Nebraska Mid-Amateur Returns to the Farm
Championship Begins Saturday at Landmand Golf Club
HOMER (August 16, 2023) - A loaded field is ready for the 25th Nebraska Mid-Amateur Championship and the return to Landmand Golf Club in Homer this weekend.
This will be the second-straight year hosting the championship for Landmand, Danish for "Farmer", after the course opened in 2022. The course has since been named the Best New Public Course of 2022 by Golf Digest, among other awards. Landmand also recently hosted the 2023 Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup matches.
The field of 120 players includes six past champions, including the two-time defending champion, Johnny Spellerberg of Bennington. After tying the 36-hole scoring record with his win at Norfolk Country Club in 2021, Spellerberg shattered the record in 2022. He shot rounds of 68 (-5) and 67 (-6) for a 135 (-11) total, and a seven-stroke victory, tying another record.
Spellerberg continued his stellar play this year, winning the Nebraska Four-Ball Championship in May with his partner, Austin Miller of Elkhorn, who is also competing. Spellerberg will play alongside another past Four-Ball Champion, Blake Giroux of Bennington, and Jay Moore of Lincoln at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday in the first round.
Ten of the last 11 Mid-Amateur Champions are in the field, with five others joining Spellerberg in the quest for another title. The 2020 Champion, Andy Sajevic of Omaha, is in search of another NebGolf title. He finished two strokes back at the Nebraska Amateur last month, and just qualified for his third-straight U.S. Mid-Amateur through qualifying at Riverside Golf Club in Grand Island. Sajevic finished in the top 5 the last two years after his win, but several strokes behind Spellerberg in each. He'll play with Miller and Elkhorn's Alex Farrell at 11 a.m.
Two of three players who own a record three titles will be in the field, including Elkhorn's Ryan Nietfeldt and Omaha's Patrick Duffy. Lincoln's Travis Minzel is not competing, due to his duties as the Husker men's golf assistant coach. Nietfeldt, who last won in 2019, finished runner-up at the Nebraska Match Play this year for a record fourth time. He's paired with Omaha's Matt Quandt and Brad Rowe, who tied for runner-up honors last year. Duffy, who won three titles in six years (2012, 2016 and 2017) is back after a T-12 finish last year. He will tee it up with Fremont's John Sajevic, who's looking to win the only men's NebGolf championship he hasn't won yet. The 2023 Nebraska Senior Amateur Champion, David Ringler of Lincoln, will join them at 10:50 a.m.
Beatrice's Jon Deines, the 2015 Champion, and Omaha's Trent Morrison, the 2014 Champion, are also in the field. Deines has a 1:10 p.m. starting time with Omaha's Zach Hoffman and Patrick Tryon. Morrison will go at 10:40 a.m. with Omaha's Ryan Knispel and Charlie Burt.
Landmand is a par-73 layout, and will play around 7,030 yards for the championship. It's the first 18-hole course designed by King-Collins Course Design, known for their design of Sweetens Cove in Tennessee. The course has many grand features, including the 17th green, which measures at around 34,000 square feet.
The 36-hole stroke play championship begins at 7:30 a.m. with a starting times off No. 1 on Saturday for Round One. The Final Round will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday with starting times off No. 1 again. The last group will start around 2 p.m. each day.
Pairings for the first round are available on the championship website below, along with the scoring page and additional information.
Nebraska Mid-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.
