Council Bluffs, NE – 21 teams and 84 players competed at Bent Tree Golf Club in Nebraska Section PGA’s 2023 Harris Golf Cars Pro-Am. The team format for the event is known as ‘Royal Rumble’ which allowed the amateurs that competed to choose which holes they would use their handicap strokes. After the strokes were set, each team had to count two-net best-balls which could include the PGA Professionals score on that hole as well. As usual, the Professional-only format for the event was individual stroke play.
In the Professional-only event, six NEPGA Professionals shot in red figures led by Shane Zywiec, PGA of Highlands Golf Course. Zywiec fired one of his lowest rounds of the 2023 tournament season with an impressive 66 (six-under) that featured nine total birdies. He got off to a quick start with four birdies in his first five holes in route to an opening 32 (four-under). Finishing one stroke off of Zywiec was Ryan Vermeer, PGA of Happy Hollow Club with his own 67 (five-under). Jim White, PGA, MP of The Fairways at Lincoln and Lance Juelfs of Hillside GC finished tied for fourth with rounds of 69 (three-under). Rounding out our top Professional scores, Justin Herron, PGA of Oak Hills CC and Nick Shanahan, PGA of Shadow Ridge CC finished at 71 (one-under).
In the team event, 11 teams finished at 17-under or better and just two strokes separated the top four teams. Edging out second place by just one stroke and winning out team title at 23-under was Jonathan Beaver, PGA and his amateur partners Isaac Phillips, Gerry Phillips and Derek Phillips. Finishing runner-up at 22-under par was Lance Juelfs of Hillside GC and his amateur partners Jordan Ottoson, John Beier and Jaeden Dillehay.
We would like to thank Head Golf Professional Jeff Nielsen, PGA, Superintendent Brian Thundergard and the entire staff at Bent Tree GC for hosting us. We would also like to thank both our Title Sponsor Harris Golf Cars (Yamaha) and our supporting sponsor Vinnie Krikac’s State Farm Insurance Agency for helping us make this event possible.
As we wrap up another event, we look forward to tomorrow’s final round of our 2023 Nebraska Junior PGA Championships which will tee off at 8:00am at The Pines Country Club in Valley, Nebraska. For more information and scoring from that event, click HERE.