Herzog Leads after First Round at Golfweek

Leah Herzog set a Nebraska record with a six-under-par 66 to sit atop the leaderboard after the opening round of the Golfweek Conference Challenge at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, Colo., on Monday.

Herzog's round was the best ever by a true freshman in the Husker women's golf program and included a five-under 31 on the back nine of the 6,261-yard, par-72 layout of the Fazio Course at Red Sky. Herzog knocked in four consecutive birdies on No. 12 through No. 15 and added a fifth birdie on No. 18. Her 35 on the front nine featured an eagle on the 550-yard, par-5 second hole.

"She played awesome," Nebraska Coach Lisa Johnson said. "She was sinking putts today, and it led to her putting up a great score. That is why she is on top of the leaderboard."

The freshman from Red Wing, Minn., owns a one shot lead over Pepperdine's Momoka Kobori and East Tennessee State's Tereza Melecka in the 18-team tournament that features schools from 18 different conferences. Three other golfers sit just two strokes back at four-under-par after the opening 18 holes of the three-day event.

Herzog's score helped the Huskers shoot a season-best 285 (-3) in the first round to sit in fourth place. Pepperdine and Ole Miss sit atop the team standings at 281 (-7), while Denver heads into the second round at 283 (-5).

Herzog isn't the only Husker in the hunt after Monday's opening round. Senior Kate Smith (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) carded a two-under-par 70 to enter Tuesday's round in a tie for 11th. Smith posted 12 pars and two birdies to go along with an eagle of her own on the 510-yard, par-5 18th hole. Smith's 70 marked her fourth consecutive round of 72 or better to open the season.

Megan Whittaker added a career-best even-par 72 on Monday. The sophomore from Elkhorn, Neb., struck for three birdies in a four-hole stretch (No. 2-5) to shoot a 34 on the front nine. She enters the second round tied for 20th in the 96-player field.

Junior Noor Ahmed (Folsom, Calif.) provided the Huskers with their fourth counting score of the day with a five-over 77. Senior Haley Thiele (Wahoo, Neb.) rounded out Nebraska's lineup, while fellow senior Jessica Haraden (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) shot a solid 75 while playing as an individual outside the Husker lineup. Haraden notched Nebraska's third eagle of the day on the par-4, 340-yard 12th hole.

The tournament continues tomorrow with tee times beginning at 11 a.m. (CT). Live scoring will be available from GolfStat.com.

Golfweek Conference Challenge
Red Sky Golf Club (Wolcott, Colo.)
Fazio Course (Par 72, 6,261 Yards)
Sept. 22-25, 2019

Team Standings (First Round)
T1. Ole Miss - 281 (-7)
T1. Pepperdine - 281 (-7)
3. Denver - 283 (-5)
4. Nebraska - 285 (-3)
5. Kennesaw State - 289 (+1)
T6. Sacramento State - 291 (+3)
T6. San Diego State - 291 (+3)
8. TCU - 292 (+4)
9. Campbell - 293 (+5)
10. UCLA - 295 (+7)
11. NC State - 297 (+9)
12. SMU - 299 (+11)
13. Delaware - 301 (+13)
14. South Alabama - 303 (+15)
15. Xavier - 307 (+19)
16. UC Riverside - 310 (+22)
17. Central Arkansas - 311 (+23)
18. East Tennessee State - 312 (+24)

Individual Leaderboard (First Round)
1. Leah Herzog, Nebraska - 66 (-6)
T2. Momoka Kobori, Pepperdine - 67 (-5)
T2. Tereza Melecka, East Tennessee State - 67 (-5)
T4. Anna Zanusso, Denver - 68 (-4)
T4. Stacey White, Campbell - 68 (-4)
T4. Alexa Melton, Pepperdine - 68 (-4)
T7. Mary Weinstein, Denver - 69 (-3)
T7. Monika Hartl, NC State - 69 (-3)
T7. Meva Schmit, Kennesaw State - 69 (-3)
T7. Andrea Lignell, Ole Miss - 69 (-3)
T11. Kate Smith, Nebraska - 70 (-2)

Nebraska Individuals
1. Leah Herzog - 66 (-6)
T11. Kate Smith - 70 (-2)
T20. Megan Whittaker - 72 (E)
*T48. Jessica Haraden - 75 (+3)
T61. Noor Ahmed - 77 (+5)
93. Haley Thiele - 84 (+12)
*competing as an individual outside Nebraska's lineup