Badura is Nebraska Girls' Golfer of the Year Again
OMAHA (November 10, 2020) - The Nebraska Golf Association is proud to announce the selection of Aurora’s Danica Badura as the 2020 Nebraska Girls’ Amateur Golfer of the Year for a second-straight year.
Badura went on a dominant run this summer, sweeping both NGA girls’ championships, and picking up an additional win at the Nebraska Women’s Amateur Championship. She also won the award in 2019, but captured her first NGA titles this summer to earn the honor once again in 2020.
The Aurora High School graduate now plays golf for the University of South Dakota. She broke through for her first NGA title at the 58th Nebraska Girl’s Match Play Championship at Oakland Golf Club. She was the No. 4 seed entering the bracket, after posting a 78 (+6) in stroke play qualifying. Badura rolled in her first two matches, beating Emily Krzyzanowski of Scottsbluff, 6 and 4, then turned around with a 6-and-5 win against Julia Karmazin of Omaha in Quarterfinals. She faced one of her toughest tests of the championship in her Semifinal match with Elly Speece of Papillion. Speece made a late run, but Badura was able to par the 17th hole to close out a 2-and-1 victory. She faced Nicole Kolbas of Lincoln in the Final, another difficult opponent. Badura closed out the championship on No. 17 with a par that sealed the deal on another 2-and-1 victory.
Badura followed that up with her second win of the summer at the 20th Nebraska Girls’ Amateur Championship at Scotts Bluff Country Club. She trailed by one stroke after a first round 75 (+3) in difficult scoring conditions. It was a wide-open race during the final round, but it was Badura who rose to the top again. She posted a second-straight round of 75 (+3) to finish with a 150 (+6) total and a one-stroke victory over three others. The win secured a sweep of the NGA’s girls’ championships for Badura, who is the sixth player to accomplish the feat.
Badura was close to making a run at the 97th Nebraska Women’s Match Play Championship. She advanced to the Quarterfinals, before falling to five-time NGA champion Haley Thiele of Wahoo.
The crowning achievement of the summer for Badura came at the 46th Nebraska Women’s Amateur Championship at The Country Club of Lincoln. She started the championship off with rounds of 72 (E) and 74 (+2), but did not lead until the first hole of an incredible final round. Badura was still tied with Wahoo’s Lindsey Thiele heading to the 18th hole, and she almost won the championship in walk-off fashion. She lipped out her approach shot into the 18th green, and tapped in for birdie and a two-stroke win. Badura’s final round 67 (-5) is potentially a championship record, and gave her a third title in 2020. She’s also the first player to win the Nebraska Girls’ Amateur and Nebraska Women’s Amateur in the same year.
In addition to her success in NGA championships, Badura won the 2020 Nebraska Junior PGA Championship and the 2019 NSAA Class B Girls’ Golf Championship, which she won by an incredible 14 strokes. She finished with a significant lead in the 2020 NGA Girls’ Point Standings.
The Nebraska Golf Association's annual awards banquet will not be held in 2020, but Badura will be honored individually and through social media this month.
About the NGA
The Nebraska Golf Association, 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 the NGA. 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.
