Record Field for 4th Nebraska Women's Mid-Amateur
Championships Begin Saturday at The Pines Country Club
OMAHA (September 26, 2024) - The largest field in the short history of the Nebraska Women's Mid-Amateur Championship will compete this weekend at The Pines Country Club in Valley.
The 4th Nebraska Women's Mid-Amateur Championship will feature 26 players, including two past champions, and another decorated player competing in her first mid-amateur. The Championship was started in 2021 for women 25 and older, but just this year, the age threshold was reduced to 22 to encourage participation.
The defending champion is back for another shot at the title, this time without the extra challenge of carrying a child. Bellevue's Kayla Barnes won the 2023 title while seven months pregnant, cruising to a 10-stroke victory at her home course, Platteview Golf Club.
Carrie Bostar of Lincoln, who won the first two editions of the Nebraska Women's Mid-Amateur, did not compete last year, after having a child of her own. Bostar was dominant in her two wins as well, taking the titles by a total of 15 strokes.
The two champions will have some strong competition this year though, as a good race is expected with some new contenders in the mix. Elkhorn's Megan Whittaker, a four-time NebGolf Champion, is set to compete for the first time. The former Husker swept the Nebraska Women's Amateur and Nebraska Women's Match Play titles in 2022, and is eligible to compete under the new age minimum.
Bostar and Whittaker will be joined by a newcomer to Nebraska, Papillion's Kelli Taulbee, who has had a stellar summer. The former University of South Florida golfer recently moved to the state and jumped right into the fold with some impressive performances. Taulbee finished third at the Nebraska Women's Amateur in June, and followed that by earning medalist honors and the No. 1 seed at the Nebraska Women's Match Play in July. She advanced to the Semifinals, before falling to Wahoo's Brooke Thiele.
Three Nebraska Women's Senior Amateur Champions are also in the field, including the reigning champion, Lincoln's Jill Pilkington. She won her first title earlier this year at Oak Hills Country Club in a playoff. Pilkington will play alongside another champion, Omaha's Jane Pohlman, who owns five Nebraska Women's Senior Amateur titles.
Anne Robertson of Columbus, the 2023 Nebraska Senior Women's Amateur Champion, is also set to compete.
This will mark the fourth time a player will receive the Laura Saf Trophy for winning the Nebraska Women's Mid-Amateur, named in honor of the first woman to serve on the NebGolf Board of Directors. Saf was a longtime board member and was a mentor for women's golf in Nebraska. She passed away in 2020 due to COVID-19 complications.
It will be the first time hosting the championship for The Pines Country Club, which will play as a par 72 layout measuring 5,598 yards.
The 36-hole stroke play championships begin at 1 p.m. with starting times off No. 1 on Saturday for Round One. The Final Round will also begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday with the leaders expected to tee off around 2:20 p.m.
Pairings for the first round are available on the championship websites below, along with the scoring page and additional information.
Nebraska Women's 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.
