Nebraska Junior Match Play Championship

Kottmeyer Caps Win at Junior Match Play

Ben Kottmeyer of Lincoln capped an incredible week at Riverside Golf Club, winning the 36th Nebraska Junior Match Play Championship. Kottmeyer defeated Kearney's Nash Malone, 2 and 1, in the Final to win the title. The Lincoln Southwest graduate is headed to Doane University this fall to play golf, and secured his first NebGolf title in his last junior championship. Read the recap below, and see full results under the Scoring tab.

Leaderboard

Entries Open March 2 at 8 a.m. CST

MUST JOIN NEBRASKA JUNIOR GOLF FIRST

Enter This Championship Online

Entry Deadline: 5pm CDT on Monday, June 30, 2026

Eligibility

Entrant must be a male junior amateur golfer who is a resident of Nebraska and a member of Nebraska Junior Golf. A junior golfer is defined as an amateur golfer who has not yet reached the September 1 following graduation from secondary school.

Amateur Status: All players must conform with the Rules of Amateur Status as approved by the USGA.

Code of Conduct:

NebGolf may reject an entry application, revoke an accepted application, expel from the Championship and/or suspend a player from future championships if the player engages in conduct detrimental to the integrity and image of the game of golf and/or public confidence in the NebGolf. Such conduct may include, but is not limited to, damage to the golf course or the player's equipment, verbal or physical abuse of spectators, officials, volunteers, or staff, blatant or excessive profanity, disorderly behavior, failure to abide by club rules, or any other unbecoming conduct.

Entry Fee

Entry fee of $100 must be paid by every player. Entry fee will be refunded regardless of reason if NebGolf is notified (402-505-4653) before the close of entries. After the close of entries, fee will be refunded in the event of injury or illness, if requested no later than July 6. No refund for any reason after July 6. A $25 service charge will be deducted from all refunds.

Closing Date

Entries must be received by NebGolf no later than 5 p.m. C.D.T. on Monday, June 30, 2026. Late applications are not acceptable and will be automatically rejected. (Entries by telephone, e-mail, or FAX not acceptable.) Time limit for entries means time of receipt at NebGolf (not time entry is sent or transmitted to NebGolf). Entries should be submitted early to allow ample time for delay or error in transmission. The risk of delay or error in transmission lies solely with the entrant and the NebGolf will have no liability with respect to any such delay or error and the consequences therefrom, including rejection of the entry.

Players

The championship field will be limited to 111 players. If more than 111 entries are received by the June 30, 2026 deadline, the field will be comprised of players that filed entries by the deadline in these categories:

1. Top 25 in the NebGolf Junior Point Standings published June 30, 2026
2. Those players making the cut at the 2026 Nebraska Junior Amateur
3. Top 10 class finishers at the 2026 NSAA High School Golf Championships
4. One (1) host club selection
5. Remainder of the field determined by order of entry

Entries Received

Practice Rounds
TBD
Practice Round Restrictions
TBD

Championship Schedule
Tuesday, July 7 - Stroke Play Qualifying
7 a.m. - Practice Areas Open
7 a.m. - 10 a.m. - Player Registration
8 a.m. - 10 a.m. - Boys’ Starting Times (1 & 10 Tee)
12 p.m. - 3 p.m. - Player Registration
1 p.m. - 3 p.m. - Girls’ Starting Times (1 Tee)
1 p.m. - 3 p.m. - Boys’ Starting Times (10 Tee)

Wednesday, July 8
7 a.m. - Practice Areas Open
8 - 9:50 a.m. - Round One Match Play (1 & 10 Tee)
1 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. - Round Two Match Play (1 Tee)

Thursday, July 9
6:30 a.m. - Practice Areas Open
7:30 a.m. - 8 a.m. - Boys Quarterfinals (1 Tee)
8:10 a.m. - 8:20 a.m. - Girls Semifinals (1 Tee)
12:30 p.m. - 12:40 p.m. - Boys Semifinals (1 Tee)
12:50 p.m. - Girls 18-Hole Final (1 Tee)
Following Golf - Awards Ceremony (Girls)

Friday, July 10
6:30 a.m. - Practice Areas Open
7:30 a.m. - Boys 18-Hole Final (1 Tee)
Following Golf - Awards Ceremony (Boys)

StrackaLine Greens Guides and Yardage Books
Through a partnership with StrackaLine, NebGolf is happy to offer 20% off Greens Guides and Yardage books for its championships. Click here or the image to order.

Terms of Competition
Entry Form Terms of Competition

Player Memorandum
Player Memorandum - Championship

Pace of Play Information
Stroke Play Qualifying Pace of Play Policy
Match Play Pace of Play Policy
Group Pace of Play Policy Infographic

Rules Documents
NebGolf 2026 Local Rules and Terms of Competition
Championship Notice to Players - Fremont GC (Draft)
General Rules Information for Caddies

Match Play Guidelines
Differences Between Match Play and Stroke Play

Contact
Juliana Botero, Manager of Junior Golf and Womens Programs
jbotero@nebgolf.org
(402) 505-4653 ext. 101

Additional Information

AJGA PBERS
This championship is submitted to the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) for inclusion in the Performance Based Entry Recognition System. This enables members to earn their way into AJGA Open and ACDS Junior All-Star events. Champion - 8 Performance Stars, Top 4 - 4 Performance Stars, Top 8 - 1 Performance Star

Fremont Golf Club

2710 North Somers Street
Fremont, NE 68025
(402) 721-6642
Website - fremontgolfclub.org

General Manager - Doug Shiple
Director of Golf - Nathan Kalin
Superintendent - Josh Hegy

Champions

Most titles: 2, David Hersch (1994, 1996); Joe Kubick (2003, 2004); Mike Coatman (2005, 2006); Alex Schaake (2014, 2016)

Consecutive titles: 2, Joe Kubick, 2003 to 2004; Mike Coatman, 2005 to 2006

Longest Span, First to Last Victory: 2 years, David Hersch (1994-1996); Alex Schaake (2014-2016)

Longest Span Between Victories: 2 years, David Hersch (1994-1996); Alex Schaake (2014-2016)

Brother Champions: Carson Schaake (2013) and Alex Schaake (2014, 2016); Luke Gutschewsk (2019) and Trevor Gutschewski (2024)

Course

Most Times Host Site:

York Country Club 4
Heritage Hills Golf Course, McCook 3
Platteview Golf Club, Bellevue 3
Wayne Country Club 3
The Pines Country Club 2
Wild Horse Golf Club 2

Match Play

Largest Winning Margin, 36-Hole Match (Final): 11 and 10, Trent Price defeated Lance Morrow, 2002 (Beatrice CC)

Most Consecutive Match Play Victories: 14, Mike Coatman, 2005 to 2007; 10, Joe Kubick, 2003 to 2004

Most Runner-Up Finishes: 

Mark Wright 2*
Eric Krzyzanowski 2*
Thomas Bryson*

*Never won

Most Times in Final:

Mike Coatman 3