Ruge, Thiele to Square Up in Nebraska Women's Match Play Final
Quarterfinals and Semifinals Conducted Thursday at Landmand Golf Club
HOMER (July 25, 2024) - Katie Ruge of Omaha and Brooke Thiele of Wahoo are set to square up in the Final of the 101st Nebraska Women’s Match Play Championship after advancing through two more matches on Thursday at Landmand Golf Club in Homer.
The champion will make some history on Friday. Ruge would be the 19th player to win multiple titles, adding to her win in 2020. The 2024 Nebraska Women's Amateur Champion would also accomplish the 14th sweep of the NebGolf women's majors in history. Thiele would follow her older sister, Lindsey Thiele, as champion. Lindsey won the title last year, and another sister, Hannah, won in 2016. Brooke would also be the fifth Thiele sister to have won a NebGolf title.
Both players had fairly comfortable wins in the morning Quarterfinals, and then faced tough Semifinal matches that both went to the 18th hole. After a 90-minute fog delay to start the day, Ruge, the No. 2 seed, jumped out to a 3-up lead over Minden's KaLynn Jorgensen, including an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole. Ruge eventually defeated Jorgensen, 3 and 2.
Thiele faced North Platte's Karsen Morrison in her Quarterfinal match, and won the first two holes after the delay. However, Morrison fought back and the lead dwindled down, until they were tied after No. 9. Thiele came out firing on the back nine though, making birdie on No. 11 to take her lead back. She won three of the next five holes, including No. 16 to close out the match, 4 and 2.
It was a matchup with the No. 1 seed in the Semifinals for Thiele, as she took on Papillion's Kelli Taulbee. Taulbee had defeated Bellevue's Emma Mullendore in 19 holes, with a conceded eagle on the par-5 first hole. Thiele took the first lead, but the two traded wins until they were tied at the turn.
Four more tied holes followed, before Thiele won the par-3 14th hole with a par. She held that lead until the 18th hole, where she just needed two-putts to close out the match. Thiele instead rolled in her birdie putt to win the match, 2 up.
The other Semifinal was back-and-forth, as Ruge took on Scottsbluff's Emily Krzyzanowski, whose sister, Kaitlyn, won the 2017 title. Ruge took the early lead, 2 up through the first two holes. Then Krzyzanowski won the next three holes to charge into the lead, and won No. 9 to push the margin to 2 up.
Ruge started to battle back though, two-putting for birdie on the par-5 11th hole for a win. She then rolled in a long birdie putt on the par-3 14th to tie the match. They traded wins on the next two holes, and both birdied No. 17, to send the match to No. 18, tied. Ruge reached the par-5 18th in two, and needed just a par to close out the match, 1 up.
The Final is scheduled for 8:10 a.m. on Friday, with Ruge and Thiele to battle for the 101st Nebraska Women's Match Play title. There will also be four flight finals in the Tournament Division, beginning at 7:30 a.m.
The updated bracket is 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.
