Ruge Back at it, Leads 51st Nebraska Women's Amateur
Round One Conducted Tuesday at Beatrice Country Club
BEATRICE (June 3, 2025) – Omaha's Katie Ruge picked up right where she left off, and leads the 51st Nebraska Women’s Amateur Championship after the first round on Tuesday at Beatrice Country Club.
Ruge, the defending champion, holds the lead for the fourth-straight round, opening this year's championship with a round of 70 (-2). The day-long rain did not hold Ruge back, as she posted the only round under par and leads by two strokes.
Despite the difficult conditions, Ruge came out firing. She opened with a bogey-free 32 (-4) to jump into the lead. Ruge pushed it to 5-under with birdies on the back nine par-5s, (Nos. 14 and 16), and was threatening the championship record score of 67 (-5). However, her second shot on the 18th hole struck a tree and came to rest out of bounds. A triple-bogey resulted, and dropped her to 2-under.
A host of Husker golfers are chasing Ruge, including Eden Lohrbach, who is two strokes back with a round of 72 (E). Lauren Thiele of Wahoo and her teammate Arden Louchheim, who finished runner-up last year, are tied for third at 75 (+3). Another Husker, Brooke Bream, is fifth after a 78 (+6).
A talented trio is tied for sixth at 79 (+7), including past Nebraska Girls' Amateur Champions Nicole Kolbas of Lincoln and Kaitlyn Hanna of Omaha, as well as Wahoo's Brooke Thiele.
Four players are tied for ninth, rounding out the Top 10 at 80 (+8). That group includes 2023 Nebraska Girls' Match Play Champion Naryn Kim, Eden Larson, Olivia Lovegrove, all of Lincoln, and Grand Island's Hailey Kenkel.
The second round begins at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday for the Women’s Amateur with the leaders set to tee off at 10 a.m. The Nebraska Women's Senior Amateur kicks off with the first round on Wednesday. Pairings are available on the championship website below, along with the scoring pages and additional information.
Nebraska Women's Amateur Championship
Nebraska Women's Senior Amateur 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.
