WAYNE (June 19, 2023) – Stroke Play Qualifying was conducted on Monday for the 61st Nebraska Girls’ Match Play Championship and the 34th Nebraska Junior Match Play Championship and North Platte’s Karsen Morrison and Omaha’s Jackson Benge earned medalist honors at Wayne Country Club.
Morrison, who just last week qualified for the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, was the only player on the girls’ side to break par. She played her last six holes in 2-under to shoot 70 (-2) and capture the No. 1 seed for match play.
Benge, the defending champion, put together a birdie barrage to shoot the low round of the day, a 67 (-5). The Husker commit made six birdies during his round and took medalist honors by three strokes.
Four other players broke par on the boys’ side, including Sam Wells of Saint Paul, who is the No. 2 seed after a 70 (-2). Omaha’s Zac McCormack, Fremont’s Drake Hull and Lincoln’s Noah Carpenter all shot 71 (-1). McCormack
Lincoln’s Nicole Kolbas is the No. 2 seed in the girls’ bracket, after firing a 73 (+1). Kolbas and Morrison have been battling the past week, each earning a spot in the Junior PGA Championship as well as the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. Now, they are the top two seeds, each looking for a first Nebraska Girls’ Match Play title. Kolbas will play the No. 15 seed, Olivia Lovegrove of Lincoln, who leads the 2023 NebGolf Girls’ Point Standings.
A playoff took place on both sides, with two players tying for the last spot in the boys’ bracket at 77 (+5). Wyatt O’Mara of Omaha and Harrison Weddell of Elkhorn played for the No. 32 seed, and O’Mara came out victorious with a birdie on the first playoff hole (No. 1). He’ll play Benge in the Round of 32 at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
The girls’ playoff included three players for the last spot in the bracket. Omaha’s Sophia Martin, Omaha’s Lucy Peterson and Lincoln’s Elly Honnens all tied at 89 (+17). Martin was eliminated on the first playoff hole, when Peterson and Honnens both made par, and Honnens eventually took the spot after the second playoff hole. Honnens is the No. 16 seed and will play the top seeded Morrison in the Round of 16.
