Senior Match Play Down to Final Four
Round of 16 and Quarterfinals Conducted Tuesday at The Pines Country Club
VALLEY (September 27, 2023) - The 13th Nebraska Senior Match Play Championship is down to the final four players, after two rounds of matches were conducted on Wednesday at The Pines Country Club in Valley.
Only two of the top four seeds are left, but three past champions will vie for a second title, while another player gets his second shot at the Semifinals. The No. 1 Seed Matt Haynes of Bellevue, the 2018 Champion, cruised through both of his matches in just 30 holes, and will take on the No. 4 seed and defending champion, Brian Csipkes of Gretna in the first Semifinal match.
Fremont's John Sajevic, the 2021 Champion, will face Papillion's Eric Murphy in the second semifinal match. Murphy made the 2019 Semifinals, but fell to the eventual champion, Ed Wyatt of Lincoln, 2 and 1. It's also a rematch of the 2020 Quarterfinal match, where Sajevic outlasted Murphy in 19 holes.
Haynes carried his stellar play during Stroke Play Qualifying, where he earned the No. 1 seed and a share of medalist honors with a 70 (-2), over into his first match against Omaha's Kevin Sullivan. Haynes caught fire around the turn with four-straight birdies from No. 8 to No. 11, to take a 4-up lead. They tied the next four holes, and Haynes moved on with a 4-and-3 win.
Haynes started right where he left off in his Quarterfinal match against Plainview's Tim Knaak, winning the first two holes. He cooled off a bit after that, but still managed to make the turn at 4 up, and eventually posted a second-straight 4-and-3 win.
Csipkes had a similar day, winning both of his matches on the 16th hole. He defeated Elkhorn's Jeff Russell in the Round of 16, 3 and 2, before closing out Lincoln's Jayson Brueggemann, 4 and 3, in the Quarterfinals. Csipkes rammed home a long birdie putt on No. 16 to close out Brueggemann, and put his hands in the air, knowing he had hit the putt too hard.
Sajevic's path was a bit rockier, as he found himself 3 down to fellow Fremont resident, Stan Darling, after just five holes of their Round of 16 match. Darling maintained that lead through the turn, and even pushed it to 4 up with five holes to play. However, Sajevic finished with a fury, winning the final five holes of the match to complete the comeback, and win 1 up.
In the Quarterfinals, Sajevic faced another past champion, Jay Muller of Omaha, who picked up his championship record 20th match play win in the morning. Muller defeated the reigning Nebraska Senior Amateur Champion, David Ringler of Lincoln, 4 and 2.
Despite combining for 17 appearances in the championship bracket, Sajevic (7) and Muller (10) had only faced each other once before. Sajevic defeated Muller in the 2015 Semifinals, 3 and 2. Sajevic didn't mess around this time, making the turn 5 up, after back-to-back birdies on Nos. 8 and 9. The two players tied the first five holes of the back nine, and Sajevic secured a 5-and-4 win, without losing a single hole.
Murphy also had some adversity in his first match against Bennington's Steve Buroker, who was 1 up going into their 18th hole, No. 9 at The Pines. Murphy stuck his approach shot inside five feet and rolled in the birdie to force extra holes. On the first extra hole, the par-5 10th, Murphy's second shot rolled underneath a pine tree and finished just past it. His abbreviated swing resulted in a low shot that hit the flagstick hard and finished about 15 feet from the hole. He two-putted for par to tie the hole, and then saved par from the greenside bunker on No. 11 to win the match in 20 holes. It was tied for the longest match in championship history, and was the seventh time a championship match has lasted 20 holes.
Murphy then made a late charge to win his Quarterfinal match against Omaha's Ryan Knispel. The two were tied through 12 holes, but Murphy won three of the next four holes to close out the match, 3 and 2.
The Semifinals begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday, with the Championship Bracket semifinals scheduled for 9:36 a.m. (Haynes vs. Csipkes) and 9:44 a.m. (Sajevic vs. Murphy).
The updated brackets are available on the championship website below, along with additional information.
Nebraska Senior Match Play Championship
About NebGolf
The Nebraska Golf Association (NebGolf), 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 NebGolf. 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.
