Nebraska Four-Ball to Kickoff 2021 Season
Championship Begins Saturday at The Players Club
OMAHA (April 22, 2021) - It has been a short wait for the 20th Nebraska Four-Ball Championship, but just seven months after the previous edition, the championship returns to The Players Club in Omaha this weekend.
The championship, which typically kicks-off the NGA season in April, was postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the site moved from The Players Club in Omaha to Fremont Golf Club. Lincoln's David Easley and Omaha's Joel Wisdom won their record-tying third title. It was the third straight year that the championship has ended in a playoff, with Easley rolling in a birdie putt on the second playoff hole to secure the win.
Easley and Wisdom will not defend their title, as they had to withdraw this week due to other commitments. However, the full field of 52 sides is packed with talent. It took just eight minutes for the field to fill after entries opened on March 1, and the NGA's most popular championship is sure to deliver again in 2021.
Only two past champion sides return in tact. Ryan Knispel of Omaha and Ryan Nietfeldt of Elkhorn finished tied for 13th last year, after winning in dramatic fashion two years ago. Nietfeldt holed an unbelievable flop shot for eagle to clinch the title in a playoff. They are paired with Renen Sahr and Preston Walford of Fremont for Saturday's first round (10:20 a.m. off No. 1).
Dylan Heng of Omaha and Lance Lawson of Norfolk are the only other team who have won a title together. Heng and Lawson set several scoring records when they won by five strokes in 2017 at Awarii Dunes Golf Club in Axtell. They finished tied for 10th last year after a final round 66 (-5). Heng and Lawson are set to start off No. 10 at 9:30 a.m. with Kearney's Wes Bernt and O'Neill's Kris Koelzer.
Gretna's Brian Csipkes and Bennington's William Amundsen have finished runner-up in a playoff the past two years, and are searching for a first title. They'll play at 9:50 a.m. off No. 1 with Omaha's Eric Peel and Lincoln's Garrett Svoboda, who finished tied for third in the fall, just two strokes out of the playoff.
A couple high-profile duos are also looking for a first title together. Three-time champion John Sajevic of Fremont is again teaming up with his son, Andy Sajevic of Omaha, for the fourth straight year. The father-son duo missed out on the 2018 playoff by a stroke, and made a final round charge last year. Their Sunday 62 (-9) was just a stroke off the championship record, and left them in a tie for fifth.
Several former champions are competing with different partners than they won their title with, including Scott Tridle of Lincoln, Travis Minzel of Lincoln, Adam Cordes of Papillion, Chris Green of Elkhorn, Alex Farrell of Elkhorn, Jayson Brueggemann of Lincoln, and Matt Petersen of Omaha.
The championship features 36-holes of stroke play over the weekend, with the Final Round scheduled for Sunday. The Players Club is hosting for the fifth time, just one shy of the championship record. In 2021, the course will play as a par-70 layout and will measure 6,653 yards. The club's par-5 15th hole will play as a 442-yard par-4 for the championship. The change was made to help improve pace of play on a stretch that typically gets backed up.
Play begins Saturday with starting times off Nos. 1 and 10 from 9 - 11 a.m. Pairings for the first round are available on the championship website below, along with the scoring page and additional information.
Nebraska Four-Ball 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.
