Petersen Becomes Youngest Nebraska Match Play Champion
36-Hole Championship Final Conducted Friday at Country Club of Lincoln
LINCOLN (June 28, 2024) – Gretna's Beau Petersen became the youngest champion on Friday, winning the 36-hole Final of the 57th Nebraska Match Play Championship over Trevor Gutschewski of Omaha at the Country Club of Lincoln.
Petersen started off on fire and cruised to win the Final, 6 and 5, to become the first junior golfer to win the title. The graduate of Gretna High School breaks the record for the youngest champion previously held by Aurora's Caleb Badura, who won at 19 years, two months and six days in 2019. Petersen is 18 years, eight months and nine days as of his win on Friday.
It's been quite the year for Petersen, who won the Nebraska Junior Amateur by a stroke over Gutschewski for his second-straight title. He did the same in 2023, winning by a stroke, and now holds three NebGolf titles.
Gutschewski, a University of Florida commit in the Class of 2025, started the final emphatically, driving the green on the 340-yard par-4 first hole. He two-putted for birdie to take the lead 1-up. Both players hit it up near the par-4 second green off the tee as well. Gutschewski lipped out his eagle chip and had a conceded birdie, but Petersen answered by getting up-and-down from the greenside bunker for his birdie.
Petersen, who is headed to Northern Illinois in the fall to play golf, took over from there. He drove the par-4 third green and two-putted for another birdie, and added birdies on Nos. 4 and 5 to make it four-straight. He had taken a 2-up lead.
Gutschewski cut the lead to 1 up after driving the par-4 ninth green and another two-putt birdie. However, Petersen heated back up on the back nine. He rolled in a 12-footer for birdie on No. 11, and then nearly holed a bunker shot on the par-5 13th, leading to another conceded birdie. After his tee shot on the par-3 14th finished inside 10 feet, he rolled in another birdie to go 4 up.
Petersen made his only bogey of the match on the 16th hole, but followed with two perfect shots into the par-5 17th and rolled in the eagle putt after Gutschewski missed his attempt. Gutschewski took the momentum back to close out the first 18 though, bombing a drive over the corner of the dogleg par-4 and converting a birdie attempt to cut the lead back to 3 up.
The resumption started a little slower than the morning 18, but Petersen rolled in a birdie putt on No. 2 after playing from the same bunker as the morning, pushing his lead to 4 up. Gutschewski answered by chipping to conceded birdie range on the short par-4 third, but the moment would soon change.
Gutschewski bogeyed the par-3 fifth hole, and Petersen converted a great two-putt from the top tier. Then, Gutschewski hit his tee shot into the trees on No. 6 and again was unable to get up-and-down, so the lead grew to 5 up.
It looked like Gutschewski might have a chance to cut into the lead after making the turn, stuffing his tee shot to 5 feet on the par-3 10th. However, Petersen rolled in a 20-foot putt for birdie, and Gutschewski missed his putt to push the lead to its highest point, 6 up.
Gutschewski won the par-5 11th with a birdie, but followed with a bogey on the par-3 12th, moving Petersen back to 6 up with six holes to play. After both players were just right of the par-5 13th hole in two, play was suspended due to lightning in the area. After a brief 33-minute delay, Petersen was able to two-putt for par to tie the hole and close out the match.
The final match play bracket and more are available on the championship website below.
Nebraska 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.
