Huskers 18th After Day One at NCAA Regional

The Nebraska men's golf team shot an opening-round 319 in the NCAA Central Regional Championships at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill., Thursday. The performance left the Huskers in a tie for 18th in the 27-team field after 18 holes in the 54-hole championship.

The top 10 teams in the field after the completion of Saturday's third round will advance to the NCAA Championships later this month in Williamsburg, Va. Nebraska's 319 left it in a tie with 33rd-ranked Southeastern Louisiana and No. 31 Michigan State, one shot ahead of 12th-ranked Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Purdue.

Louisville posted an impressive 294 team total, good for a nine-shot lead over second-place Texas. Wisconsin, Tulsa and Oklahoma State round out the top five, while Lamar, Western Illinois and Kansas are at 313 and are tied for eighth place and the final NCAA qualifying spots.

Nebraska was led on Thursday by a pair of golfers who opened with four-over par rounds of 76. One of those was no surprise, while the other was a pleasant surprise for Head Coach Bill Spangler.

Senior Brady Schnell who has paced the Huskers all season, posted a 41 on the front nine, including a pair of double bogeys. However, Schnell rallied with  birdies on holes 12, 16 and 18 on the back side to offset a pair of bogeys and posted a second-nine 35. His round of 76 left him in a tie for 25th position.

Sophomore Chris Bruening used a steady round to join Schnell in shooting a 76. Bruening posted a birdie on the ninth hole for an opening nine 39, then posted a birdie and two bogeys on the back side for a 39. A Norfolk native, Bruening is playing in the Husker starting five for the first time in 2006-07 after winning the spot in a qualifier last week.

Freshman Jamie Marshall was next for the Huskers with a round of 82. Marshall shot a 39 on the front nine, but consecutive triple bogeys on the back nine offset a pair of birdies and left Marshall in a tie for 87th place. Seniors Ryan Lenahan and Ty Capps each struggled in the opening round on Thursday. Lenahan finished with an 85, good for a tie for 116th place, while Capps posted an 87 and sits in a tie for 125th position.

Louisville's Derek Fathauer opened with a two-under par 70 to take a one-shot lead over three golfers, including his brother Daryl Fathauer. In addition to the top 10 teams, the top two individuals not on qualifying teams will advance to the NCAA Championships.

Action continues with the second round Friday at the par-72, 7,214-yard layout. Nebraska will tee off in the second wave of the day, beginning play shortly after noon on Friday.

Team Scoring
1. Louisville, 319
2. Texas, 303
3. Wisconsin, 304
4. Tulsa, 305
5. Oklahoma State, 306
6. Alabama, 309
Baylor, 309
8. Lamar, 313
Kansas, 313
Western Illinois, 313
11. Minnesota, 314
Tennessee, 314
13. Colorado, 315
Texas Tech, 315
15. Northwestern, 316
16. Illinois State, 317
SMU, 317
18. Nebraska, 319
Southeastern Louisiana, 319
Michigan State, 319
21. Oklahoma, 320
Texas A&M, 320
Purdue, 320
24. Wichita State, 331
25. TCU, 332
26. Siena, 351
27. Texas Southern, 357

Individual Leaders
1. Derek Fathauer, Louisville......70 (-2)
2. Daryl Fathauer, Louisville......71 (-1)
Brett Myers, Tulsa......................71 (-1)
Dawie Van Der Walt, Lamar.......71 (-1)
5. Jhonattan Vegas, Texas..........72 (E)

Nebraska Golfers
T25. Brady Schnell, 41-35--76
T25. Chris Bruening, 39-37--76
T87. Jamie Marshall, 39-43--82
T116. Ryan Lenahan, 40-45--85
T125. Ty Capps, 44-43--87