Kelli Ann Strand charged 16 spots up the individual leader board in the final round to take a top-five finish and help the Nebraska women’s golf team claim the championship at the Badger Invitational in Wisconsin on Tuesday.
The Huskers, who entered the final round four strokes behind the leaders from Notre Dame, dominated the field in a stormy day on the 6,248-yard layout of the University Ridge Golf Course in Verona. Nebraska put up the best team round for the second straight day, closing the final eight holes with an even-par 288 to end the tournament at 863 (-1) over three rounds. The Big Red defeated both Notre Dame (874) and Old Dominion (874) by 11 strokes in the final team standings. ODU closed the tournament with a final-round 293 (+5), while the Fighting Irish struggled down the stretch with a 303 (+15).
Strand, a true freshman from Challis, Idaho, carded a final-round 67 (-5) to jump from a tie for 20th into a tie for fourth in the final standings. Strand’s final round included an eagle on No. 16 and three birdies to go along with 14 pars. Strand closed the tournament with a 54-hole score of 213 (-3). She battled her way into the final top five after ending the opening day in a tie for 50th with a 77. Her final-round 67 was the low round of the day and one of just 10 rounds better than par on the final day of the tournament in the 75-player field.
Miu Takahashi added a top-10 individual finish of her own, closing an impressive tournament with an even-par 72. The sophomore from Nasu-machi, Japan, capped the best tournament of her career in eighth place at 215 (-1). Takahashi’s final round included birdies on No. 5, No. 9 and No. 16 to overcome a trio of bogeys, while adding 12 pars. Her three-round total of 215 was three strokes better than her previous career-best 218 (+2), which she set last week at the Green Wave Classic in New Orleans.
While Strand and Takahashi continued to climb the leader board on the final day, Husker Megan Whittaker struggled with a final-round 80 after leading Nebraska through the first 36 holes (71-69-140). Whittaker finished with a solid 54-hole score of 220 (+4) to tie for 19th individually, but her final round did not count toward Nebraska’s team score in the five-count-four format.
Michaela Vavrova stepped up with her best round of the tournament, posting a 74 (+2) to…
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