Record Field Readies for Nebraska Mid-Amateur
Championship Begins Saturday at Platteview Golf Club
BELLEVUE (August 22, 2024) - A record field is ready for the 26th Nebraska Mid-Amateur Championship and the return to Platteview Golf Club in Bellevue this weekend.
This will be the course's third time hosting the championship and the first since 2016 when 2024 Nebraska Golf Hall of Fame Inductee Patrick Duffy of Omaha won his first of back-to-back titles and second of three overall with a score of 145 (+1). When the club first hosted the championship in 2o10, Lincoln's Travis Minzel also won his first of two straight and three total championships, finishing with a 141 (-3) total.
The field of 140 players is a record for the championship, and includes seven past champions, including the three-time defending champion Johnny Spellerberg of Bennington. He became the first to win three-straight Mid-Amateur titles in 2023 and would be break a tie for the most titles with a fourth this year. In 2022, at Landmand Golf Club in Homer, he shattered the championship scoring record with an incredible 135 (-11) total, five strokes better than the previous record. He nearly broke the record again last year at the same course with a 138 (-8) total.
Spellerberg is in the hunt for his seventh NebGolf title overall as he has quickly proved to be one of Nebraska's best amateur golfers over the past few years. Adding to his Mid-Amateur victories, he won the Nebraska Match Play Championship in 2022 and two Nebraska Four-Ball championships in 2023 and 2024. His Four-Ball partner Austin Miller of Elkhorn also joins this year's field seeking a Mid-Amateur win of his own.
Joining Spellerberg in the race for a record fourth championship crown are three Nebraska Golf greats; Duffy, Minzel and Ryan Nietfeldt of Elkhorn. Nietfeldt won his first title back in 2001, and later added two more Mid-Amateur wins (2013, 2019) to his collection. Duffy picked up his three Nebraska Mid-Amateur wins in a shorter six-year span (2012, 2016, 2017). Minzel was the first player to go back-to-back at the Championship in 2010 and 2011, and followed up with a win in 2018.
Duffy will play alongside Spellerberg at 9:10 a.m. off No. 1 on Saturday, and they'll be joined by Omaha's Mike Siwa, a former Husker golfer. Minzel is paired with Gretna's Brian Csipkes, the 2022 Nebraska Senior Amateur Champion, and Lincoln's Jay Moore, who finished runner-up in 2020, at 1:40 p.m. off No. 10. Nietfeldt is joined by the 2021 Nebraska Amateur Champion, David Easley, and Omaha's Matt Quandt at 2 p.m. off No. 1.
Two more Nebraska Golf Hall of Famers join Duffy in this year's field. John Sajevic of Fremont, a 2006 inductee, is searching for the only adult NebGolf championship he hasn't won yet. A 2016 inductee, Skip Gist of Omaha, won the 2nd Nebraska Mid-Amateur in 2000 at Fremont Golf Club.
A couple of other past champions are back to compete for a second title, making it 13 of the last 14 to raise the trophy in this year's field. Omaha's Andy Sajevic, the 2020 Champion, has never finished outside the Top 10 in eight appearances, and last year was his first outside of the Top 5, finishing tied for eighth. Trent Morrison of Omaha, the 2014 Champion, hasn't missed the Nebraska Mid-Amateur for more than 15 years and is back to compete again, 10 years after winning the title.
Outside of the past champions in the field, there's many like Elkhorn's Danny Woodhead, who are seeking their first NebGolf title. The former NFL running back finished tied for second in 2022 and tied for third last year. Easley on the other hand, who also finished tied for third last year, will be looking to add a fifth NebGolf trophy to his collection alongside the 2021 Nebraska Amateur trophy and three Nebraska Four-Ball titles (2006, 2012, 2020).
Platteview Golf Club is a par-72 layout and will play around 6,640 yards for the championship. The 18-hole course designed by Lawrence Packard is known for having some of the area's most challenging putting greens.
The 36-hole stroke play championship begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday with morning and afternoon waves off Nos. 1 and 10 for Round One. The Final Round will follow the same schedule on Sunday, with the leaders expected to start around 2:50 p.m.
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.
