebraska Record: 4th/14 (2-2)

vs. Ohio State (W, 3-3, Tiebreaker)

Kvarnstrom (OSU) 4&3 over Owen (NEB) Schmucking (OSU) 2 up over Meyer (NEB) Westenberger (NEB) 2&1 over Engle (OSU) Foelbaek (NEB) 4&2 over Stone (OSU) Chandler (OSU) 2&1 over Pearson (NEB)

vs. Michigan State (W, 3.5-2.5)

Piot (MSU) 5&3 over Owen (NEB) Westenberger (NEB) Tie with Smithson (MSU) Ernst (MSU) 4&2 over Foelbaek (NEB) Koras (UMD) 2 up over Pearson (NEB)

Pearson (NEB) 2 up over Deogun (MSU)

DESERT MOUNTAIN INTERCOLLEGIATE Desert Mountain, Ariz. Outlaw Course (Par 72) March 7-8, 2020

Nebraska Finish: 9th/12 296-315-292 = 903 (+39)

Husker Lineup

T21. Caleb Badura T32. Branden Meyer T41. Tom Westenberger T45. Daniel Pearson 64. Tanner Owen 76-77-70 = 223 (+7) 72-79-75 = 226 (+10) 72-86-70 = 228 (+12) 76-77-77 = 230 (+14) 76-82-80 = 238 (+22)

THE AGGIE INVITATIONAL College Station, Texas The Traditions Club April 4-5, 2020

Canceled - COVID-19

GIT-R-DONE HUSKER INVITATIONAL Lincoln, Neb. Firethorn GC April 11-12, 2020

Canceled - COVID-19

HAWKEYE INVITATIONAL Iowa City, Iowa Finkbine GC April 18-19, 2020

Canceled - COVID-19

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS Sugar Grove, Ill. Rich Harvest Farms May 1-3, 2020

Canceled - COVID-19

Branden Meyer tied for 11th at the Prairie Club Invitational and went 3-1 individually at the 2020 Big Ten Match Play Championship in his first season as a Husker. Meyer’s 75.53 stroke average ranked second among the Huskers in 2019-20.

TANNER OWEN

Duke/Rod Myers Invitational Prairie Club Invitational Maridoe Intercollegiate Royal Oaks Intercollegiate Big Ten Match Play Championship Desert Mountain Intercollegiate

BRANDEN MEYER

Duke/Rod Myers Invitational Prairie Club Invitational Maridoe Intercollegiate Royal Oaks Intercollegiate Big Ten Match Play Championship Desert Mountain Intercollegiate

Duke/Rod Myers Invitational Prairie Club Invitational Royal Oaks Intercollegiate Big Ten Match Play Championship Desert Mountain Intercollegiate 80-68-74 = 222 (+6) 71-76-70 = 217 (-2) 77-75-73 = 225 (+9) 80-74-76 = 230 (+17)

76-82-80 = 238 (+22) T-34th 3rd T-12th T-64th 0-4 64th

78-72-74 = 224 (+8) 72-77-75 = 224 (+5) 82-76-76 = 234 (+18) 78-73-74 = 225 (+12)

72-79-75 = 226 (+10) T-41st T-11th T-45th T-57th 3-1 T-32nd

76-72-78 = 226 (+10) 76-79-80 = 235 (+16) 77-78-78 = 233 (+20)

76-77-70 = 223 (+7) T-44th T-37th T-67th 4-0 T-21st

MARK FOELBAEK

Duke/Rod Myers Invitational Prairie Club Invitational Maridoe Intercollegiate Big Ten Match Play Championship 77-75-74 = 226 (+10) 75-78-76 = 229 (+10) 88-80-83 = 251 (+35) T-44th T-23rd 66th 1-3

TOM WESTENBERGER CALEB BADURA

Prairie Club Invitational Maridoe Intercollegiate Royal Oaks Intercollegiate Big Ten Match Play Championships Desert Mountain Intercollegiate 82-76-79 = 237 (+18) 77-72-77 = 226 (+10) 77-74-75 = 226 (+13)

72-86-70 = 228 (+12)

40th T-14th 59th 1-1-2 T-41st

WILL MARSHALL

Maridoe Intercollegiate Royal Oaks Intercollegiate 73-78-83 = 234 (+18) 78-71-76 = 225 (+12) T-45th T-57th

DANIEL PEARSON

Big Ten Match Play Championships Desert Mountain Intercollegiate

TRISTAN NELKO

Duke/Rod Myers Invitational 76-77-77 = 230 (+14)

1-3 T-45th

78-78-80 = 236 (+20) T-66th