Nebraska Surges to Day One Lead at the 41st Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup
Four-Ball and Foursomes Matches Conducted Monday at Lawrence Country Club
LAWRENCE (August 3, 2026) - Team Nebraska took charge in the afternoon and leads the 41st Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup Matches after Day one at Lawrence Country Club on Monday.
The eight juniors representing Nebraska teamed up to take a 5-3 lead over Kansas, following the first day of matches in the annual event. Last year, Nebraska reclaimed the Cup with a 10.5-5.5 victory. Kansas leads overall series, 23-17.
Nebraska is looking to win back-to-back Cups for the first time since 2018-19. It would also be the first win on Kansas soil since 2018, which also took place at Lawrence Country Club.
In the Morning Four-Ball Session, the teams split, with each side winning two matches. Nebraska's Tommy Kelley and Harper Kalin picked up a 2-and-1 win over Peyton Smith and Connor MacGee of Kansas.
It was Jaxson Hinze and Zack Erstad that saved the day for Nebraska though. They went into the 17th hole, 1 down, but birdied the last two holes to flip the match and tie the session. Erstad rolled in a short birdie putt on the 18th hole to secure the win for Nebraska.
In the Afternoon Foursomes, Kansas won the first match big, but Nebraska took control from there. Knox Pocras and Miles Elgert caught fire in the second match, making the turn in 31 (-4) and winning seven of the first nine holes. They went on to a 7-and-6 win over Kaden Leivian and Max Farber of Kansas, the largest win of the day.
That win sparked the rest of the team, as Kalin and Andrew Nietfeldt held on for another Nebraska win, 1 up, over Josh Fratzel and MacGee. Kelley and Hinze heated up on the back nine, winning the first four holes on that side, three with birdies, and went on to win, 2 and 1.
Hinze, Kalin and Kelley all went 2-0 on Monday to lead Team Nebraska. Seven of the eight players on the team earned at least one point.
Singles matches begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. Nebraska needs to get to 8 points to retain the Cup, while Kansas will need 8.5 to reclaim it. That means Nebraska needs just three of the eight possible points during the Singles matches.
Full results and additional information is available at the Junior Cup website below.
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.
