Gerch Takes No. 1 Seed at 57th Nebraska Match Play
Round Two Conducted Tuesday at Country Club of Lincoln
LINCOLN (June 25, 2024) – Lincoln's Gavin Gerch rose to the top to earn medalist honors and the No. 1 seed after the second round of Stroke Play Qualifying for the 57th Nebraska Match Play Championship at the Country Club of Lincoln on Tuesday.
The temperatures were hot and so was the play on Tuesday, as the heat index soared into the triple digits for the second straight day. Scoring conditions were prime though, as there was almost no wind, and red numbers were abound again. Gerch, who is headed to play for Creighton in the fall, followed up his first round 67 (-5) with a 66 (-6) to earn medalist honors with a 133 (-11) total.
It was the best qualifying scoring in championship history, as Gerch's medalist total was the second-lowest, only trailing Lincoln's Nate Vontz in 2021, when he posted 13-under in 2021. The cut to the low 32 for the bracket was the lowest in championship history by four strokes, as 34 players finished at 144 (E) or better, besting last year's cutline of 148 (+4).
Gerch, a recent Lincoln Southeast grad, made a hole-in-one on his fifth hole on Monday, and never looked back. He only made two bogeys in 36 holes of qualifying, and made 11 birdies to go along with his ace. He'll play the No. 32 seed, Jackson Lapour of Omaha, who secured the last spot on the fourth playoff hole.
York's Reed Malleck is the No. 2 seed after finishing with a 135 (-9) total. The Husker golfer fired a 68 (-4) in the morning to take the clubhouse lead. Malleck will play Lincoln's Carson Kildow, who also earned a spot on the last playoff hole with a par on No. 16.
Luke Strako of Omaha had the round of the day, and tied the championship qualifying record with a round of 64 (-8). The Southeast CC graduate is committed to play golf for the Omaha Mavericks. He shot a 29 (-7) on the front nine, and reached 9-under through 13 holes. A closing bogey kept Strako from the record, but he tied for third at 136 (-8) with Gretna's Christopher Atkinson.
Atkinson is a current Omaha Maverick, and he'll be the No. 3 seed, playing a former Husker golfer, Dylan McCabe of Elkhorn, who also advance through the last hole of the playoff. Strako is the No. 4 seed and will play Husker golfer Hamish Murray, who made birdie on the third playoff hole (No. 12), to secure the No. 29 seed. Murray shot 68 (-4) on Tuesday to get into the playoff.
The playoff for the final six spots started on the par-3 10th, and Bennington's William Amundsen was the only player to make birdie, taking the No. 27 seed. He'll play two-time Nebraska Junior Amateur Champion Beau Petersen of Gretna, the No. 6 seed.
Lincoln's Andy Gerch made the only birdie on the second playoff hole, the par-5 11th, to secure the No. 28 seed. Gerch had his son Gavin, the No. 1 seed, caddying for him during the playoff. He'll play another Husker golfer, Evan McDermott, who secured the No. 5 with his 137 (-7) total.
The defending champion, Calvin Freeman of Table Rock, is the only past champion to make the bracket. He put together a round of 69 (-3) to get into match play as the No. 16 seed. Freeman will take on Omaha's Jake Boor in the Round of 32, and the winner will face either the top-seeded Gavin Gerch or No. 32 seeded Lapour.
The Round of 32 begins at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Full qualifying results, the match play bracket and more are available on the championship website below.
Nebraska 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.
