NGA Junior Championship Schedule Announced
Entries open March 16 on nebgolf.org
OMAHA (March 12, 2020) – Entries open for the Nebraska Golf Association’s junior championships on March 16, and the schedule includes unique opportunities to play two of the top golf courses west of Lincoln.
Riverside Golf Club in Grand Island will host the 58th Nebraska Girls’ Match Play Championship and the 31st Nebraska Junior Match Play Championship, June 15-18. It will be a record fourth time hosting the girls’ championship for Riverside, but the first in 20 years. Lincoln’s Beth Anne Cherry (Bryson) won the 2000 title, when the club last hosted. The boys’ championship, which began 30 years ago in 1990, will be conducted at Riverside for the first time. Wahoo’s Lauren Thiele is the defending champion on the girls’ side, while Elkhorn’s Luke Gutschewski will defend his boys’ title.
The match play championships feature a stroke play qualifier on Monday, June 15, after which the fields will be cut to 16 girls and 32 boys for the match play rounds. Match play begins Tuesday, June 16, with the girls’ final in the afternoon on June 17, and the boys final in the morning on June 18.
Riverside Golf Club, No. 8
Photo Gallery: 2020 NGA Championship Venues
Scotts Bluff Country Club will be the venue for both the 20th Nebraska Girls’ Amateur Championship and the 53rd Nebraska Junior Amateur Championship, July 7-9. The club has hosted the girls’ championship once before, in 2006 when Lincoln’s Alexis Holmes won. Twice before, has the club hosted the boys’ championship, in 2000 when Lincoln’s A.J. Elgert won, and last in 2006. McCook’s Brandon Crick, now competing on the Korn Ferry Tour, won that title, posting the lowest round in championship history, a 63 (-9), in the process. Scotts Bluff Country Club is also set to host the NSAA Class B Girls’ Golf Championship this fall, and likely the boys’ championship in the spring of 2021.
The Girls’ Amateur and Junior Amateur will feature a practice round preceding the championships on Monday, July 6. The practice round is included in the entry fee and free-of-charge for competitors. A welcome reception will follow the practice rounds, including food and skills challenges at Scotts Bluff Country Club. The competition begins Tuesday, July 7, with the girls playing 36 holes of stroke play and a champion crowned on July 8. The boys’ field will be cut to the low 40 scores and ties after the first two rounds, and those players will finish the 54-hole championship on July 9. Omaha’s Kaitlyn Hanna is the defending girls’ champion, while a new champion will be crowned on the boys’ side, as 2019 champion Josh Peters of Omaha is currently playing for the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Scotts Bluff CC, No. 10
These competitions are open to junior golfers who have not reached the September 1 following graduation from high school. All entrants must also be a member of Nebraska Junior Golf, and can also join NJG beginning March 16 at nebraskajuniorgolf.com.
For more information on these championships, visit the Competitions section below and link to the respective championship websites.
2020 NGA Championship Schedule
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.
