Huskers Tied for Eighth Heading to Final Round of Big 12 Championship

Hutchinson, Kan. - The Nebraska men's golf team shot 297 in the third round of the Big 12 Championship Tuesday, putting them in a tie for eighth place with Baylor.

The Huskers, who are looking to improve on last year's tie for seventh finish, have an 886 team total with 18 holes to play at Prairie Dunes Country Club. Teams within NU's striking distance in the fourth round include seventh place Kansas and sixth place Missouri, seven and eight shots ahead of the Huskers, respectively. Four-time defending champion Oklahoma State (845) leads the overall team competition by 12 strokes over Texas A&M.

Andrew Wyatt produced the best Husker score of the day, with a 2-over-par 72. The senior used two birdies on the back nine en route to a 34, improving on his 79 in the second round Monday. Wyatt, who has played the par-3s in 1-under-par for the tournament, is tied for 25th heading into the fourth round.

Leading the way overall for NU is sophomore Neil Dufford, who is playing in his first Big 12 Championship. Currently tied for 19th, Dufford posted a 3-over-par 73 in Tuesday's third round, putting his 54-hole total at 8-over-par 218. Dufford, who eagled the par-4 6th hole Tuesday, is tied for second among the field in pars, with 39 through 54 holes.

Brett Nymeyer is tied for 40th with one day to go as the senior added a 6-over-par 76 to the Husker total in the third round. The senior fired an even-par 35 on the back nine in Tuesday's round, which helped his 54-hole total to 15-over-par 225.

Mike Coatman, playing in his fourth Big 12 Championship, improved on his second round 78 with a 6-over-par 76 in the third round. The Lincoln, Neb., native is tied for 47th with a three-round score of 227.

Tied for 50th is junior Scott Willman, who carded a 9-over-par 79 on Tuesday. Willman's total is 229 with 18 holes to play.

Oklahoma State's Morgan Hoffmann surged into the solo lead with a 2-under-par 68 on Tuesday. Hoffmann is at 3-under-par 207 through three rounds and has a three-shot advantage over fellow Cowboy, Kevin Tway. Texas A&M's Jordan Russell moved up eight spots on the leaderboard after a 4-under round of 66. He is at 2-over-par 212 for the tournament, which is five shots off the lead.

The Huskers tee off Wednesday at 8 a.m. on the 10th hole with Kansas and Baylor. Check Huskers.com for final results from the Big 12 Championship.

Big 12 Championship
April 25-27, 2011
Prairie Dunes Country Club
Hutchinson, Kan.
Par 70 - 6,759 yards

Team Leaderboard
1. Oklahoma State - 845 (283-292-270)
2. Texas A&M - 857 (286-296-275)
3. Texas - 862 (287-291-284)
4. Texas Tech - 866 (286-299-281)
5. Oklahoma - 867 (287-292-288)
6. Missouri - 878 (300-302-276)
7. Kansas - 879 (290-303-286)
T-8. Nebraska - 886 (286-303-297)
T-8. Baylor - 886 (296-299-291)
10. Colorado - 891 (291-307-293)
T-11. Kansas State - 900 (296-306-298)
T-11. Iowa State - 900 (302-305-293)

Nebraska Scores
T-19. Neil Dufford - 218 (72-73-73)
T-25. Andrew Wyatt - 220 (69-79-72)
T-40. Brett Nymeyer - 225 (75-74-76)
T-47. Mike Coatman - 227 (73-78-76)
T-50. Scott Willman - 229 (72-78-79)