Campbell Charges into 36-Hole Lead at Nebraska Amateur
Round Two Conducted Tuesday at Firethorn Golf Club
LINCOLN (July 26, 2022) – Creighton golfer Shaun Campbell finished Tuesday's second round of the 114th Nebraska Amateur Championship as the only player under-par, and he holds the 36-hole lead at Firethorn Golf Club in Lincoln.
Campbell will be a junior on the Bluejay golf team this fall, and is from Tauranga, New Zealand. He leads by three strokes at the halfway point with a 139 (-3) total, after a second round 68 (-3).
It was another stellar day in Lincoln, with temperatures reaching into the upper 80s, and winds mostly light throughout the day. With the leaders falling back, Campbell took advantage of the opportunity. A birdie on No. 7 moved him into red figures, three back of the first-round leader David Easley of Lincoln. He added a birdie on No. 10, and then birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 pushed him to 4-under and the solo-lead.
Campbell stuck his tee shot close on the difficult par-3 17th hole, but the putt slid by and he finished with a bogey on No. 18 to fall back to 3-under. He had a two-stroke lead at the time he finished, but that would soon grow to three, as no other players were able to finish in red figures.
Three players are tied for second, including the defending champion and first-round leader, Easley. The Firethorn member held the lead throughout most of the day, despite only making one birdie. However, Campbell overtook him after Easley made three bogeys on his closing nine, the front nine at Firethorn. A bogey on No. 9 dropped Easley out of red figures following a 75 (+4), tied with two others at 142 (E).
One of those players at even-par shot the round of the championship so far, a 66 (-5). That player was Lincoln's Thomas Bryson, one of the youngest players in the field at just 15-years-old. Bryson, who finished runner-up at the Nebraska Junior Match Play last month, caught fire to end his round. He already had one of the better rounds going with three birdies and a bogey through his first 15 holes, and sat at 2-under. He proceeded to close with three-straight birdies to jump into the tied for second.
Also joining Easley and Bryson is Elkhorn's Alex Farrell, who broke-par as well on Tuesday. Farrell, the 2018 Nebraska Four-Ball Champion who played collegiate golf at UNK, posted a 69 (-2) to move up the leaderboard. Farrell made a late birdie on No. 8 and finished with a par on No. 9 to get into the penultimate pairing. Easley will join Campbell in the final pairing at 12:40 p.m., while Farrell will play alongside Bryson at 12:30 p.m.
A strong group of contenders are tied for fifth at 143 (+1), four strokes back, including Table Rock's Calvin Freeman, Omaha's Charlie Zielinski, Fordyce's Matthew Schaefer and Gretna's Brian Csipkes. Freeman birdied his first five holes of the day, but cooled off after that to shoot 71 (E). Schaefer, who held the 36-hole lead and was tied after 54-holes last year, posted one of eight under-par rounds on Tuesday, a 69 (-2). Zielinski, also a Creighton golfer, reached 4-under early, but ran into trouble late and shot 75 (+4). Cispkes, the 2022 Nebraska Senior Amateur Champion, also had it going after three-straight birdies on the front nine, but bogeyed two of his last four holes to shoot 71 (E).
Two past champions round out the Top 10, tied for ninth at 144 (+2). Omaha's Andy Sajevic, a four-time champion, and Elkhorn's Ryan Nietfeldt, the 2002 Champion, will play together at 12 p.m. Sajevic posted the second-lowest round of the day, a 67 (-4), to get back into contention, while Nietfeldt shot a second-straight 72 (+1).
A strong group sits just five six strokes back at 145 (+3), including Elkhorn's Luke Gutschewski, Aurora's Caleb Badura and Bennington's Johnny Spellerberg. Gutschewski, a two-time NGA champion, shot one of the under-par rounds, a 69 (-2), while Badura, the 2019 Nebraska Match Play Champion, was near the lead until playing the last three holes in 5-0ver. Spellerberg, the 2022 Nebraska Match Play Champion, shot 73 (+2).
The 36-hole cut was made at 156 (+14), the highest over-par cut since 2017 at Beatrice Country Club, which was also 14-over. Sixty-three players made the cut and will play the final two rounds on Wednesday and Thursday.
A few records were extended by Fremont's John Sajevic, who made the 36-hole cut once again. Sajevic, the 1989 Champion, made his 37th cut overall, and his 23rd straight, both now three clear of the next best.
Pairings for the third round are available on the championship website, along with the scoring page and additional information.
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.
