Women's golf team to tee off against Big 12 opponents in Texas

During the season-opening Chip-N Club Invitational on Sept. 10, Nebraska sophomore Kate White slipped on a wet cart path and hyperextended her knee.

Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said White didn't have time to fully recover in the fall because the tournaments were scheduled so close together. But last week at the Texas A&M "Mo" Morial Tournament, White produced the best finish for the Cornhuskers.

While the team placed 13th in the 15-team field, White was the only Husker in the top 25 individually. She shot a 79 in the third round, lowering her score by four strokes from the previous round and finished in a tie for 24th.

White said she wasn't able to perform to her fullest in the fall portion of the season, she but said she feels much better now.

"Legs are so important in golf," Krapfl said. "It's very tough to swing and be effective (with the injury), and we play 36 holes a day. It's very tough."

But Krapfl said White is swinging well and expects her to have a great spring season.

The Cornhuskers will return to Texas to compete in the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational on Monday and Tuesday.

White, seniors Elli Brown and Allison Stewart, sophomore JC Stevenson and redshirt freshman Rachel Hanigan will make up Nebraska's lineup.

The tournament includes Big 12 Conference rivals Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

White said the team used last week's contest as a learning experience for future tournaments because now the golfers know they can play tough courses.

The Huskers look to be in contention on Monday and Tuesday because they played well at the University of Texas Golf Club in the same tournament last year, White said.

The team finished ninth out of 15 and White finished in a tie for 31st.

Krapfl said the Huskers want to rebound from their last tournament performance, but at the same time she said she's not too concerned with last week's scores and finish.

"We played very poorly last year, too (in Bryan, Texas,)," Krapfl said. "It's just a very tough, tough golf course to play when you haven't had a lot of practice time outside. I still have confidence in this team."