Nebraska Girls' & Junior Match Play Fields Set for Platteview
BELLEVUE (June 5, 2022) - The field is set for the 60th Nebraska Girls' Match Play Championship and the 33rd Nebraska Junior Match Play Championship at Platteview Golf Club in Bellevue this week.
The Championship will begin on Monday, June 6 with an 18-hole Stroke Play Qualifier, with 36 girls competing for 16 spots and 90 boys competing for 32 spots in the match play bracket.
Two rounds of matches will be conducted on Tuesday, followed by two more on Wednesday. The girls' final is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, while the boys' final is Thursday morning.
There will be a new champion crowned on both sides, as no past champions are in the field. On the girls’ side, Lauren Thiele of Wahoo is dealing with an injury and will not return to defend her title. On the boys' side, the reigning champion, Christopher Atkinson of Omaha, is in college and no longer eligible.
2019 Nebraska Girls' Amateur Champion - Kaitlyn Hanna of Omaha
There are a couple NGA champions in the girls' field, including Katie Ruge and Kaitlyn Hanna of Omaha. Ruge won the Nebraska Women's Match Play title in 2020, while Hanna won the 2019 Nebraska Girls' Amateur.
2020 Nebraska Women's Match Play Champion - Katie Ruge of Omaha
Other notable players set to compete, include the 2021 NSAA Class B Champion Julia Karmazin of Omaha, and her older sister Emily Karmazin. The NSAA Class C Champion Cecilia Arndt of Columbus is paired with Julia Karmazin and Hanna, who finished runner-up in Class A. Scottsbluff’s Emily Krzyzanowski, and North Platte's Karsen Morrison are also looking for a first title.
On the boys’ side, only Omaha's Connor Steichen owns NGA hardware. Steichen won the 2021 Nebraska Junior Amateur, and was also runner-up at the 2021 Nebraska Junior Match Play Championship.
2021 Nebraska Junior Amateur Champion - Connor Steichen of Omaha
Three NSAA high school champions are in the field, including Thomas Bryson of Lincoln, who won the Class A title as a freshman at Lincoln Southeast last month. Will Mullin of Omaha (Class B) and Noah Carpenter of Lincoln (Class C) are also set to compete, and will tee it up alongside Bryson in Monday's Stroke Play Qualifier at 8:50 a.m. off No. 10.
A couple of Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup team members from last year are also vying for their first title. Kearney's Cole Feddersen and Hastings' Brayden Schram are top contenders. Coltrane Mittag of Ashland is another young player to watch, as he qualified for the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur and played well at U.S. Open Local Qualifying last month.
It will be the first time hosting either championship for Platteview Golf Club, although the club has hosted several other NGA championship, including the 2021 Nebraska Senior Amateur. The par-72 course will measure 6,640 yards for the boys and 5,860 yards for the girls.
Groupings and starting times for Monday's Stroke Play Qualifying round are available under the Pairings tab of the championship websites below.
Nebraska Girls' Match Play Championship
Nebraska Junior Match Play Championship
About the NGA
The Nebraska Golf Association, founded in 1966, is comprised of all members of public and private clubs and/or municipal or regional golf associations which utilize an approved handicap service recognized by the USGA and provided by the NGA. Our mission is to uphold and promote the game of golf and its values to all golfers in Nebraska. Among the duties of the Association include governance of member clubs and service as their handicapping and course rating authority, conduct of state golf championships, local USGA qualifying & other notable competitions, promotion of junior golf, presentation of worthwhile educational programs and support of allied golf organizations in Nebraska. The Nebraska Golf Association is an Allied Golf Association of the USGA and carries out core services including Handicap Administration and Oversight, Course Rating, Rules of Golf and Rules of Amateur Status, Tournaments and USGA Championship Qualifiers and USGA Initiatives and Community Programs.
