Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup Tied After Day One
OMAHA (August 7, 2019) – Nebraska staged a comeback in the afternoon session of the first day of matches at the 34th Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup, and the squads are tied at 4-all after Wednesday’s matches at Omaha Country Club.
Kansas had nearly swept the morning Four-Ball matches, winning the session 3-1. Out of the four matches, only Reed Malleck of York and Isaac Heimes of Norfolk picked up a win, taking 4-and-2 victory over Nicklaus Mason and Cooper Schultz of Kansas.
While the scoreboard didn’t necessarily reflect it, Nebraska battled in the morning. Both Connor Vandewege of Lincoln and Charlie Zielinski of Omaha, as well as Josh Bartels of Lincoln and Jake Kluver of Norfolk took their matches to the 18th green. However, Calvin Dillon and Gentry Scheve, as well as Tradgon McCrae and Tyler Trudo defeated each pairing 1 up to give Kansas a commanding lead.
Nebraska came out of the gate roaring in afternoon Foursomes though, and at one point on the front nine, every Nebraska pairing, with the exception of Bartels and Josh Peters of Omaha, were ahead in their matches.
Malleck and Heimes, paired together for the second time of the day, were the first to roll to a victory in the afternoon, and they did so in convincing fashion. They played Mason and Schultz again, and won five holes on the front nine, and made the turn at 4 up. They tacked on two more wins on the back nine, and closed out the 6-and-5 victory on the 13th green with a birdie to put the second Nebraska point on the scoreboard.
Bartels and Peters, the 2019 Nebraska Junior Amateur Champion, were the second match to finish, and it came down to the wire. Audrain and Herrenbruck went 2 up with 2 to play, and the Kansas pairing had a putt on the 17th green to win the match, but couldn’t get it to drop. The Nebraska team found the green in regulation on the 18th, and halved the match with a par following a Kansas bogey.
Zielinski and Luke Gutschewski of Elkhorn, the 2019 Nebraska Junior Match Play Champion, struggled down the stretch after gaining a 3-up lead. They lost three straight holes on the back nine to Calvin Dillon and Gentry Scheve, but rallied to make two clutch pars on Nos. 17 and 18 to tie their match and give Nebraska its second full point of the afternoon.
In the final match of the afternoon, Kluver and Vandwege took on McCrae and Trudo, and after a back-and-forth 16 holes, they were tied standing on the 17th tee. Vandwege hit a good approach shot from the left rough to about 20 feet, but McCrae answered with a great shot from the right rough to about six feet. Kluver stepped up and drained the long birdie putt, and Trudo’s attempt lipped out to give Nebraska a 1-up lead. They took full advantage of another Kansas bogey on the 18th, making one final par that gave Nebraska the tying point with a 2-up win.
Nebraska and Kansas enter the Singles matches tomorrow in a 4-4 tie, each with a chance to take home the cup. This would be Nebraska’s second consecutive win after capturing the cup last year at Lawrence Country Club. Nebraska needs just four points to retain the cup, while Kansas will need to win the session with at least 4.5 points to reclaim the cup. Kansas leads the overall series 19-14. Matches will begin at 8 a.m., with the final match set to start at 9:10 a.m.
Link to the Junior Cup website at the button below for full results and more.
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.
About the KGA
Comprised of over 150 member clubs, the Kansas Golf Association was organized in 1908 and is a not-for-profit organization that governs amateur golf in the state of Kansas. In addition to conducting 17 championships for amateur golfers in the state, the KGA is responsible for administering the Kansas Junior Golf Association and KGA Senior Series programs. The KGA also maintains the USGA Handicap System, performs course ratings throughout Kansas and assists in other related programs and scholarships.
