Nebraska Still Owns Director's Cup
Matches Conducted Monday and Tuesday at Echo Valley Country Club
NORWALK, IA (September 23, 2025) – Team Nebraska kept a stranglehold on the Cup, winning the 13th Director’s Cup Matches at Echo Valley Country Club in Norwalk, Iowa on Tuesday.
The biennial event pits top amateur golfers from Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri in a team Match Play format. This goodwill competition is staged every other year and consists of round-robin Four-Ball, Foursomes and Singles matches. Teams consist of six players each, and matches are scored using a Nassau format (front nine/back nine/total).
It was an incredible final round performance during Tuesday's Singles Matches for Nebraska. After entering the round trailing Missouri by a half-point, Nebraska ran away with the Cup, earning 14 of a possible 18 points in Singles.
Nebraska finished with 26 total points, to win for a third-straight year, and the seventh time in the 13-year history of the Director's Cup. No other state has won more than three times. Missouri finished second with 20 points, while Iowa made a final day run, but took third with 19 points. Kansas was fourth with 7 points.
Nebraska jumped out to the lead after the opening Four-Ball session, earning 6.5 of a possible 9 points. Bennington's Johnny Spellerberg and Ralston's Peyton Koch swept their match, earning all three points against Jon Olson and J.D. Anderson of Iowa. Ryan Nietfeldt of Elkhorn and David Easley of Lincoln nearly did the same, capturing 2.5 points in their match against Coleman Houk and Brian Fehr of Kansas. Table Rocks' Calvin Freeman and Ashland's Coltrane Mittag earned one point in their match.
Missouri made a move during Monday afternoon's Foursomes matches, taking the session with 7 points, and shifting into the lead with 12.5 points. Nebraska fell out of the lead, but kept pace with 12 points after the session. Freeman and Koch led the way in the afternoon, taking 2.5 points off Ben Pearson and Alex Downing of Kansas. Easley and Spellerberg grabbed an important two points from Missouri's Ryan Eckelkamp and Hunter Parrish. Mittag and Nietfeldt won the front nine, but Iowa's Trent Lindenman and Dusty Drenth caught fire to win the back and total.
Just like the past two wins, Nebraska won the Singles session to secure the Cup. The 14 points earned in Singles is the most since the Director's Cup moved to the current format with the addition of Missouri in 2015.
Nebraska did not lose a Singles match, and earned at least a half-point on all but one of the 18 Nassau points. Spellerberg produces the only sweep for Nebraska, taking three points from Benjamin Kimminau of Kansas. Nietfeldt and Koch each fought back for crucial points against opponents from Missouri. Nietfeldt, playing in his eighth Director's Cup, lost the front to Ryan Sullivan, but battled back to win the back nine and total for 2 points. Koch won the 18th hole to split with Chase Gafner, each earning 1.5 points.
The rest of the team took the cue, as Mittag, Freeman and Easley all picked up 2.5 points in their matches. Along with Spellerberg's sweep, the Cup was secured.
Nebraska increases its lead in the overall series, with seven wins, while Iowa is second with three wins, Kansas has won twice, and Missouri once.
For more information on the Director’s Cup, visit the website at the button 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.
