Golfweek

Nebraska’s season of close finishes finally resulted in a win Tuesday at the Jackrabbit Invitational, where the Cornhuskers won by 15 strokes to capture their first team title since 2006.

Nebraska senior Brandon Crick, No. 213 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings, won medalist honors after a sizzling 4-under 68 in the final round at Primm (Nev.) Valley Golf Club. He finished at 9-under 207 to earn the fourth individual title of his career, and his first since last April.

It’s been an even longer drought for the 90th-ranked Cornhuskers, who picked up their first team title since the Brandon Creek Invitational in April 2006, a tournament, ironically, also won by Crick, then a freshman.

Crick, the state’s reigning amateur champion, posted three top-5 finishes last fall, but his best performance came a month ago with a T-3 at the Rice Intercollegiate. Nebraska also had a strong fall campaign, finishing seventh or better in each of its seven starts this season.

That consistency carried over to the Jackrabbit Invitational, where the Cornhuskers jumped out to a nine-stroke lead in the second round and never looked back in Round 3. Crick went out in 5-under 31 in the final round Tuesday, stretching his lead to eight after eagling the par-5 eighth hole. His 207 total was the second-lowest 54-hole score of his career.

Western Illinois’ Kyle Peterman (68) came in a distant second, at 4-under 212, and Oral Roberts’ Garrett Moore (72) and Arkansas State’s Tyler Thompson tied for third at 215.

Crick had company atop the leaderboard. Brett Nymeyer rebounded from a 81 in Round 2 to post the low round of the day, a 5-under 67, which included back-to-back eagles on Nos. 7-8, both par 5s. And Mike Coatman and Scott Willman, both of whom shot 68 in the final round, tied for seventh.

As a team, Nebraska shot 9-under 279 in the final round.

Arkansas State placed second overall at 11-over 875, and Western Illinois was third at 883.