Gutschewski Keeps 36-hole Lead at Nebraska Amateur
Round Two Conducted on Wednesday at Fremont Golf Club
FREMONT (July 17, 2024) – Omaha's Trevor Gutschewski kept his lead at the halfway point, after the second round of the 116th Nebraska Amateur Championship on Wednesday at Fremont Golf Club.
Gutschewski put together a round of 69 (-2) to follow up his first round 65 (-6), and leads by two strokes at 134 (-8). The rising senior at Omaha Westside is halfway to a wire-to-wire victory, but he did lose his lead during the second round.
It was a slow start for the red-hot Gutschewski, who made the turn in 35 (E), after starting on No. 1. Two bogeys early on the back nine dropped him out of the lead though, and back to 4-under. The future Florida Gator was determined to keep his lead though, as he rebounded with four-straight birdies to surge back into the lead at 8-under. A closing par secured the two-stroke lead with 36 holes to play.
Several players were making a charge at the lead, including York's Reed Malleck. He also made the turn in 35 (E), but rattled off three birdies in the next five holes to take the lead at 6-under. Another birdie on the par-3 17th moved him to 7-under, a stroke behind Gutschewski at the time. A bogey on No. 18 made it a second-straight round of 68 (-3), and the Husker golfer is in second at 136 (-6).
Four players are tied for third, three strokes back, at 137 (-5). Only one of those players played in the morning wave on Wednesday, Omaha's Matthew Junge. He held the clubhouse lead for most of the day, after firing a 68 (-3) that included four birdies and a bogey.
The other three players were in the afternoon wave, including Trevor's older brother, Luke Gutschewski of Elkhorn. The Iowa State Cyclone had a very different round than Tuesday, where he made six birdies and four bogeys. On Tuesday, he went bogey-free with three birdies for a 68 (-3).
Two Huskers join the older Gutschewski and Junge at 5-under, Hamish Murray a senior from Australia and Evan McDermott from Spring Lake, Michigan. Murray also had a bogey-free round of 67 (-4), while McDermott posted a 69 (-2).
The 2021 Champion David Easley of Lincoln also shot 67 (-4) to move into seventh at 138 (-4). Ashland's Coltrane Mittag, the 2023 Nebraska Junior Co-Golfer of the Year with Trevor Gutschewski, put together a 69 (-2) to get into a tie for eighth at 139 (-3).
Omaha's Jon Oswalt is tied with Mittag at 3-under after the low round of the championship so far. After making an opening bogey on the par-3 10th, Oswalt caught fire with four-straight birdies, and added two more on Nos. 16 and 18 to make the turn in 31 (-5). He added birdies on Nos. 2 and 7 to get to 7-under, and saved par from the trees on No. 9 to shoot 64 (-7). It ties the low score in the second round at the Nebraska Amateur, with Lincoln's Knox Jones shooting the only other 64 in championship history, an 8-under round at Hillcrest Country Club in 1977.
In total, 12 players are under-par for the championship. A three-way tie for 10th rounds out the top 10, with Connor Steichen of Omaha, Brayden Schram of Hastings and Brock Kuhlman of Columbus in at 141 (-1). Steichen won the 2021 Nebraska Junior Amateur at Fremont Golf Club, while Schram and Kuhlman were teammates on the 2022 Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup Team.
Along with Easley, two other past champions made the cut. Elkhorn's Ryan Nietfeldt, the 2002 Champion, shot another 72 (+1) and is tied for 20th at 144 (+2). The 1989 Champion John Sajevic of Fremont posted a 73 (+2) and is also in at 2-over. Sajevic extends his championship record with a 38th made cut, and is in position to extend his record for most Top 25 finishes. Nietfeldt has made the cut for the 21st time in his career.
The third round begins at 7:30 a.m. off the No. 1 tee on Tuesday. Gutschewski and Malleck are in the final pairing at 12:20 p.m. Pairings are available on the championship website, along with the scoring page and additional information.
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.
