Karmazin and Petersen Close Out Victories in Hastings
Final Round Conducted Wednesday at Lochland Country Club
HASTINGS (July 12, 2022) - Omaha's Julia Karmazin secured the victory at the 23rd Nebraska Girls' Amateur Championship, and Gretna's Beau Petersen did the same at the 56th Nebraska Junior Amateur Championship, following the Final Round on Wednesday at Lochland Country Club.
Karmazin, the 2022 Nebraska Girls' Co-Golfer of the Year, broke through for her first NebGolf title. It was a wire-to-wire win for Karmazin, who led after every round, closing with a 77 (+5) to finish with a 226 (+10) total, three strokes clear of second.
Petersen also garnered his first title, posting his only over-par round of the championship, a 73 (+1), to win by one stroke with a 211 (-5) total.
Karmazin opened the final round with a birdie on the par-5 10th hole, and never looked back. The one-stroke lead she started with soon grew to three, and she continued to keep her competitors at a distance.
The leader made the turn in 37 (+), and hit a rough patch to open the front nine, bogeying the first three holes. The bounce-back birdies came on Nos 4 and 5 though, and Karmazin's lead had swelled to five strokes. The birdies were enough to allow Karmazin to coast into the clubhouse and still win by three strokes.
Petersen never lost his lead either, but had to battle to keep it down the stretch. He opened with a birdie as well, on the par-5 first hole, to get to 7-under. However, Omaha's Porter Topp, playing alongside Petersen, birdied the first two holes to get to 5-under and start the push.
Petersen and Topp both bogeyed Nos. 5 and 6 though, and several other players started to make a charge. That included the defending champion, Trevor Gutschewski of Elkhorn, who birdied three of his first seven holes to get to 4-under, and just one back of Petersen. The leader answered the call though, and rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth hole to get his lead back to two strokes.
Several other players were in the mix on the back nine, including Omaha's Jackson Benge and Connor Steichen, the 2021 Champion, who both reached 2-under. Neither could make it any closer to Peterson though. Topp birdied Nos. 16 and 18, but ran out of holes and finished at 3-under.
In the end, it came down to Gutschewski and Sam Vocelka of Omaha, who both were at 3-under with two holes to play. Vocelka made a clutch par putt on No. 16 to stay there, but sailed his approach shot long on No. 17 and made bogey to drop a stroke. Gutschewski hit an incredible punch shot from the trees left of the 17th fairway, and had eight feet to get within a stroke of Petersen. His birdie putt missed wide left though.
Petersen converted an up-and-down from long of the 17th green to enter final hole with a two-stroke lead. That lead was quickly cut to one with Gutschewski making birdie in the group ahead, but Petersen had a birdie look and left it just short, tapping in for a par and the one-stroke victory.
Gutschewski finished runner-up at 212 (-4) on the strength of the low final round, a 69 (-3). Topp was third at 213 (-3), and was the only player to post three rounds of par-or-better, with his final round 72 (E). Benge and Jackson tied for fourth at 214 (-2), while Steichen finished sixth with a 216 (E) total.
Omaha's Teddy Peterson, the first round leader, took seventh at 217 (+1), and Lincoln's Gavin Gerch was eighth at 218 (+2). Omaha's Christopher Whittle and Lincoln's Miles Elgert rounded out the top 10 in a tie for ninth at 220 (+4).
On the girls' side, Omaha's Madison Murnan finished runner-up to Karmazin. Murnan had one of two rounds at par-or-better during the championship on Tuesday, and followed that up with a 79 (+7). She made five-straight pars to finished at 229 (+13), three strokes behind Karmazin and two strokes clear of the next player.
North Platte's Karsen Morrison finished third at 231 (+15) after tying for the low round of the day, a 77 (+5). Omaha's Izabella Pesicka was fourth at 232 (+16), and Lincoln's Isabella Elgert took fifth at 233 (+17).
Cecilia Arndt of Columbus placed sixth at 234 (+8), while Lincoln's Naryn Kim, the 2023 Nebraska Girls' Match Play Champion, finished seventh at 238 (+22). Omaha's Erica Lee posted a 239 (+23) total to take eighth, and Omaha's Cali Wisdom was ninth at 242 (+26). Wahoo's Brooke Thiele rounded out the top 10 at 243 (+27).
Full results are available on the championship websites below, along with additional information.
Nebraska Girls' Amateur Championship
Nebraska Junior Amateur 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.
