The Nebraska men’s golf team competes in its second tournament hosted by Iowa this week, when the Huskers head to the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City, April 13-14.
Action in the two-day event begins on Saturday with an 8:15 a.m. (CT) shotgun start for the first and second rounds at Finkbine Golf Course. The 16-teams in the tournament field will face a 7,197-yard, par-71 layout on Saturday, before closing the tournament with a third-round shotgun start at 8:15 a.m. (CT) Sunday.
Nebraska, which is coming off an eighth-place finish in a loaded field at Iowa’s Calusa Cup in Naples, Fla. (April 7-9), will face a more balanced field in Iowa City.
The Hawkeye Invitational field features four top-100 teams led by No. 65 Kansas, along with No. 73 Illinois State, No. 91 Wisconsin and No. 95 TCU, ahead of the hosts from No. 104 Iowa. No. 107 Central Arkansas, No. 119 Nebraska and No. 124 Northern Illinois round out eight schools ranked among the top 125 in the Scoreboard NCAA Division I men’s golf rankings.
Creighton, Drake, Kansas City, Missouri State, Murray State, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois and Wichita State complete a tournament field with a heavy Midwestern flavor.
Juniors Hamish Murray and Harry Crockett continue to lead the Huskers on the course.
Murray owns five top-20 finishes this year, including a season-best tie for ninth at the Bearcat Invitational (Sept. 18-19). The first-year Husker from Australia owns a team-best 72.09 stroke average.
Crockett, who is in his second season at Nebraska, has added a 72.77 stroke average as the only Husker to play in all 26 team rounds. The junior from Oxted, England has been Nebraska’s top finisher at three tournaments, and has been one of the top three Huskers in six straight events.
Fifth-year golfer Will Marshall, who led the Huskers with a 29th-place finish at the Calusa Cup, will play out of the top spot in the Husker lineup at Iowa. Sophomores Davis Johnson and Quinn Yost, who took the top two spots at the Stampede at the Creek earlier this week, will occupy the No. 4 and 5 spots in the lineup in Iowa City.
Senior Gentry Scheve also will travel to the Hawkeye Invitational as an individual.
Live updates and scoring for the Hawkeye Invitational can be found at HuskersGolf on Instagram and X, and Golfstat.com. Complete coverage will be available on Huskers.com.
Hawkeye Invitational
Iowa City, Iowa
Finkbine Golf Course (Par 71, 7,197 Yards)
Schedule
Saturday, April 13, (Rounds 1 & 2) – 8:15 a.m. CT (shotgun)
Sunday, April 14 (Round 3) – 8:15 a.m. CT (shotgun)
Live Scoring: GolfStat.com
Participating Teams (16)
Central Arkansas, Creighton, Drake, Illinois State, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas City, Missouri State, Murray State, Nebraska, Northern Illinois, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, TCU, Wichita State, Wisconsin
Nebraska Lineup
1. Will Marshall, 5th, Elburn, Illinois
2. Hamish Murray, Jr., Sydney, Australia
3. Harry Crockett, Jr., Oxted, England
4. Davis Johnson, So., Chaska, Minnesota
5. Quinn Yost, So., Farmington, New Mexico
IND – Gentry Scheve, Sr., Emporia, Kansas
Murray Opens NU Career with Five Top 20 Finishes
Hamish Murray has provided Nebraska with its most consistent presence this season, posting eight consecutive top-35 individual finishes to help the Huskers. The junior from Sydney, Australia, opened with three straight top-20 finishes, including a season-best tie for ninth in his Husker debut at the Bearcat Invitational (Sept. 18-19). He closed with a three-round score of 211 (-2) on a par-71, 7,279-yard layout at the Coldstream Country Club 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) with Husker teammate Evan Myers to lead NU at The Johnnie-O at Sea Island (March 11-12).
Through 23 rounds, Murray carries Nebraska’s best stroke average at 72.09 and is ranked No. 422 among all NCAA Division men’s golfers according to the Scoreboard NCAA rankings.
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.
Crockett Closes Fall Season with Top Finish in Arkansas
After a slow start to the fall, Nebraska’s Harry Crockett capped the first half of the season with NU’s top individual finish by tying for third with a 209 (-7) at the Everett Buick GMC Classic in Little Rock, Ark., Oct. 16-17.
Nebraska’s lone top-five individual finish of the fall came with back-to-back rounds of 68 (-4) by Crockett to close the tournament.
Crockett also led Nebraska to its top team finish of the fall by producing a team-best tie for 12th with an even-par 213 at the Purdue Fall Invitational (Oct. 9-10). Crockett’s performance helped Nebraska to a fifth-place team finish in a 15-team field at Purdue.
Crockett was the only Husker to compete in all 15 fall rounds, before opening the spring with a tie for 53rd at 153 (78-75) in the Battle at Briar’s Creek (Feb. 5-6).
He followed with three consecutive top-35 finishes at The Gator (T35th), The Johnnie-O Classic at Sea Island (34th) and the Calusa Cup (33rd) before heading to the Hawkeye Invitational.
Crockett, who is ranked No. 565 in the NCAA Division I Scoreboard rankings, carries a 72.77 stroke average as the only Husker to compete in all 26 rounds this season.
Johnson Captures Title at Stampede at the Creek
While the Huskers were competing at the Calusa Cup earlier this week, four Nebraska individuals also performed well at the Stampede at the Creek in Omaha (April 8-9).
Davis Johnson led the Big Red contingent by playing his way to the tournament title with a career-best three-round total of 215 (-1) on the 7,627-yard layout at Indian Creek Golf Course.
Johnson’s win came in a 48-golfer field and included a career-best opening-round 69 (-3). He was also one of three Huskers to record an eagle in the tournament on the 533-yard, par-5 11th hole in the third round.
Johnson outlasted teammate Quinn Yost, who tied for second with an even-par 216 that included an opening-round 71 (-1) and a final-round 70 (-2).
Reed Malleck tied for 11th at 223, including a career-best matching 69 (-3) in the final round with his own eagle on No. 11.
Omahan Grant Jabenis took 24th at 226, closing with an even-par 72 in the final round that included an eagle on No. 11.
Yost, Johnson Show Gains As Nebraska Sophomores
Quinn Yost and Davis Johnson have made major improvements on the course in their second seasons as Huskers in 2023-24.
Yost, a sophomore from Farmington, N.M., has slashed 2.56 strokes per round off his freshman average. Yost owns a 73.44 stroke average over 18 rounds in 2023-24, after posting a 76.00 average in 17 rounds as a freshman.
Yost made the most of his season debut for the Huskers at the Badger Invitational by carding a career-best 212 (-4) over three rounds (Oct. 1-3).
He smashed his previous collegiate best by 10 strokes on his way to his first career top-10 finish with a tie for ninth in a 90-golfer field.
Yost opened the Badger Invitational by matching his then-career best with a 69 (-3) on the par-72, 7,271-yard layout at the University Ridge Golf Club. He added an even-par 72 in the second round, before closing with a 71 (-1) in the final round. Yost helped the Huskers to a sixth-place finish in an 18-team field in Wisconsin.
He continued his strong play with a second consecutive top-20 finish by tying teammate Hamish Murray for 17th at the Purdue Fall Invitational (Oct. 9-10). Playing out of the top spot in the Husker lineup, Yost followed an opening-round 74 with a career-best 68 (-3) in the second round. He finished with a three-round score of 214 (+1) to help the Huskers to a season-best fifth-place finish in a strong 15-team field.
Johnson, a sophomore from Chaska, Minn., has trimmed 2.00 strokes off his average, posting a 74.00 over nine rounds in 2023-24, after producing a 76.00 average over 11 rounds a year ago.
He is coming off his first collegiate title with a career-best 215 (-1) while playing as an individual at the Stampede at the Creek in Omaha (April 8-9). Johnson, who was Nebraska’s No. 4 finisher at the 2023 Big Ten Championship, was also NU’s No. 4 finisher at the Johnnie-O at Sea Island (March 11-12) in his only lineup appearance for the Big Red this season.
Husker Trio Among Big Ten Golfers to Watch
Gentry Scheve, Will Marshall and Harry Crockett represented Nebraska among the 2023-24 Big Ten Preseason Men’s Golfers to Watch.
Nebraska’s most experienced returning golfer, Will Marshall (Elburn, Ill.) is back for his fifth season as a Husker. Marshall led Nebraska with five top-25 finishes and a 73.68 stroke average last season.
Marshall competed in Nebraska’s first three tournaments to open 2023-24. He did not compete at the Purdue Fall Invitational, but returned to the lineup for the Huskers at the Everett Buick GMC Classic with a three-round total of 218 (+2).
Marshall carries a 74.24 stroke average over 17 rounds this season.
Junior Harry Crockett set a school record with a 71.82 stroke average over 11 fall rounds in 2022-23. Crockett, a two-time NJCAA All-American at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, did not compete for the Huskers during the spring.
Crockett has earned a lineup spot in every round for the Huskers this season and carries a 72.77 stroke average over 26 rounds. He led the Huskers with a season-best tie for third individually at the Everett Buick GMC Classic in Little Rock, Ark. (Oct. 16-17).
Scheve finished 2022-23 as Nebraska’s hottest golfer and continued to build momentum in the summer of 2023 by qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Championship. He added Nebraska’s best performance at the season-opening Visit Knoxville Collegiate (Sept. 8-10).
Through 18 rounds this season, Scheve owns a 73.22 stroke average. He led Nebraska with a tie for 12th at the season-opening Visit Knoxville Collegiate (Sept. 8-10), before adding a second top-25 finish with a tie for 21st at the Purdue Fall Invitational (Oct. 9-10).
2023-24 Nebraska Season Bests
Team Total: 855 (+3), Purdue, Oct. 9-10
Team to Par: -4 (860), Badger, Oct. 1-3
Team Finish: 5th, Purdue, Oct. 9-10
Individual Finish: 1st, Davis Johnson,
Stampede at the Creek, April 8-9
Individual Total: 208 (-2)
Gentry Scheve, Visit Knoxville, Sept. 8-10
Individual to Par: -7 (209)
Harry Crockett, Everett Buick GMC, Oct. 16-17
Individual Round: 66 (-4)
Gentry Scheve, Visit Knoxville, 1st, Sept. 8
Individual Round to Par: -4, six times
Gentry Scheve, 66, Visit Knoxville, 1st, Sept. 8
Will Marshall, 68, Badger, 2nd, Oct. 2
Gentry Scheve, 67, Purdue, Oct. 8
Harry Crockett, 68, Everett Buick GMC, Oct. 16
Harry Crockett, 68, Everett Buick GMC, Oct. 17
Evan Myers, 68, The Johnnie-O, March 11
Eagles:
Will Marshall, No. 13 (Par 4), 2nd, Visit Knoxville, Sept. 9
Reed Malleck, No. 16 (Par 5), 2nd, Badger, Oct. 2
Hamish Murray, No. 16 (Par 5), 1st, Purdue, Oct. 9
Davis Johnson, No. 11 (Par 5), 3rd, Stampede, April 9
Reed Malleck, No. 11 (Par 5), 3rd, Stampede, April 9
Grant Jabenis, No. 11 (Par 5), 3rd, Stampede, April 9
