Full Field Set for 13th Nebraska Senior Match Play
Championship Begins Tuesday at The Pines Country Club
OMAHA (September 22, 2023) - A full field is set for the 13th Nebraska Senior Match Play Championship at The Pines Country Club, September 26-28, and eight past champions are scheduled to compete.
The defending champion and reigning Nebraska Senior Amateur Golfer of the Year, Brian Csipkes of Gretna, is among the field of 80 players set to compete. Csipkes swept the senior championships last year, including the Nebraska Senior Match Play at Wild Horse Golf Club in Gothenburg, in his first full year of senior golf. He'll play stroke play qualifying on Tuesday alongside Omaha's Kevin Sullivan and the 2018 Champion, Matt Haynes of Bellevue.
In total, eight past champions will compete, accounting for 11 of the 12 Nebraska Senior Match Play titles. Lincoln's Larry Sock, the 2012 Champion, is the only past champion not competing. That list includes the only player to win multiple titles, Mike Krumland of Columbus. Krumland, who holds several championship records, is back to compete, and is looking to extend them. With four wins, he holds the most titles, and also is tied for the most championship bracket appearances, qualifying nine out of 12 years. Krumland has the best senior match play record (18-5), and has never lost when advancing to the championship match.
Krumland is paired with fellow past champions Ed Wyatt of Lincoln (2019) and Kirby Smith of Omaha (2020) at 10:03 a.m. off No. 1. Both players lost in the Quarterfinals last year, Wyatt to the eventual champion, Csipkes, and Smith to another past champion, Jay Muller of Omaha.
Muller surpassed Krumland last year with his 19th match win in the championship, and also is tied with nine appearances in the championship bracket. It was also a record third runner-up finish for the 2016 champion, as he fell to Csipkes in the Final, 1 up. Muller will play his qualifying round with the reigning Nebraska Senior Amateur Champion, David Ringler of Lincoln, who will look to match Csipkes' feat of the senior sweep. They'll be joined at 9:45 a.m. off No. 1 by Fremont's John Sajevic, the 2021 Champion. Sajevic, owns a 16-6 match player record in the championship, and also owns four Nebraska Senior Amateur titles.
Omaha's Chris Mangan is also back, 10 years after he won the title in 2013, the last time the championship was conducted at The Pines Country Club. He's paired with Omaha's Dan Guinan, who made the bracket last year, and Papillion's Corey Campbell.
The championship features an 18-hole Stroke Play Qualifier on Tuesday, with the top 16 making the Championship Bracket. Match Play begins on Wednesday, with the Final scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
The championship will be played at The Pines Country Club for the fourth time, with the club hosting the first three editions from 2011-2013. The par-72 layout will measure 6,609 yards for the Championship Division. Those in the Championship Division not making the Championship Bracket are seeded into additional brackets, while the Tournament Division will feature two more brackets playing from a shorter set of tees. Play begins Tuesday 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.
