Ruge Advances as No. 1 Seed at Nebraska Women's Match Play
Stroke Play Qualifying and Round of 16 Conducted Monday at Happy Hollow Club
OMAHA (June 5, 2023) - Omaha's Katie Ruge earned the top spot in the bracket at the 100th Women’s Match Play Championship and won her first match on Monday at Happy Hollow Club in Omaha.
Stroke Play Qualifying kicked off the championship in the morning, with 86 players competing, including 49 in the Championship Division, who played for 16 spots in the Championship Bracket. Ruge, the 2020 Champion, earned medalist honors and the No. 1 seed with a round of 71 (E).
A playoff was needed to fill the top bracket, with four players at 80 (+8) vying for the final two spots. Lindsey Thiele of Wahoo and Jazmine Taylor of Omaha earned the No. 15 and No. 16 seeds, respectfully, after the third playoff hole. Omaha's Nicole Hansen and Papillion's Sydney Taake failed to advance through the playoff.
Ruge took on Taylor in her opening match, and rolled to a 5-and-4 win. She jumped out to a 5-up lead after nine holes and then cruised into the Quarterfinals once again.
Thiele had to face a familiar opponent, her younger sister Lauren, who was the No. 2 seed with a round of 73 (+2). She also had some help, with last year's champion and former Husker teammate Megan Whittaker of Elkhorn as her caddie. Lindsey finished runner-up to Megan last year, but the two teamed up to defeat Lauren, 1 up. The older sister's putter caught fire late, as she poured in long putts on Nos. 15, 16 and 18 to hold off Lauren and advance.
Ruge will face the youngest player in the field in the Quarterfinals, 12-year-old Naryn Kim of Lincoln. Kim defeated Elkhorn's Jen Teusink, who is 29 years her senior, 1 up. Thiele will take on Cecilia Arndt of Columbus, who picked up the biggest win of the day, a 7-and-5 victory over Brandi Zetocka of Wahoo.
Omaha's Kaitlyn Hanna, the 2022 Nebraska Girls' Match Play Champion, is looking for her first women's title, and picked up a 5-and-3 win over Omaha's Izabella Pesicka. She'll take on Lincoln's Isabella Elgert, who also won big, 5 and 4 over Omaha's Emily Karmazin.
UNK golfer Allison Comer won over Julia Karmazin of Omaha, 3 and 1, and will face Scottsbluff's Emily Krzyzanowski. Krzyzanowski, whose older sister Kaitlyn is a past champion, took down three-time Nebraska Women's Golfer of the Year Danica Badura of Aurora, 2 and 1.
The Founder's Bracket in the Championship Division also completed the Round of 16 on Monday, while four brackets in the Tournament Division will start play on Tuesday. Quarterfinal matches start at 8 a.m., with the Championship Bracket starting play at 9:40 a.m. The brackets are available on the championship website below, along with additional information.
Nebraska Women's 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.
