Five to Enter Nebraska Golf Hall of Fame in 2024
Duffy, Jensen, Maurstad, Pesavento and Stark to be Honored
OMAHA (February 15, 2024) - The Nebraska Golf Hall of Fame has announced its 2024 Class of Inductees, and five individuals will be honored, including Omaha's Patrick Duffy, Omaha's Randy Jensen, Beatrice native Dave Maurstad, Omaha's Tony Pesavento and Lincoln's Heidi Stark.
The 2024 Class, the first since 2021, will be inducted during the Nebraska Golf Hall of Fame Banquet on May 5 at Omaha Country Club. A golf outing proceeds the event for those attendees interested. Visit nebraskagolfhalloffame.com to make reservations.
The Nebraska Golf Hall of Fame is an independent organization with an objective to honor those men and women, Amateur and Professional, who have made outstanding contributions to golf in Nebraska and to assist in the research necessary to develop and maintain a history of Nebraska Golf.
2024 Inductees
Patrick Duffy
Patrick Duffy, a past president of the Nebraska Golf Association, has an accomplished playing career and some major contributions off the course as well. Duffy is a six-time NebGolf champion (T-9 all-time), including the 2006 Nebraska Match Play Championship which helped propel him to be selected as the 2006 Nebraska Amateur Co-Golfer of the Year. He also owns three Nebraska Mid-Amateur titles (2012, 2016 and 2017), which is tied for the most all-time, and two Nebraska Four-Ball Championships (2004 and 2010). Duffy has qualified for multiple USGA championships, including the 2003 U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2006, 2010, 2013 and 2021. He made the Round of 16 at the 2010 U.S. Mid-Amateur and the Round of 32 in 2021. In 2018, Duffy won the Crump Cup, a prestigious mid-amateur event featuring some of the best players in the country and hosted at Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey.
Duffy grew up in Omaha and graduated from Creighton Prep High School, where he was the 1987 NSAA Class A Individual Champion. He went on to attend the University of Southern California, where he played on the men's golf team. Duffy is a 12-time club champion at Omaha Country Club, and was instrumental in bringing the 2013 U.S. Senior Open to Omaha and his home club. He served as the General Chairman of one of the most successful championships in U.S. Senior Open history. Duffy served as the Co-General Chairman when the U.S. Senior Open returned to Omaha Country Club in 2021.
Duffy served as the President of the Nebraska Golf Association in 2012-13, and was on the Board of Directors from 2004 until 2014. He has been on the USGA's Regional Affairs Committee since 2010, as well.
Randy Jensen
Randy Jensen was once dubbed the "Hickory Tiger" by Golfweek Magazine. The Omaha native's accomplishments in hickory golf are unmatched. He is an eight-time National Hickory Champion, and has won more than 70 wood-shaft tournaments. His other notable titles include the Canadian Hickory Championship and the Scottish Hickory Championship.
Jensen is a life-long Omaha resident, who graduated from Creighton Prep High School and stuck around to attend Creighton University, where he also played golf. In addition to his hickory success, Jensen won the Omaha World-Herald Publinks in 1989, 1993 and 1995. He operated "Classic Golf" a retail golf shop specializing in repair and vintage clubs from 1986 until 2011.
Jensen has been involved in many hickory or golf collectors organizations, including being a founding member of the Society of Hickory Golfers and a board member of the Golf Collectors Society.
Dave Maurstad
Dave Maurstad had an excellent amateur career with a peak that lasted more than a decade. He was the 1981 Nebraska Amateur Champion, surviving the longest playoff in championship history. Maurstad triumphed in 10 holes after he finished in a tie with Grand Island's Steve Mack. The win helped Maurstad earn the 1981 Nebraska Amateur Golfer of the Year Award, and kicked off a stretch of five-straight years finishing inside the top five at the Nebraska Amateur.
Maurstad is a Beatrice native, who was a PGA Professional in the 1970s, before regaining his amateur status before his competitive run. He was the club champion at Beatrice Country Club more than a half-dozen times, and held the pre-renovation course record of 61 in 1989.
Maurstad also had some success in USGA championships, competing twice in the U.S. Mid-Amateur. He was a member of the USGA Regional Affairs Committee from 2000 until 2003.
Tony Pesavento
Photo: Omaha World-Herald
Tony Pesavento has been the definition of an ambassador of the game of golf in Nebraska for many years. The PGA Professional has worked at several different clubs in the Omaha area during his career, including Skyline Woods Country Club, Platteview Golf Club, the Field Club of Omaha, and Omaha Country Club. Pesavento's tenure at OCC began in 1993 as the Head Golf Professional, and he currently holds the position of Director of Golf. He's received numerous awards over that time, including the Nebraska Section of the PGA's Professional of the Year in 1991 and 2015. He's also received the Section's Bill Strausbaugh award a record six times, for his service in mentoring other PGA Professionals, integrity and character reflecting positively upon the profession and outstanding involvement in charitable and community activities.
Pesavento graduated from Creighton Prep in 1975, where he helped Junior Jays win the NSAA Class A Team Championship in 1973. He was a letter winner on the University of Nebraska golf team, and was amongst the top amateurs in the state. Pesavento finished runner-up to 19-year-old Tom Sieckmann in the youngest final of the Nebraska Match Play Championship in 1974. The 17-year-old Pesavento held the record for youngest finalist until 2008. He also won the Omaha World-Herald Publinks Championship in 1976.
Pesavento earned his degree from Creighton University and went on to attend PGA Business School, where he was at the top of his class. He became a member of the Nebraska Section of the PGA in 1983, and has served on every committee and held all offices of the Section. Pesavento twice served as President of the organization, 1989-1991 and 2015-2017. During his time with the Section, he's made major contributions to the game, specifically working with junior golfers.
Heidi Stark
Heidi Stark is one of the most decorated players in Nebraska women's amateur golf. Stark owns four NebGolf titles, which is tied for 15th all-time. She won the 1991 Nebraska Girls' Match Play Championship, before going on to win three women's titles. Stark won the 1995 Nebraska Women's Match Play and went on to repeat in 1996. She made it a major sweep later in 1996, by winning the Nebraska Women's Amateur at Omaha Country Club. Stark is one of 13 players to accomplish the sweep.
Stark graduated from Lincoln Southeast High School, where she was the NSAA Class A Individual Champion in 1991, along with leading her team to the title for the second time in four years. She was also named a Pepsi High School All-American. Stark went on to play golf at the University of Georgia in 1992-93, before transferring back to the University of Nebraska to finish her career as a three-year letter winner from 1994-1996.
Stark, a current member of the Nebraska Golf Association Board of Directors, has played in an impressive 12 USGA championships. She competed in three-straight U.S. Girls' Juniors from 1989-1991, and four consecutive U.S. Women's Amateurs from 1993-1996. Stark has also qualified for the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur five times, most recently in 2018.
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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.
