Photo courtesy of Husker Athletics.
Mac Johnson
Nebraska men’s golf’s fall season ended on Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Steelwood Collegiate in Loxley, Alabama.
Here is a recap of how the Huskers fared:
Nebraska’s young roster struggled to generate momentum
The Huskers’ lineup featured two upperclassmen and three underclassmen often, and it wasn’t always pretty.
As a team, Nebraska finished last in six tournaments and never finished above fourth-to-last place. It finished with an average score of 34-over-par throughout the season.
The round that hurt them most was Round 2, which contributed to nearly half of Nebraska’s strokes per tournament with an average of 15-over.
Benge proves most consistent
While there was a lot of movement at the bottom and middle of Nebraska’s lineup in the fall. There was plenty of stability at the top, as junior Omaha native Jackson Benge took to the front of the team’s leaderboard in four consecutive tournaments. He finished out the season despite starting off September in the New York Harbor Cup and the Bearcat Invitational at the bottom of the Huskers’ rotation.
In the last four tournaments of the season, the Omaha Westside High School product averaged a mark of 6.5-over and recorded two top-30 finishes. His role as a leader will be imperative come spring.
Kelley has highest ceiling
Freshman Tommy Kelley came out swinging in his first tournament as a Husker this fall. Fresh out of Creighton Prep High School, Kelley turned heads at the New York Harbor Cup by shooting 4-over, which not only propelled him to the top of Nebraska’s lineup, but it was also good enough for a top-30 finish.
He then made sure there was no thought of a fluke two weeks later when he managed to shoot even at the Bearcat Invitational. Kelley was the only golfer to accomplish that feat for Nebraska this season, and it gave him a share of 21st place on the leaderboard.
Kelley followed that performance by collecting two more top-30 finishes before finally letting one get away from him at the Quail Valley Collegiate, where he placed 83rd. Nebraska has high hopes for the youngster, and the Huskers will look to see him contribute again in the spring.
Gerch’s inconsistency is concerning
While one upperclassman, Jackson Benge, was consistent this fall, it was his counterpart, junior Gavin Gerch, who was truly all over the place.
Gerch lit it up last season at Creighton, making the Big East All-Tournament team, but he didn’t string strong showings together this season at NU. He produced fine in his first three outings, but his collapse in Nebraska’s fourth event of the season, where he shot 30-over, was truly jarring. He then shot 6-over in the Steelwood Collegiate, which put him in a share of 66th place.
While most of the season looked alright for Gerch, it’ll be hard to unsee that 30-over mark that hampered his season.
McDermott’s return is promising for Nebraska moving forward
Evan McDermott was expected to have a productive fall season after what was a favorable 2025-2026. The fifth-year senior has collected two top-10 and eight top-25 finishes during his career, while also being listed as one of the Big Ten Golfers To Watch for the last three seasons. But an injury suffered before the New York Harbor Cup in August sidelined McDermott until the second-to-last event of the season.
He finished second in Nebraska’s rotation at the Quail Valley Collegiate before bottoming out the lineup at the Steelwood Collegiate to close out 2026.
Hopefully McDermott finds his swing during the winter months and gets back to his normal self in time for Nebraska’s spring season.
What’s next?
Nebraska’s spring season begins on Feb. 15 when it takes on La Quinta, California, in the Prestige Tournament at PGA West Golf Course.