Nebraska Golf Association
6618 South 118th Street, Omaha, NE 68137
T (402) 505-4653 F (402) 505-4695
www.nebgolf.org
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Ben Vigil, Nebraska Golf Association, (402) 505-4653 ext. 105
Valley – The fields are down to just eight boys and four girls at The Pines Country Club after the first day
of matches at the 27th Nebraska Junior Match Play Championship and the 54th Nebraska Girls’ Match
Play Championship on Wednesday.
Hannah Thiele of Wahoo, the defending champion, cruised into the semifinals with a 4 and 2 win in the
Round of 16 over Beemer’s Lacie Fox, the 2015 NSAA Class C State Champion. Thiele then faced her
younger sister, Lindsey, in the quarterfinals. It was the fourth straight year that Hannah has had to face
one of her sisters, taking on older sister Haley the past three years. Hannah lost the first hole, but won
six of the next eight and rolled into the semifinals with a 7 and 6 win.
Thiele will face Elkhorn’s Megan Whittaker, who defeated Walton’s Haley Wineman, 4 and 3 in the quarterfinals. While No. 1 seed Kirsten Baete of Beatrice survived in 19 holes after a birdie to defeat Papillion’s Spencer Roach. Baete will match up against Snyder’s Hannah Hunke, who drove the green 268yard par-4 16th hole to help her close out Omaha’s Kristin Goertz, 3 and 2.
On the boys’ side, the No. 1 seed and defending champion, Nolan Maschka of Omaha fell early, losing 4
and 3 to Omaha’s Ben Hourigan. Hourigan then lost in the Round of 16 to La Vista’s Ben Broderick, 5
and 4. Broderick will face Lincoln’s Nate Vontz, who survived two close matches, winning 1 up in the
Round of 32 over Omaha’s J.T. Engelbart and in 19 holes, after a birdie on the first extra hole (No. 1),
over Norfolk’s Kellen Rossman.
Meanwhile, the 2014 Champion Alex Schaake of Omaha breezed back into the quarterfinals with wins of
4 and 2 in the Round of 32 and 7 and 6 in the Round of 16. Schaake will face Caleb Badura, who defeated Aurora teammate Alex Kubik, 2 and 1, in the Round of 16.
In the most exciting match of the day, a couple of NSAA State Champions faced off. Humphrey’s Trevor
Kosch (Class D) lost the first hole to Norfolk’s Luke Kluver (Class A), but never trailed after winning No.
2 with a birdie. However, Kluver staged a comeback and squared the match with a birdie on the par-5
18th, sending it to extra holes. After Kosch narrowly missed a birdie on the 19th hole (No. 1), Kluver
sank a birdie putt on the par-5 second hole to win the match in 20 holes. Kluver will face Omaha’s Jacob
Hudson in the quarterfinals.
In the last quarterfinal, Omaha’s Tyler Jacobsen is set to face AJ Nolin of Omaha. Jacobsen cruised to a
6 and 5 win, while Nolin won the longest match of the championship so far, outlasting Blair’s Brandt
Radloff in 22 holes.
Updated Match Play brackets are available under the respective championship websites, which can be
accessed through the competitions section of the NGA website: http://nebgolf.org/competitions.html.
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