Huskers Head South to Quail Valley Intercollegiate

Vero Beach, Fla. - The Nebraska men's golf team travels to the Sunshine State this weekend to compete at the Quail Valley Intercollegiate. The tournament format consists of three rounds and each team plays 18 holes per day beginning on Sunday, Oct. 14. Quail Valley Golf Club is the host course for the event.

Nebraska Head Coach Mark Hankins talked about how important it is for his team to create some momentum this weekend as they complete the fall season and prepare for the spring.

“We’ve talked a lot to our guys about doing their best individually in order to help the team,” Hankins said. “You can’t control team scores, you can only control your individual finish. As long as we got five guys doing their best individually, we’ll be okay.”

The Par 72, 7,350 yard course has hosted the Quail Valley Intercollegiate since 2013. South Florida took home the team title in last year’s tournament while the Huskers came in 14th after shooting 865 (+1). NU seniors Jackson Wendling and Jace Guthmiller led the team and tied for 42nd overall after shooting 215 (-1) apiece. Daniel Pearson will get another chance to try his hand at Quail Valley after scored 235 (+19) there as a freshman in 2017-18.

McNeese State, whose campus is located in Lake Charles, La., is the tournament’s host team. The 15-team field includes teams from seven conferences.

The Sun Belt brings Arkansas Little-Rock, Arkansas State, La. Monroe and Texas State while the Atlantic Sun will be represented by Jacksonville, Lipscomb and North Florida. Michigan State and Maryland join the Huskers as opponents from the Big Ten while ACC foe Notre Dame also travels to Vero Beach, Fla. after hosting the Fighting Irish Classic last weekend. Memphis and South Florida are the two American Athletic Conference teams in the field and Sam Houston State comes from the Southland Conference.

NU will make one lineup change after finishing 14th at the Fighting Irish Classic last weekend in South Bend, Ind. Freshman Tristan Nelko re-enters the starting five after sitting out the past two tournaments. He shot a 235 (+19) at the Duke/Rod Myers Invitational and a 233 (+20) at the Cardinal Regional Challenge.

Daniel Pearson will make his third straight appearance of the year for the Huskers as he looks to bounce back from a difficult weekend at Notre Dame. Pearson finished fifth on the team and tied for 78th overall after his 54-hole score of 224 (+11). He had the top score on the team at the William H. Tucker Invitational in Sept. He placed 46th overall after shooting a 223 (+7), which eclipsed his previous career-low 54-hole score of 224 (+8).

Tanner Owen looks to continue his breakout season at the Quail Valley Intercollegiate. He played his best tournament of the fall at the Fighting Irish Classic, shooting a 210 (-3) over three rounds. Owen shot two-under-par in the second round and one-under in the third round. He leads the team with three rounds under par this year.

The junior from Parkville, Mo. did not travel to the Quail Valley Intercollegiate last year because he was sick. He talks about playing at Quail Valley for the first time and his goals for the weekend.

“I’ve played at pretty much all new courses this year so I’m not concerned about playing at Quail Valley for the first time,” Owen said. “I feel confident in my game right now and my goal is to finish in the top 15 this weekend. That would be a great way to finish off the fall season.”

Senior Jace Guthmiller will look to put together three consistent rounds this weekend after going 73-74-75 in his three rounds at the Fighting Irish Classic. His best tournament of the fall was at the Cardinal Regional Challenge, where he fired a 213 (E), carding two rounds under par.

Jackson Wendling, a senior out of Effingham, Ill., tied for 42nd overall and first on Nebraska at last year’s Quail Valley Intercollegiate. He commented on the course and what he needs to do to be successful there once again.

“It’s a little bit more of an open golf course and there’s some room off the tees so you’re able to attack the green,” Wendling said. “I’ve been working on my ball-striking so I’m able to put myself in positions for birdies. I’m really confident in my short game right now, I just need to hit well off the tee so I’m able to give myself opportunities to capitalize and stay competitive with the rest of the field.”

Make sure to follow along on Twitter @HuskersGolf for updates throughout the weekend.

Quail Valley Intercollegiate

Sunday, Oct. 14 – Tuesday, Oct. 16

Vero Beach, Fla. – Quail Valley Golf Club

Par 72 – 7,350 yards

Live scoring: Golfstat.com

Format

Sunday, Oct. 14 – 18 holes starting at 7:30 a.m. CT

Monday, Oct. 15 – 18 holes starting at 7:30 a.m. CT

Tuesday, Oct. 16 – 18 holes starting at 7:30 a.m.

Field

1. Arkansas Little-Rock
2. Arkansas State
3. Jacksonville
4. Lipscomb
5. La. Monroe
6. Maryland
7. McNeese
8. Memphis
9. Michigan State
10. Nebraska
11. North Florida
12. Notre Dame
13. Sam Houston State
14. South Florida
15. Texas State

Nebraska Lineup

Tanner Owen

Jace Guthmiller

Jackson Wendling

Daniel Pearson

Tristan Nelko