After Long Wait, Nebraska Four-Ball On Deck for Full Field
Championship Begins Saturday at Fremont Golf Club
OMAHA (September 24, 2020) - Five months after it was originally scheduled, the 19th Nebraska Four-Ball Championship will see 52 sides finally compete for the title at Fremont Golf Club this weekend.
The championship, which typically kicks-off the NGA season in April, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the site moved from The Players Club in Omaha to Fremont Golf Club, which will host for the first time. The full field of 52 sides has remained mostly in tact, and features some powerhouse teams.
Ryan Knispel of Omaha and Ryan Nietfeldt of Elkhorn have had a long wait to defend their title, which they won in dramatic fashion 17 months ago. Knispel and Nietfeldt birdied the final two holes in regulation to force a playoff, where Nietfeldt holed an unbelievable flop shot for eagle to clinch the title. They are paired with another past champion duo for Saturday's first round (9:40 a.m. off No. 1), Joel Wisdom of Omaha and David Easley of Lincoln, who won their titles in 2006 and 2012.
The team that lost in heartbreaking fashion in last year's playoff is back as well. Gretna's Brian Csipkes and Bennington's William Amundsen have proven they can go low in the Four-Ball, and hope to secure a first title. They'll play at 10:20 a.m. off No. 10 with the 2018 Champions, who also won in a playoff, Alex Farrell and Chris Green of Elkhorn.
Two other past champion teams are in tact for this weekend, including the record-setting team of Dylan Heng of Omaha and Lance Lawson of Norfolk. Heng and Lawson set several scoring records when they won by five strokes in 2017 at Awarii Dunes Golf Club in Axtell. That championship was also postponed from the spring, due to inclement weather. They're joined by a two-time champion Adam Cordes of Papillion, who is playing with Tim Diehm of Bellevue.
The 2008 Champions Trent Morrison and Brad Dubisar of Omaha are back again. They've only missed one championship, the rescheduled 2017 Four-Ball, since winning their title.
Scott Tridle and Travis Minzel of Lincoln, the 2011 and 2015 Champions, are paired together, but they'll be playing with different partners. Tridle has teamed up with Lincoln's Trent Price, while Minzel is with Lincoln's Jay Moore.
A few other past champions have different partners than when they won their titles, including 2007 Champion Jay Muller of Omaha, who is playing with Grand Island's Tim Marchese. The 2010 Champion Jayson Brueggemann of Lincoln and his brother Joel Brueggemann of Beatrice will partner-up for the first time.
Three-time champion John Sajevic of Fremont is competing with his son, Andy Sajevic of Omaha, for the third straight year. The father-son duo missed out on the 2018 playoff by a stroke, and finished tied for eighth last year. Andy is looking for his third NGA title of the year, after winning his fourth Nebraska Amateur in July and the Nebraska Mid-Amateur in August. He's currently second to Table Rock's Calvin Freeman in the NGA Point Standings, and the two are paired together for the first round. Freeman is teaming up with Bennington's Steve Buroker, the 2020 Nebraska Senior Match Play Runner-Up. The race for the 2020 Nebraska Amateur Golfer of the Year award could come down to their performances this weekend.
The championship features 36-holes of stroke play over the weekend, with the Final Round scheduled for Sunday. Fremont Golf Club is hosting for the first time, and the par-71 layout will measure 6,531 yards. 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.
