Story by: NU Athletic Communications
Nebraska's Jackson Benge, Caden Mickelson and Evan McDermott were included in the group of Big Ten Men's Golfers to Watch for the 2026-27 season.
The golfers to watch were announced by the conference on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
Nebraska, which opened its 2026 fall campaign at the New York Harbor Cup (Aug. 31-Sept. 1) will compete in its second tournament of the season at the Bearcat Invitational at the Coldstream Country Club in Cincinnati, Sept. 14-15.
Benge, a junior from Omaha, Neb., wrapped up an incredible sophomore season at Nebraska with a 13th-place finish at the Big Ten Championship. Benge matched his collegiate career best with a 54-hole total of 210, 7,003-yard layout of the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore. Benge's Big Ten finish was the best by a Husker since the school joined the conference, and the best by a Nebraska golfer at a conference tournament since Brady Schnell's third-place finish in 2007. Benge, who produced eight top-25 individual finishes, posted a 71.76 stroke average on the year.
Mickelson added another historic season by notching a Nebraska freshman-record 72.14 stroke average over 37 rounds for the Big Red in 2025-26. He added another Husker freshman record with his 201 (-12) on his way to a third-place individual finish while helping Nebraska to a team tournament title at the Git-R-Done Invitational. He closed the year with five top-25 finishes.
McDermott earned his second straight appearance among Nebraska's Golfers to Watch. The graduate student from Spring Lake, Mich., was a regular in the Nebraska lineup for a second straight season in 2025-26. He closed his fourth season as a Husker with a career-best 73.15 stroke average over 33 rounds. He owns eight career top-25 finishes at Nebraska.
Big Ten Men’s Golfers to Watch (2026-27)