Murray Leads Huskers on First Day at Firethorn – University of Nebraska

Lincoln – Hamish Murray fired a four-under-par 67 in the second round to finish the first 36 holes of the Git-R-Done Invitational at 137 (-5) to lead the Nebraska men’s golf team at Firethorn Golf Club on Monday.

Murray, a senior from Sydney, Australia, closed the second round tied for third in the 65-player field, while the Huskers sat in third place among the 11 schools in the tournament. As a team, Nebraska ended the day at 566 (-2), including a season-best 280 (-4) in the second round.

Fellow Husker Evan McDermott matched Murray with a career-best-tying 67 (-4) of his own in the second round to enter Tuesday’s final round in a tie for 12th at 140 (-2). The sophomore from Spring Lake, Mich., opened the day with a 73 (+2) on the 7,003-yard, par-71 layout at Firethorn. McDermott’s second round featured seven birdies to overcome a bogey on No. 9 and a double-bogey on No. 16 as the only blemishes in his round.

While McDermott and Murray surged in the second round, Reed Malleck produced back-to-back even-par 71 (E), including a 33 (-2) on the back nine in the second round, to end his day in a tie for 16th (142).

Sophomore Rudy Sautron matched Malleck with an even-par 71 in the opening round, but settled for a 75 in the second round. He heads to the final round in a tie for 32nd at 146 (+4).

Junior Davis Johnson rounded out Nebraska’s top lineup with a 76 (+5) to close his day in a tie for 48th at 150 (+8).

Overall, four Huskers finished the day among the top-20 golfers in the tournament, including Brodie Cunningham. The freshman from Glasgow, Scotland, performed well in his collegiate debut with a 141 (-1) through 36 holes that included a 70 (-1) in the opening round. Cunningham is tied for 12th to lead Nebraska’s “B” lineup in the tournament. The Husker “B” team sits in sixth place at 574 (+6) after rounds of 288 and 286. 

Quinn Yost, a junior from Farmington, N.M., sits in a tie for 22nd with a 36-hole total of 143 (+1), including an opening-round 69 (-2). Senior Grant Jabenis (Omaha, Neb.) freshman James Ackerman (Leawood, Kan.) also are hunting top-20 finishes after tying for 28th at 145 (+3) through two rounds.

Jackson Benge and Rhett Hughes rounded out the 11 Huskers in the field.

Sam Houston State took control of the team standings with a 272 (-12) in the second round to finish the day at 551 (-17). Bearkats Bret Gray and Hugo Trommetter enter the final round tied atop the individual leaderboard at 133 (-9), four shots ahead of Nebraska’s…