Columbus, NE – 117 professional and amateur golfers from across the country teed it up in the 32nd edition of the Wells Fargo Nebraska Open at Elks Country Club. The tree-lined, tight golf course might appear short and easy on a scorecard, but it demands precision off the tee with thick rough penalizing poor shots.
The field annually consists of the top professional and amateur players across Nebraska and players from across the world that hold cards on numerous professional tours. Both the professional and amateur fields compete for separate purses which adds to the drama of the event as it unfolds. In addition, the annual open championship raises money for college scholarships that are awarded to students in the Central Community College systems.
In the opening round, Michigan’s Beau Breault tied the course record with a 61 (10-under) to tie the Elks CC course record while setting the pace for the rest of the field with the round of the day. One shot behind Breault was Florida’s Andrew McCain with an impressive round of his own of 62 (9-under). With the first two rounds played through lift-clean-place due to rainy conditions, the flood gates opened, and it showed on the leaderboard. 12 players fired rounds of 66 or better to begin their tournament runs.
In the second round, two names at the top remained the same with both Breault and McCain finishing at 12-under to tie for the lead heading into the final round. Making two of the biggest leaderboard climbs of the day was Indiana’s Dylan Meyer and Andrew Beckler of Kansas as they finished at 11-under par in a tie for third. Finally, the one other player that was able to reach double digits was 2021 champion Matthew Walker of Iowa after back-to-back rounds of 66 (5-under).
It was a back-and-forth battle between two players for most of the final round with McCain and Beckler. Beckler went on a streak on the front nine with birdies on No. 6, 7, 8 and 9 to take the outright lead at 15-under. Standing on No. 7 tee, McCain was two shots back from the leader before he went on a steak of his own. The Florida native made birdies on No. 8 and 9 to close out his front nine but he kept his foot on the gas pedal into the back.
McCain wound up making five birdies in six holes between No. 8 and No. 13 and carried a two-shot lead into the final stretch. Playing with the lead, McCain played steady golf and coasted till the end to win the 32nd Wells Fargo Nebraska Open.
For bigger reasons than golf, the win was extra special for McCain after losing his mother this summer.
“When it all happened, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to continue playing golf professionally and I certainly didn’t know how my golf game would be after taking so much time off. Golf has been a good escape, and I wasn’t sure if it would be or not, so I’m thankful for that”, said McCain.
The win was a full circle moment for McCain being one of the few to win both low-amateur honors and the overall title in his career.
“It’s pretty cool to think about winning low-Am honors in the Nebraska Open back in 2016 and then to come back as a Professional in 2013 and win the overall title”, he said.
The victory came with a $12,000 check and loads of momentum heading into Q-School.
“My biggest takeaway from the week is that I played my last nine holes under pressure, which is always tough to handle no matter the level of event that you’re in. The fact I was able to control those feelings and win under that pressure makes me feel great heading into a week like Q-School”, he said.
McCain joins a list of great players to win in Columbus and he hopes to join past champions that have gone on to compete on the PGA TOUR.
Winning low-amateur for the week was Omaha’s Connor Steichen with a total of 5-under for the tournament. The local junior golfer made four birdies in his final nine holes to come from behind in the separate division. Steichen spoke about his game, playing in the same event as his teacher Jon Petersen, PGA of Tiburon GC and more!
The final honors of the week went to Iowa PGA Member Sean McCarty as he finished at 7-under to claim low-senior for the week.
As mentioned before, the Wells Fargo Nebraska Open comes with a charity aspect along with the competitive golf tournament. Every year, the Nebraska Public Power District uses the tournament and the Pro-Am to raise funds that are turned around and donated to community college students across the state in the form of scholarships. This year, the total number raised since the inception of the event eclipsed $1.9 million.
We would like to thank the title sponsor Wells Fargo for continuing to believe in what the tournament is providing for both college students and competitive golfers as well as the Nebraska Public Power District for all the work they do to make the Pro-Am a memorable day for everyone involved. We would also like to thank Head Golf Professional Derrick Ceder, PGA of Elks Country Club, Superintended Eric Bice and the entire team for hosting once again.
For full results & more info from the 32nd Wells Fargo Nebraska Open, CLICK HERE.