Megan Whittaker Season 2022-23

• Get to Know Megan Whittaker

Honors & Awards

• Three Career Top 10 Finishes (1, 2022-23)
• 15 Career Top 25 Finishes (6, 2022-23)
• Big Ten Golfer to Watch (2022, 2023)
• U.S. Women's Amateur Qualifier (2022)
• Nebraska Women's Match Play Champion (2022)
• Big Ten Golfer of the Week (March 2, 2022)
• Tied for 18th at Big Ten Championship (2021)
• Tied for 33rd at Big Ten Championship (2022)
• Tied for 45th at Big Ten Championship (2023)
• Tied for 51st at Big Ten Championship (2019)
• 35th at NCAA Raleigh Regional (2023)
• Tied for 69th at the NCAA Columbus Regional (2021)
• Harvest at Indian Creek Champion (October 2020)
• WGCA Scholastic All-American (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
• Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022; Spring 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
• Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award (All Nebraska Female Sports, 2023)
• Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2021, 2023)
• Nebraska Heart & Soul Award (2023)
• Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award (2021)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
• Two-Time Nebraska Class A State Champion (2016, 2017)
• Three-Time Nebraska Super-State (2014, 2016, 2017)
• Four-Time Nebraska Class A State Team Champions (Elkhorn South, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
• FCWT Tour Championship Champion (2017)
• Nebraska Girls State Match Play Champion (2016)
• Nebraska Girls Stroke Play Runner-Up (2017)
• Nebraska Girls Junior PGA Section Champion (2017)
• National Drive, Chip and Putt Finalist (2016)
• Three-Time NJGT Tour Championship Champion (2014, 2015, 2016)

Best Career Finish: 6th (Green Wave, 2022); T6th (Dale McNamara, 2021) 
Career Stroke Average: 75.58

Graduate Student (2022-23)
A hard-working golfer who produced impressive improvement throughout her five collegiate seasons, Megan Whittaker brought her career to a close by taking 35th at the 2023 NCAA Raleigh Regional (May 8-10). Whittaker, who made two NCAA appearances and represented Nebraska four times at the Big Ten Championship, fired a six-over-par 222 (72-76-74) to help the Huskers to a ninth-place team finish in Raleigh with a school-record 893 regional score.

Whittaker, who recorded 15 career top-25 finishes including a trio of top-10 efforts, ended her final season at No. 228 in the Golfstat individual rankings, while earning a No. 250 ranking from Golfweek.

She unleashed the best performance of her career with a three-round total of 207 (-9) to take sixth at the season-opening Green Wave Classic in New Orleans (Sept. 12-13). Whittaker's effort on the 6,158-yard layout at the Bayou Oaks South Course included a career-best 67 (-5) in the second round on her way to her third career top-10 finish.

Whittaker added a second straight top-20 finish to open the season with a 220 to tie for 19th while helping the Huskers to the tournament title at the Badger Invitational (Sept. 18-20). Whittaker was tied for second heading to the final 18 holes after rounds of 71 and 69 to open the tournament.

She carded 11 rounds better than par in 2022-23, after managing six rounds under par in the first 80 rounds of her college career. Her 73.48 stroke average over 38.5 rounds was a career best and ranked fourth in Nebraska history. She also finished sixth in the NU record book with her 75.58 career stroke average over 118.5 rounds. 

Whittaker tied for 45th at the Big Ten Championship in Pittsburgh, Pa. (April 21-23). She posted a three-round score of 230 (77-77-76) at Fox Chapel Golf Club.

She tied for 11th with a 213 (70-71-72) in helping the Huskers to a tournament title at the Westbrook Spring Invitational (Feb. 26-27). Whittaker's effort allowed the Huskers to post an 843 (-21) team total to win the 14-team tournament that featured 12 top-100 teams, including then-No. 24 Ohio State.

Whittaker added Nebraska's best individual finish with a tie for 15th (190) at the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational (Oct. 17-18). The tournament in Lawrence, Kan., provided challenging weather and scoring conditions throughout, and was eventually shortened to 27 holes.  

Whittaker opened the spring with a tie for 20th at 217 (73-71-73) at the FAU Paradise Invitational in Boca Raton, Fla. (Feb. 6-7). She helped the Huskers to a second-place team finish, trailing only No. 19 Vanderbilt, in a 14-team field that featured 11 top-100 teams. She tied for 22nd (223) at the Dale McNamara Invitational in Oklahoma (Oct. 10-11).

She missed another top-25 finish by one stroke at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Fla. (Oct. 31-Nov. 1), tying for 29th at 218 (+2) in a talented field. She opened the tournament with a 71 (-1) before adding an even-par 72 in the second round on the 6,162-yard layout of the Biltmore Golf Club. Whittaker added a tie for 29th with a 221 (75-72-74) in a 90-player field on the par-72, 6,152-yard layout of The Golf Club at Briar's Creek (March 13-14). She was just one stroke off a top-25 finish again.

Whittaker tied for 33rd with a 215 (-1) in a loaded 17-team field at the Mountain View Collegiate (March 17-19) in Tucson, Ariz. Her effort included back-to-back rounds of 71 (-1) to close the tournament. She produced a tie for 27th (221) to lead Nebraska to a sixth-place team finish in a loaded field at The Bruzzy in Ardmore, Okla. (April 1-2). She produced NU's best individual finish on the par-70, 5,976-yard layout at the Dornick Hills Golf & Country Club with rounds of 72-77-72.

Whittaker added a tie for 61st with a three-round total of 232 (75-78-79) at the Lady Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio (April 15-16).

Whittaker enjoyed a big summer that included a sweep of the Nebraska women’s match play and stroke play championships and a berth in the U.S. Women’s Amateur. She joined teammates Michaela Vavrova and Kelli Ann Strand as Big Ten Golfers to Watch heading into the 2022-23 season.

A star in the classroom and the community, Whittaker earned her bachelor’s degree in finance in May of 2022, and is a four-time WGCA Scholastic All-American, a three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. In the community, she earned a prestigious Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award in 2021 and was named a Nebraska Heart & Soul Award winner in 2023. She earned Nebraska’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for women’s golf in both 2021 and 2023.

Whittaker’s ties to Nebraska women’s golf are very strong, as her mother Kim (Lefler) lettered as a golfer for the Huskers from 1991 to 1994, helping Nebraska earn its first NCAA Regional appearance as a senior in 1994.

Senior (2021-22)
Whittaker continued to be a leader for Nebraska throughout her fourth season in 2021-22, producing the second-best season stroke average (74.04) to trail only NCAA qualifier Kirsten Baete's 73.94 among the Huskers.

Whittaker entered the season with just one career collegiate round under par, but notched five rounds under par during the year while also producing her first two top-10 tournament finishes as a collegian. A model of consistency, Whittaker matched Kirsten Baete and Vanessa Bouvet for the team lead with seven top-25 individual finishes on the year.

After a strong fall, Whittaker opened the spring on fire by going 3-0 for the Huskers at the Big Ten Match Play (Jan. 31-Feb. 1). She then fired a season-best 211 (-5) to tie for seventh at the Westbrook Spring Invitational (Feb. 27-28). Whittaker’s performance in Peoria, Ariz., helped Nebraska to a runner-up team finish and included a then-career-best-tying 69 in the final round, after opening with rounds of 70 and 72. It marked her second top-10 effort of the season and earned her the first Big Ten Golfer-of-the-Week Award of her career (March 2).

Whittaker began spring stroke play with a tie for 24th with a 233 at the Tulane Classic (Feb. 13-15), before adding a tie for 18th with a 220 (71-73-76) to lead Nebraska at the Briar’s Creek Invitational on John’s Island, S.C. (March 14-15).

She added a tie for 23rd with a 223 (79-80-74) in challenging scoring conditions against a strong field at the Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational (April 15-16) on the Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. It was her seventh top-25 finish of the season and ninth of her career.

Whittaker capped her season with a tie for 33rd with another 223 (77-72-74) at the 2022 Big Ten Championship. Whittaker helped the Huskers to a seventh-place finish on the par-71 layout at the Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh (April 22-24).    

After a rough start to the 2021 season, Whittaker rebounded quickly. She tied for 58th (230) at the Wolverine Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Sept. 13-14), before tying for 23rd (226) at the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational in Manhattan, Kan. (Sept. 20-21). 

She followed with a breakout performance with a career-best tie for sixth with a 215 (-1) at the Dale McNamara Invitational (Oct. 11-12). Her performance featured rounds of 70 (-2), 74 and 71 (-1) on the par-72, 6,200-yard layout at The Golf Club of Oklahoma in Broken Arrow to help Nebraska to a runner-up team finish.

Whittaker closed the fall in a tie for 13th with a 218 (+2) to help the Huskers to another runner-up team finish at the White Sands Intercollegiate in the Bahamas (Oct. 22-24). She produced solid rounds of 72-74-72 on the 6,415-yard layout of the Ocean Club at Paradise Island.

Junior (2020-21)
Whittaker helped Nebraska’s push for a runner-up finish at the 2021 Big Ten Conference Championship. 

She opened the tournament with an even-par 72 on the 6,300-yard layout at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio. She followed with rounds of 73 and 74 to post a season-best three-round total of 219 (+3) to finish in a tie for 18th individually. Her second career top-20 finish also helped propel the Huskers to their best team finish in Big Ten history and NU’s best finish at a conference tournament since taking second at the 1984 Big Eight Championship. She helped the Huskers to their first NCAA Regional appearance since 2008.

Whittaker was Nebraska’s No. 4 finisher individually at the 2021 NCAA Columbus Regional, tying for 69th with a 232 (76-82-74) on the 6,358-yard, par-72 layout of Ohio State’s Scarlet Course. She closed the season with a 78.56 stroke average over 18 spring rounds.

In October of 2020, Whittaker won The Harvest at Indian Creek (76-73-76-225) hosted by the Nebraska Golf Association.

She opened the 2021 collegiate season by earning a lineup spot at the SMU Trinity Forest Invitational in Dallas (Feb. 1-2). She tied for 65th in the talent-laden field with a three-round total of 240 (83-77-80). Whittaker returned to the Nebraska lineup at the Bruin Wave Invitational in Somis, Calif. (March 1-3) and was NU’s No. 3 individual finisher. Her three-round total of 244 came in extremely challenging scoring conditions and allowed her to tie for 45th in a loaded 82-golfer field. Whittaker earned a lineup spot at the Arizona Wildcat Invitational in Tucson (March 8-9) and finished 76th with a 246 (81-83-82).

Whittaker did not compete in Nebraska’s tournament win at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate (March 14-16), but she returned to the lineup at the Indiana Spring Invitational (April 17-18). She fired a 233 (77-78-78) to help the Huskers tie for sixth in a loaded 16-team field that featured 14 top-100 teams. Whittaker tied for 65th individually in the 98-player field.

Sophomore (2019-20)
Whittaker continued to show constant growth and improvement in her second season at Nebraska. She ranked second among the Huskers with a 74.82 stroke average over 11 rounds in the fall of 2019.

Whittaker produced a season-best tie for 16th with a 154 (79-75) in challenging scoring conditions at the rain-shortened Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational in Sammamish, Wash. (Oct. 8-9). She closed the fall in a tie for 36th with a 223 (79-69-75) in a strong 87-player field in the Battle at the Beach in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico (Nov. 1-3). Whittaker’s second-round 69 (-3) was a career best to help her finish with a 54-hole score of 223.

Whittaker opened the fall with a 225 (74-76-75) to tie for 45th at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. (Sept. 9-10). She showed even more growth with a season-best 221 (72-74-75) on her way to finishing 33rd at the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Wolcott, Colo. (Sept. 23-25). Her performance in Colorado included an even-par 72 in the opening round, which was a collegiate career best at the time.

She struggled in the first spring tournament, finishing 83rd (87-93-77-257) at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic, and did not play for the Huskers at the Westbrook Spring Invitational. Whittaker finished her sophomore season with a 77.14 stroke average over 14 rounds.

Freshman (2018-19)
Whittaker produced a strong finish for the Huskers as a true freshman. The Elkhorn South High School grad matched Kate Smith for Nebraska’s top individual finish at the Big Ten Championship.

Whittaker, who was making just the second lineup appearance of her career, carded Nebraska’s best score in the first round at the conference tournament with a 75, before adding a 77 in the final round to finish at 152 in a tie for 51st.

Whittaker’s improvement throughout the season was remarkable. Through seven fall rounds, she managed a 79.81 stroke average while making the adjustment to the longer courses in college golf.

During the spring, she slashed nearly three strokes per round off her game, posting a 76.86 average over 14 rounds, which trailed only Kate Smith (73.79) and Kirsten Baete (76.36) among the Huskers. Whittaker’s 77.81 stroke average ranked among the top 15 seasons all-time among Nebraska freshmen.

She made her first collegiate appearance at the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Wolcott, Colo. (Sept. 24-26), finishing at 243 (80-80-83) to tie for 85th while playing as an individual outside Nebraska’s lineup. She also played as an individual at the UNLV Collegiate Showdown (Oct. 21-23) producing a 233 (79-76-78).

Whittaker closed the fall with a tie for 56th (82) while playing as an individual outside the Husker lineup in the only round of the rain-shortened Rainbow Wahine Invitational (Oct. 31).

Whittaker started strong in the spring with a 233 (78-77-78) to tie for 64th while playing as an individual outside the Husker lineup at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic (Feb. 10-12).

She cut six strokes off her previous tournament best with a 227 (77-74-76) to tie for 81st while playing as an individual outside the Husker lineup at the Westbrook Spring Invitational in Peoria, Ariz. (Feb. 24-25). 

Whittaker matched her season best with a 227 (73-78-78) on a much more challenging layout at the Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz. (March 15-17). She posted a season-best tie for 30th.

She closed the regular season with a tie for 49th at 235 (75-77-83) while making her first career lineup appearance at the Lady Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio (April 13-14). 

Before Nebraska
Whittaker captured back-to-back Nebraska Class A individual state titles in 2016 and 2017. She led Elkhorn South High School and Coach Mimi Ramsbottom to four consecutive Class A state team championships from 2014 through 2017. Whittaker was an Academic All-State selection in golf in 2016.

Whittaker won the 2017 FCWT Tour Championship, and recorded victories in three consecutive NJGT Tour Championships (2014, 2015, 2016). She also claimed the 2016 Nebraska Girls State Match Play crown. She was the 2017 Nebraska Girls Stroke Play runner-up and was a finalist for the 2016 National Drive, Chip and Putt competition.

Whittaker was a three-time Super-State selection on the golf course, and she was also a two-time letterwinner on the track. She helped Elkhorn South to an eighth-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay in 2017. She also competed in the 1,600-meter run and was named an Academic All-State performer in 2017.

Personal              
Megan is the daughter of Albert and Kim (Lefler) Whittaker. Megan was born Sept. 22, 2000 in Omaha. She has a younger brother, Andrew. Megan, who majored in finance, earned her bachelor’s degree from Nebraska in May 2022. She is pursuing a master’s degree in business analytics. She is a four-time WGCA Scholastic All-American and a four-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten selection. She was a two-time Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner for women's golf (2021, 2023), and was named Nebraska's Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winner across all female sports in 2023. She has claimed nine spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. A Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award winner in 2021, Whittaker captured a Heart & Soul Award in 2023 for going above and beyond in all phases of Nebraska's Life Skills program. She is a five-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.  She chose Nebraska over Omaha, South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, Northern Arizona and Wyoming. 

Whittaker's Career Statistics

Year	Rounds	Strokes	Avg.	Low 18	Low 54
2018-19	21	1,634	77.81	73	227
2019-20	14	1,080	77.14	69	221
2020-21	18	1,414	78.56	72	219
2021-22	27	1,999	74.04	69	211
2022-23	38.5	2,829	73.48	67	207
Totals	118.5	8,956	75.58	67	207

Career Bests
Best Tournament Finish - 6th (Green Wave, 2022); T6th (Dale McNamara, 2021)
Best Event (Strokes) - 207 (Green Wave, 2022)
Low Round - 67 (Green Wave, 2nd, 2022)
Low First Round - 70 (Westbrook, 2023); 70 (Green Wave, 2022); 70 (Westbrook, 2022); 70 (Dale McNamara, 2021)
Low Second Round - 67 (Green Wave, 2022)
Low Third Round - 69 (Westbrook, 2022)
Career Rounds Under Par - 17