Thiele, Boor Earn No. 1 Seeds
MCCOOK (June 22, 2021) - Wahoo's Lauren Thiele and Omaha's Jake Boor topped Stroke Play Qualifying at the 59th Nebraska Girls' Match Play Championship and the 32nd Nebraska Junior Match Play Championship at Heritage Hills Golf Course in McCook on Tuesday to earn No. 1 seeds.
Thiele, the 2019 Champion, was the only girl to break par, and took medalist honors by five strokes. She'll be the No. 1 seed on the girls' side after a round of 71 (-1). Boor did the same on the boys' side, finishing in red numbers and taking medalist honors by three strokes. He was the only player to break par with his round o f 70 (-2).
Thiele fought through a hot afternoon with some stellar play, including four birdies and three bogeys. She won her title in 2019 at Awarii Dunes Golf Club in Axtell. Her oldest sisters Haley and Hannah faced each other in the Final last time the Nebraska Girls' Match Play was conducted at Heritage Hills in 2014. Thiele will play the No. 16 seed Lauryn Ball of Lincoln.
Boor, who was the No. 2 seed at the Nebraska Match Play Championship last week, had to battle strong winds during his morning round. He came away with just two bogeys though, and added in four birdies to take the top seed. He'll play Omaha's Tommy Dickmeyer in his first match, after Dickmeyer claimed the last spot in the bracket on the fourth hole of a playoff.
It was a six-man playoff for the final three spots in the boys bracket at 80 (+2). Lincoln's Geran Sander grabbed the first spot with a birdie on the first playoff hole, while Aurora's Ethan Shaw birdied the second playoff hole to take the second spot and the No. 31 seed. It came down to Dickmeyer and Papillion's Jack Davis for the final spot, with Dickmeyer making par on the fourth playoff hole to secure the No. 32 seed.
Three players tied for second on the boys' side at 73 (+1), including Elkhorn's Trevor Gutschewski, Omaha's Christopher Atkinson and Columbus' Brock Kuhlman. Gutschewski will be the No. 2 seed, Atkinson the No. 3 seed and Kuhlman the No. 4 seed. The only past champion in the field also made the bracket, as Elkhorn's Luke Gutschewski, the 2019 Champion, finished tied for seventh with a 75 (+3). He'll be the No. 7 seed and face Gretna's Nolan Johnson in the opening round.
There was no playoff needed to complete the girls' bracket, with 16 players finishing at 93 (+21) or better. Gering's Madi Schlaepfer is the No. 2 seed after a round of 76 (+4), while North Platte's Karsen Morrison is the No. 3 seed with a 77 (+5).
The boys' Round of 32 begins at 8 a.m. with the girls' Round of 16 starting at 9:20 a.m. The brackets are available under the Scoring tab of the championship websites below.
Nebraska Girls' Match Play Championship
Nebraska Junior Match Play 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.
