Giroux, Nietfeldt Light it Up on Difficult Day
First Round Conducted on Saturday at The Players Club
OMAHA (April 23, 2022) - The wind was howling at The Players Club in Omaha on Saturday, and red numbers were tough to find, but not for Bennington's Blake Giroux and Elkhorn's Ryan Nietfeldt, who caught fire and lead the 21st Nebraska Four-Ball Championship after the first round.
On a day when just 11 of 52 sides broke par, Giroux and Nietfeldt recorded eight birdies and an eagle to post a 63 (-7) and take the lead by two strokes. The wind was the story of the day, as it sustained at 30+ mph and gusted up to 50 mph throughout the day. Omaha's Bradley Huyck and Will Hagel are in second, after a 65 (-5).
Giroux and Nietfeldt started slow, bogeying the first hole and were 1-over through five holes, but that's when they made their move. Nietfeldt, who won the 2019 Nebraska Four-Ball at The Players Club, birdied three of the last four holes on the front nine to get them to 2-under. He followed that with three more birdies on Nos. 10, 12 and 14, and they reached 4-under.
After a bogey on the difficult 15th hole, Giroux brought them home. He rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 17 to give them the lead at 5-under. Nietfeldt nearly holed a bunker shot on No. 18 and secured birdie for the side, but Giroux rammed home his eagle attempt from just off the back of the green.
It was a back nine 30 (-5) for Giroux and Nietfeldt. The 63 ties the lowest first round in championship history, set by Omaha's Patrick Duffy and Mark Nevrivy in 2004, but that round was a 9-under score at Willow Lakes Golf Course in Bellevue.
Huyck and Hagel had a much steadier round, playing the front nine without a blemish. Hagel birdied Nos. 5 and 6, and both players birdied No. 9, giving them a 32 (-3) on the front nine. After their only bogey of the day on No. 13, they again had a pair of birdies on No. 14 to get back to 3-under. Hagel added a birdie on No. 16, and then played a tremendous bunker shot on No. 18 to just a few inches and tapped in for another birdie.
Christopher Rager of South Sioux City and Will Andersen of Dakota City are four strokes back after a 67 (-3). Rager made two eagles on the day, on the par-5 finishing holes of each nine.
Two teams are tied for fourth at 68 (-2), including Gretna's Brian Csipkes and Bennington's William Amundsen, who have four top three finishes at the Four-Ball. They are tied with Kearney's Brett Hoffman and Omaha's Zach Hoffman.
Only six other teams were able to break par, all shooting 69 (-1). That group includes the 2019 Champions, Dylan Heng of Omaha and Lance Lawson of Norfolk. They reached 3-under after 14 holes, but both made double-bogey on No. 15 and bogey on No. 17. Lawson salvaged a birdie on No. 18 though to get them back in red figures.
The other teams tied for sixth at 1-under include Adam Cordes of Papillion, a two-time champion, and his partner JT Hudson of Omaha, along with the 2018 Champion Alex Farrell of Elkhorn and his partner Dan Huston of Omaha. Joining them in red numbers is Matthew Carsey and Rob Bartness of Omaha, Aaron Stockton and Matt Haynes of Papillion, and Danny Woodhead of Elkhorn and Michael Wilhelm of Omaha.
The defending champions are 10 strokes back. Cole Grandfield of Elkhorn and Ryan Turek of Omaha shot a 73 (+3), along with three-time champions David Easley of Lincoln and Joel Wisdom of Omaha, and the 2008 Champions Brad Dubisar and Trent Morrison of Omaha.
The Final Round begins at 9 a.m., with the leaders set to tee-off at 11 a.m. Pairings for the final 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.
