Field Set for 14th Nebraska Senior Match Play
Championship Begins Wednesday at Oakland Golf Club
OMAHA (September 15, 2024) - A field of 72 players is set for the 14th Nebraska Senior Match Play Championship at Oakland Golf Club, September 18-20, and six past champions are scheduled to compete.
Two-time defending champion Brian Csipkes of Gretna highlights the field. He's looking to become the first player to win three-straight titles. Csipkes joined Mike Krumland of Columbus last year as the only players to win back-to-back. Krumland owns a record four titles, including consecutively in 2014 and 2015.
Five other past champions are in the field, including Krumland, who last won in 2017. He's paired with Elkhorn's David Allen and Omaha's Rick Dusek, the 2005 Nebraska Mid-Amateur Champion, for stroke play qualifying.
John Sajevic of Fremont won the championship in 2021 at Beatrice Country Club, and also has good memories at Oakland Golf Club. He won one of his record four Nebraska Senior Amateur titles at the club in 2016. Sajevic will play qualifying alongside Csipkes, as well as the reigning Nebraska Senior Amateur Champion, Randy Christiansen of Yutan.
Lincoln's Ed Wyatt, the 2019 Champion, had himself an impressive late-summer stretch. He earned a spot in the 2024 U.S. Senior Amateur through qualifying at Lochland Country Club in Hastings, firing a 69 (-3) for medalist honors. Wyatt carried the momentum into the championship, earning a spot in the U.S. Senior Amateur bracket as the No. 56 seed. He eventually fell in the Round of 64, but is back for another run in Oakland.
Wyatt will play qualifying with Elkhorn's Jeff Russell and another past champion, Bellevue's Matt Haynes. Haynes won his title in 2018 at his home club, Platteview Golf Club, and fell in the Semifinals to Csipkes last year.
Omaha's Kirby Smith won the championship in 2020, defeating Bennington's Steve Buroker in the Final, 1 up. The two will play together again this year in qualifying, accompanied by Omaha's Kevin Sullivan.
The championship features an 18-hole Stroke Play Qualifier on Wednesday, with the top 16 making the Championship Bracket. Match Play begins on Thursday, with the Final scheduled for Friday afternoon.
The championship will be played at Oakland Golf Club for the first time. The par-72 layout will measure 6,563 yards for the Championship Division. The next 16 players in the Championship Division, not making the Championship Bracket, are seeded into an additional bracket, with the remainder heading home. In addition, the Tournament Division will feature two more brackets playing from a shorter set of tees. Play begins Wednesday with starting times off Nos. 1 and 10 from 9 - 11 a.m.
Pairings for the qualifying round are available on the championship website below, along with the scoring page and additional information.
Nebraska Senior Match Play Championship
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.
