Spellerberg Wins Nebraska Mid-Amateur in Record Fashion
Final Round Conducted Sunday at Landmand Golf Club
HOMER (August 28, 2022) - Bennington's Johnny Spellerberg defended his title and continued a stellar 2022 season and cruised to win the 24th Nebraska Mid-Amateur Championship at Landmand Golf Club on Sunday in record fashion.
Spellerberg made three eagles during his final round 67 (-6) and set one championship record and tied another. He shattered the championship scoring record with a 135 (-11) total, and tied another by winning by seven strokes. Spellerberg's 11-under total is five strokes better than the previous record, set by Omaha's Andy Sajevic in 2020 at 6-under, and tied by Spellerberg in 2021.
Spellerberg joins two other players who have gone back-to-back a the Nebraska Mid-Amateur, including Lincoln's Travis Minzel (2010-2011) and Omaha's Patrick Duffy (2016-2017). He holed out for eagle on No. 2 from 80 yards, and then made another eagle on the par-5 sixth hole into the wind, hitting a three-wood to four feet. Spellerberg made the turn in 35 (-1) with just three pars, two eagles, a birdie and double-bogey.
The lead had switched hands from first-round leader Andy Sajevic of Omaha to Spellerberg by the turn, and it was a one-man show from there. Sajevic turned in 39 (+3), and his fellow Fremont native, Spellerberg, continued to distance himself.
A third eagle of the day came on the reachable par-5 11th for Spellerberg, and a birdie on the par-3 12th moved him to 9-under, six shots ahead. A bogey on No. 14 dropped him back, but Spellerberg responded with three-straight birdies on Nos. 15-17 to extend his lead and get to 11-under.
Three other players battled to stay within striking distance, and they finished in a tie for runner-up honors at 142 (-4). Lincoln's Scott Tridle, 70 (-3), Elkhorn's Danny Woodhead, 72 (-1), and Omaha's Brad Rowe, 71 (-2), all posted under-par rounds for a share of second place.
Tridle and Woodhead both birdied the par-5 15th to get to 3-under, tied with Sajevic and Rowe at the time. Tridle added a birdie on No. 17 to get to 4-under, while Rowe made bogey, but bounced back on No. 18 with an eagle on the par-5 to join Tridle. Woodhead finished with a birdie in the following group to make it a trio of players tied at 4-under.
Spellerberg hit a big drive on No. 18, but played a safe shot short of the diabolical "Milk Carton" bunker. He wedged his third shot on and two-putted for a par, and a seven-stroke victory. A birdie on the last would have tied the course record. It's Spellerberg's second title of 2022, adding to his Nebraska Match Play win in June. He's also headed to the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship to compete in September.
Sajevic closed with five-straight pars to shoot 76 (+3), and finish fifth at 143 (-3). Omaha's Dylan Heng was the only other player to finish in red figures, shooting a final round 73 (E) to take sixth at 145 (-1).
Blair's Vance Janssen shot one of just five rounds under-par in the final round, a 72 (-1), to move into seventh at 146 (E). Omaha's Matthew Quandt and Doug Niemann tied for eighth at 147 (+1), while Bennington's Daniel Huston and Omaha's Trent Morrison, the 2014 Champion, tied for 10th at 148 (+2).
Final results and more are available on the championship website below.
Nebraska Mid-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.
