Omaha, NE – The final four in Nebraska PGA’s annual Match Play Championship met at Omaha Country Club for a showdown to find our new champion. Supported by the PGA TOUR and Rolex, the season-long bracket began in May with the round of 64 leading us up to Thursday’s semifinal and final matches.
With one of the Section’s biggest trophies up for grabs, four familiar faces met in the final four. On one side of the bracket, Justin Herron, PGA of Oak Hills Country Club took on Shane Zywiec, PGA of Highlands Golf Course for a spot into the afternoon final. On the opposite side of the bracket, Jay Cottam, PGA of Meadowlark Hills Golf Course met University of Nebraska’s Men’s Golf Coach Judd Cornell, PGA.
In the Zywiec–Herron pairing, Herron started strong, carding two birdies in his first four holes to grab an early lead. The two then exchanged pars to close out the front nine. Holding just a 1-up advantage on the 10th tee, Herron nearly holed out for an albatross on the par-5, settling for an eagle to extend his lead. One shot later, on the par-3 11th, he stuck his approach close and converted yet another birdie. Suddenly 3-up, Herron never looked back. He closed out Zywiec on the 15th hole for a 4-and-3 victory, advancing to the afternoon championship match.
In the second semifinal, Cottam and Cornell squared off for a shot at Herron. Over the opening nine holes, Cottam made two birdies and capitalized on several Cornell miscues to build a commanding 4-up lead at the turn. He added a birdie on No. 10 and another on No. 11, winning one hole and halving the other. Cornell attempted a late rally, but it was too little, too late; Cottam closed him out on the 15th for his own 4-and-3 win.
The afternoon championship featured two past champions—Cottam and Herron—each aiming to return to the winner’s circle. As in the morning, Herron started hot, nearly holing out for eagle on No. 1 and tapping in for birdie. Cottam answered a few holes later with a birdie on the par-5 6th to square the match. Heading to the back nine, it was all even.
On the 10th, Herron again executed perfectly, making birdie to reclaim the lead. Cottam stumbled with a bogey on No. 11, and Herron poured in birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 to go 4-up with four holes remaining. Cottam managed a last-ditch birdie on No. 15, but the deficit proved insurmountable. Herron sealed the match with another birdie on No. 16, closing out Cottam 4-and-2.
For the fourth time in his career (2002, 2007, 2023), the Oak Hills CC PGA Professional captured the Nebraska PGA Match Play title. His path to the championship included victories over some of the Section’s toughest competitors:
- 1up over Alex Carper
- 5&4 over Tony Baranowski
- 3&2 over Steve Friesen
- 4&3 over Shane Zywiec
- 4&2 over Jay Cottam
We would like to thank both of our supporting sponsors PGA TOUR and Rolex for helping us provide this season-long opportunity for our Nebraska PGA Members. We would also like to thank Director of Golf Tony Pesavento, PGA and Head Golf Professional Dominick Mitchum, PGA and the entire staff at Omaha Country Club for hosting our final matches of the tournament.