Wilderness Ridge Ready for 48th Nebraska Women's Amateur
Championship Begins Monday at Wilderness Ridge Country Club
LINCOLN (July 31, 2022) – Many familiar names headline the field for the 48th Nebraska Women’s Amateur Championship this week at Wilderness Ridge Country Club in Lincoln.
The championship begins Monday with the first round for the 37 players in the Championship Division. The field includes three past champions and several others who have added their name to a NGA trophy.
Two-time defending champion Danica Badura of Aurora is back for a shot at history, with a chance to become only the third player to win at least three Nebraska Women’s Amateur Championships in a row, joining Sarah Sasse-Kildow (2000-2002) and Susan Marchese, who won five in a row (1982-1986). The South Dakota Coyote shot 221 (+5) at The Club at Indian Creek in Elkhorn last year to win staggering eight strokes, and defend her title from 2020.
Sasse-Kildow, a five-time champion, is also back to compete for the first time since 2020. Wahoo's Haley Thiele, the 2017 and 2019 Champion, is in the field as well.
Two of the three players who tied for runner-up honors last year are back, as Omaha's Kaitlyn Hanna looks to follow up her Nebraska Girls’ Match Play title earlier this season. Papillion's Sydney Taake looks to break through for her first NGA win, after two top-five finishes at the Nebraska Girls’ Amateur Championship and advancing to the Nebraska Women’s Match Play Semifinals this year at Elks Country Club in Columbus.
Several other players are in the hunt for a first title. Elkhorn's Megan Whittaker, the 2022 Nebraska Women’s Match-Play Champion and 2018 Nebraska Girls’ Match-Play Champion, looks to win her first stroke-play championship. Wahoo's Lindsey Thiele is looking to become the fourth Thiele sister with a NGA victory. Omaha's Emily Karmazin and her sister Julia are also searching for their first NGA win, after both finished in the top-10 at Beatrice Country Club for the Nebraska Girls’ Amateur Championship just a few weeks ago.
The conventional front and back nine will be used at Wilderness Ridge for the championship. The routing is a par-71 layout, measuring 6,103 yards for the championship. The championship features 54-holes of stroke play, with the Tournament Division playing 36 holes over the final two days. There are 28 players in that division.
Play begins at 8 a.m. for Monday’s first round, which features just the Championship Division. The Tournament Division starts play on Tuesday at 8 a.m. Pairings for the first round are available on the championship website below, along with the scoring page and additional information.
Nebraska Women's Amateur 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.
