Golfer Mitch Abbott practices his golf swing on the course. Abbott is wearing grey pants, blue top and a Nevada beanie.
Image courtesy of Nevada Athletics. Nevada Golfer Mitch Abbott practices his swing during a round of golf. Abbott is a freshman on the team.

The Nevada men’s and women’s golf teams had a strong showing during the Badger Invitational and Dick McGuire Invitational. 

Against 16 other teams, the men’s team placed tied for sixth on Day One, tenth on Day Two and finished in fifth place on Day Three. Senior golfer Sam Harned picked up his first collegiate victory, scoring a round of 64 to win the tournament by one stroke. 

In a 15-team tournament, The women’s team tied for seventh on Day One and finished in eighth at the Dick McGuire Invitational. 

Men’s golf

Sunday, Sept. 8

Nevada sat just outside the top five with a three-over-par performance. 

Harned started the tournament off hot with a 2-under 70. Sophomore Trey Davis fired an even-par round of 72 in his first round and was tied for 20th place. 

Senior Tony Gil finished the first day tied for 35th place, shooting a two-over and finishing the round with a 74. Reno native, Connor Motherway, made his collegiate debut today and carded a 75 in his first round. Senior Sam Meek was tied for 63rd place, shooting a five-over-par. 

Monday, Sept. 9

The Wolf Pack continued their strong performance heading into Day Two, shooting a 293 total and five-over. 

Harned continued his rise up the leaderboards with a four-under-par. He placed sixth and was just two shots back of the individual lead heading into Tuesday. The senior golfer tallied five birdies and no bogeys. 

Gil rose to 27th place with a one-over-par performance. He suffered a double bogey on hole four, but bounced back with four birdies over the course of the round. Davis slipped to 52nd place, shooting a five-over 77. 

Meek and Motherway both entered the final day of the invitational tied for 66th place at 8-over par. 

Tuesday, Sept. 10 

Harned stole the show during the final round, shooting an eight-under-par seal his first win. He is the third Nevada player in the last 12 months to win an individual title. Meek won a tournament back in March and former Wolf Pack golfer Joey Vrzich won twice last fall.

The senior golfer started his career as a walk-on and finished as a champion. He collected nine birdies and one bogey. In 54 holes of play, Harned totaled 17 birdies to just five bogeys all tournament. 

Harned’s solid play down the stretch helped the Pack secure a top-five finish to start the season. Nevada shot a combined score of 278 and 10-under-par.

Gil placed in a tie for 17th place with a 2-under 70 on Tuesday, finishing the tournament at 1-under par. Meek shaved eight points off his final score with a 5-under 67, placing in a tie for 29th overall. 

Davis tied for 70th with a 78 in the final round of play. Motherway tied for 74th place in his collegiate golf debut. 

Women’s golf

Monday, Sept. 9

Nevada opened the season tied for seventh place at the Dick McGuire Invitational. 

After 36 holes of action, The Wolf Pack had combined scores of 291 and 293 to sit at 8-over par and just five shots out of the top five. Senior Jenny Krause led Nevada with a ninth-place finish and a two-under-par performance, shooting back-to-back rounds of 71. She totaled seven birdies over two rounds. 

Sophomore golfer Victoria Gailey was tied for 22nd at two-over-par. She had a strong showing with a four-over, 76 finish. Senior Katy Rutherford and sophomore Danni Ujimori both tied for 35th place. Each of them posted identical scores of three-over in the morning and a 73 in the afternoon. 

In her collegiate debut, freshman Leah John was tied for 72nd place. She collected the first eagle of her career, but finished both rounds with scores of 76 and 78. 

Tuesday, Sept. 10

The Wolf Pack secured a top 10 finish to get off on the right foot in the early stages of the year. 

Nevada finished the tournament 16-over par with a team score of 296 on the final day. 

Krause led the team with a 23rd place finish, shooting a 77 in the final round. She finished the tournament three-over-par, one shot off from tying her career-best. 

Rutherford and Ujimori had identical tournament runs as both players tied for 29th place. Both shot a 4-over par with an even-par of 72 on the final day. Ujimori led the Pack with nine birdies and Rutherford collected 41 pars. 

Gailey finished in a tie for 36th place, shooting a six-over-par. She carded a four-over on the final day of the invitational. John finished tied for 72nd place, shooting a 14-over par. 

The Nevada men’s golf team travels to Bremerton, Washington, for the Husky Invitational from Sept. 16-17. The Wolf Pack women’s team next appearance is during the Coeur d’Alene Collegiate Invitational in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho from Sept. 23-24. 

Isaiah Burrows can be reached at rfreeberg@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @SagebrushSports.