In the best debut performance by a Nebraska men’s golfer in history, Rudy Sautron captured medalist honors with a three-round total of 208 (-5) to power the Huskers to a third-place finish at the season-opening Gopher Invitational in Independence, Minn., on Monday.
Sautron, a sophomore from Reunion Island, France, closed an impressive tournament with a one-under-par 70 on Monday to tie the best 54-hole by a sophomore in school history, matching three-round tournament totals of 208 by Brady Schnell (2004-05) and Seth Porter (1999-2000).
Sautron, who was playing his first tournament as a Husker after transferring from NCAA Division II Cameron University in Oklahoma, held off Noah Kumar from Rutgers by one stroke. Kumar finished at 209 (-4), including a final-round 68 (-3). Iowa’s State’s Luke Gutschewski and Furman’s Harris Barth tied for third at 211 (-2), while Georgia Southern’s Parker Claxton and New Mexico’s Mesa Falleur tied for fifth at 212 (-1) as the only other golfers in the tournament to finish better than par over three rounds.
“I’m extremely happy for Rudy,” Nebraska Coach Judd Cornell said. “To win in a field this strong in his first Division I tournament shows the type of player he is. He has adjusted quickly to the Division I game and the stressors of school and golf. I’m so glad he’s a Husker.”
Sautron’s performance helped the Huskers to a third-place finish with an 865 (+13) on the par-71, 7,586-yard layout at the Windsong Farm Golf Club. Nebraska finished five strokes behind the team champions from Iowa State (860) and three shots behind the hosts from second-place Minnesota (862). The Huskers defeated Big Ten counterparts Iowa (4th, 868) and Rutgers (5th, 869) in a strong 15-team field in Minnesota.
The third-place performance marked Nebraska’s best team finish since taking third in a nine-team field at the Hoosier Invitational in early April of 2021.
Fellow Cameron transfer Hamish Murray, who is in his second season with the Huskers after producing a team-best 72.69 stroke average for the Big Red a year ago, was Nebraska’s No. 2 finisher. The senior from Sydney, Australia closed with a 74 (+3) to finish in a tie for 24th at 219 (+6) over 54 holes. It was Murray’s sixth top-25 finish in 11 events as a Husker.
Redshirt sophomore Evan McDermott climbed the final-round leaderboard with a solid 72 (+1) on Monday. McDermott finished in an eight-way tie for 38th at 223 (+10) in an 80-player field.
Husker graduate student Reed Malleck…
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