Huskers Start Spring in Puerto Rico

The Nebraska women's golf team opens its 2020 spring season at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic, Feb. 9-11, in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The 15-team event hosted by Purdue begins Sunday, Feb. 9 with a shotgun start at 6 a.m. (CT).

The 54-hole tournament continues with a second round at 6 a.m. (CT) on Monday, before concluding with a shotgun start for the final round on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 a.m. (CT). The tournament field includes Big Ten teams Indiana, Maryland, Northwestern and Purdue, along with Big 12 schools Iowa State, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas Tech, Georgia and Kentucky from the SEC and NC State and Virginia Tech from the ACC. Augusta and East Carolina round out the tournament field. Live scoring will be available through GolfStat.com.

Senior Kate Smith continues her bid for an NCAA Regional appearance after a strong fall showing. Smith enters the spring with a 72.82 stroke average over 11 fall rounds. She posted a pair of top-10 finishes in four fall events, including a tie for second at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational (Oct. 8-9). She owns 15 career top-10 tournament finishes.

Sophomore Megan Whittaker will play out of the No. 2 spot in the Husker lineup in Puerto Rico. Whittaker showed impressive improvements in her game with a 74.82 stroke average during the fall. She carried a 77.81 stroke average as a true freshman.

Freshman Leah Herzog joined Smith and Whittaker in the Husker lineup for every round during the fall. Herzog finished the fall with a 77.09 stroke average through 11 rounds. Senior Haley Thiele and sophomore Kirsten Baete complete the Husker lineup in Puerto Rico. 

Lady Puerto Rico Classic 
Host: Purdue 
Location: Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Course: Rio Mar Resort & Country Club (River Course, Par 72, 6,164 Yards) 

Start Times 
Sunday, Feb. 9 (Shotgun) 6 a.m. (CT)
Monday, Feb. 10 (Shotgun) 6 a.m. (CT)
Tuesday, Feb. 11 (Shotgun) 5:30 a.m. (CT)
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com 

Participating Teams (15)
Augusta
East Carolina
Georgia
Indiana
Iowa State
Kentucky
Maryland
NC State
Nebraska
Northwestern
Oklahoma State
Purdue
TCU
Texas Tech
Virginia Tech

Nebraska Lineup
1. Kate Smith
2. Megan Whittaker
3. Haley Thiele
4. Leah Herzog
5. Kirsten Baete

SMITH ON HER WAY TO RECORD SENIOR SEASON FOR NEBRASKA
Kate Smith is taking aim at her best season yet, as she begins her final spring season at Nebraska.

Smith has played 98 rounds and owns a Nebraska record 73.60 career stroke average. She owns a team-best 72.82 average through 11 rounds, with seven of 11 rounds at or better than par (72). Last season, Smith's 73.52 stroke average was a school record.

In 2016-17, Smith set the Nebraska freshman record with a 73.90 stroke average while earning a spot in the 2017 NCAA Regional field. The senior from Detroit Lakes, Minn., finished 2018-19 No. 223 in the GolfStat player rankings. She owns 23 career top-25 individual tournament finishes, including 15 top-10 showings. She has also won three career Big Ten Golfer-of-the-Week awards.

In 2017-18, Smith smashed a school record with her 14-under-par 202 at the 2018 Westbrook Spring Invitational (Feb. 25-26). She added the second-best tournament in school history with her 208 (-8) at the 2019 Westbrook Spring Invitational (Feb. 24-25) to finish as the runner-up. She has fired 28 rounds better than par in her career, including a school-record 64 (-8) in the second round of the 2018 Westbrook Invite. 

WHITTAKER PUT TOGETHER IMPRESSIVE FALL IMPROVEMENT
Megan Whittaker continued her upward trajectory through each tournament of the fall season in 2019. The sophomore from Elkhorn, Neb., produced her first career top-20 finish after tying for 16th at the rain-shortened Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational, in Sammamish, Wash., Oct. 8-9. Whittaker established herself as a consistent contributor in the Husker lineup this past fall, posting Nebraska's No. 2 stroke average (74.82).

Herzog's fall stroke average was nearly three strokes per round better than her 77.81 average from her freshman campaign. She closed the fall with a career-best 69 in the second round of the Battle of the Beach in Mexico, Nov. 2.

Whittaker fired a then-collegiate best with an opening-round 72 at the Golfweek Conference Challenge. She set a then-collegiate tournament best with a 225 at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invite before shooting a 221 at Golfweek. 

FRESHMAN HERZOG HELPING SOLIDIFY HUSKER LINEUP
Leah Herzog has provided a consistent threat for Nebraska by competing in every round in the Husker lineup in her first season on campus.

The true freshman from Red Wing, Minn., ranks fourth on the team with a 77.09 stroke average while joining Kate Smith and Megan Whittaker as the only Huskers to compete in all 11 fall rounds.

Herzog's fall included a Nebraska true freshmanrecord 66 (-6) in the opening round of the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Wolcott, Colo., Sept. 23.

Herzog was named Minnesota Ms. Golf in May before leading Red Wing to a Class 2A state team title. She posted a 69.4 scoring average as a high school senior and finished as the Class 2A individual runner-up. She was a four-time all-state selection. 

SMITH, HERZOG CONTINUE MINNESOTA CONNECTION
Kate Smith, a senior from Detroit Lakes, and Leah Herzog, a freshman from Red Wing, continue an outstanding tradition of top golfers from the state of Minnesota playing at Nebraska. Smith, who set Nebraska's single-season stroke average record (73.52) for the third straight year in 2019, also qualified for the 2017 NCAA Central Regional. Smith entered her final season at Nebraska with a school-record 73.90 career stroke average. No other Husker in history owns a career average better than 75.

Herzog is the latest in a nearly continuous flow of Huskers from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Cassie Deeg (Hugo, 2013-16), Steffi Neisen (New Prague, 2011-14), Chrissie McArdle (Eden Prairie, 2004-07) and Jackie Beste (2003-06) were all standout golfers for the Big Red.

The 2019-20 season marks the 10th straight year Nebraska has had at least one Minnesota golfer in its lineup. The last time Nebraska had two Minnesota golfers in its lineup was 2015-16 when Deeg and Neisen played out of the top of the Husker lineup.

Smith is the only five-time individual state champion in Minnesota high school history. She capped her career by claiming a share of her record fifth title on June 15, 2016 while leading Detroit Lakes High School to its fourth state team championship in the past five years. She was also the winner of the 2016 Minnesota Ms. Golf Award. Herzog won the 2019 Minnesota Ms. Golf Award at Red Wing High School.  

HALEY THIELE SWINGING FOR BEST SEASON AS FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR
Haley Thiele competed in all 27 rounds in the Nebraska lineup in 2018-19, after two seasons of battling injuries. Thiele redshirted in 2016-17, and suffered lingering effects of a wrist injury in 2017-18.

During the summer of 2018, Thiele made significant adjustments to her swing and began seeing the fruits of her labor as a junior last season, when she finished with a 76.93 stroke average.

Thiele helped the Huskers to a tournament title at Westbrook with a season-best 68 (-4) in the second round, after shooting an even-par 72 in the opening round. She finished in a tie for 35th with a seasonbest 218 for the tournament. 

Thiele produced one of the best freshman seasons in Nebraska history in 2015-16, notching a then-freshman school-record 75.63 stroke average. She also closed her rookie year as NU's No. 2 finisher at the Big Ten Championships in 39th place.

Thiele tied the Husker freshman record with a fiveunder-par 67 at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown while matching first-team All-American Sarah Sasse's then-overall NU record with a 54-hole score of 209.

Thiele owns a 77.10 stroke average over 94 career rounds for the Huskers.