58th Nebraska Match Play Travels to Tatanka
Championship Begins Monday at Tatanka Golf Club
OMAHA (July 11, 2025) – The 58th Nebraska Match Play Championship travels to a first-time venue, Tatanka Golf Club in Niobrara, July 14-18.
Tatanka will host its first Nebraska Match Play, although it played host to the Nebraska Four-Ball the previous two years. The club, which opened in 2015, is located in Niobrara near the Ohiya Casino Resort. The course received multiple accolades after opening, including the "Best New U.S. Resort Course" from GOLF Magazine and was runner-up for Golf Digest's "Best New Public Course" award. Tatanka features prairie-style golf, with lots of elevation changes and many trees present throughout the property as well. The par-72 layout will be played around 7,291 yards for the championship.
The championship begins with 36 holes of Stroke Play Qualifying on Monday and Tuesday, after which the field will be cut to 32 players and seeded into a match play bracket. Match play begins Wednesday, with the Rounds of 32 and 16, followed by the Quarterfinals and Semifinals on Thursday, and the 36-hole Championship Final on Friday.
The field of 100 players features five past champions, including the defending champion Beau Petersen of Gretna. Petersen became the youngest champion in Nebraska Match Play history last year, defeating Omaha's Trevor Gutschewski, 6 and 5, in the Final. He was just 18 years, 8 months and 9 days old at the time. Petersen, who competes on the men's golf team at North Illinois University, is paired Doniphan's Ethan Smith and Elkhorn's Andrew Whittaker for Stroke Play Qualifying. They'll tee off No. 10 at 9:30 a.m. on Monday.
The previous two champions are in the field as well, including 2023 Champion Calvin Freeman of Table Rock. Freeman put on a show making an incredible amount of birdies to win his title at Beatrice Country Club. He's coming off a top 5 finish at the Nebraska Amateur last month, and will be joined in qualifying by Jackson Benge and Matt Quandt, both of Omaha. Benge, the 2022 Nebraska Junior Match Play Champion, finished tied for seventh at the Nebraska Amateur.
Johnny Spellerberg of Bennington, the 2022 Champion, is back to compete after missing the Nebraska Amateur for another event. He'll play in a twosome with Lincoln's Gavin Gerch, who was the Stroke Play Qualifying medalist last year at his home club, The Country Club of Lincoln.
Elkhorn's Ryan Nietfeldt, the 2003 Champion, and Lincoln's Travis Minzel, the 2004 Champion, are both in the field and paired together for qualifying. They will play along with Gretna's Christopher Atkinson, an Omaha Maverick, and the 2021 Nebraska Junior Match Play Champion.
Play begins at 9 a.m. for Monday's Stroke Play Qualifying round, and at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. Pairings for qualifying are available on the championship website below, along with the scoring page and additional information.
Nebraska 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.
