Columbus, NE – 128 professional and amateur golfers from across the country teed it up in the 33rd edition of the Wells Fargo Nebraska Open at Elks Country Club. Not only is this week historically one of the state’s biggest golf tournaments, but the event raises money for community college students in Nebraska in the form of scholarships. As of this year, with support from the Nebraska PGA, Nebraska Public Power District and Wells Fargo, $2 million has officially been raised over the 33 years which has impacted hundreds of local students.

In addition to the money raised milestone, the Nebraska Section PGA honored one of the event’s founding fathers, Jack Crowley. Honorary Nebraska PGA Member, Jack Crowley has his name added to the Wells Fargo Nebraska Open trophy. Jack Crowley, then Executive Director of the Central Community College Foundation provided the vision and brought everyone to the table. The Central Community College Foundation has helped thousands of students through scholarship awards and has seen its assets grow to a peak of over $38 million since it was founded in March 1989. Crowley is a big reason for that, and an even bigger reason for the way the State Open has flourished.

After the Pro-Am and scholarship banquet concluded, it was time to bring together a strong field for the golf tournament which featured more than a $70,000 purse. The field annually consists of the top professional and amateur players across Nebraska and even 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 the opening round, the leaderboard was stacked with firepower and after 18 holes of action, five players were tied at the top with rounds of 65 (6-under) including Norfolk’s Luke Kluver, defending champion Andrew McCain of Tennessee and the 2023 runner-up Andrew Beckler of Kansas. One of the feature pairings for the week included Kluver, McCain and the 2024 U.S. Junior Am Champion Trevor Gutschewski of Omaha.

Firing one of the best rounds on moving day was Lincoln’s Brady Schnell. The Firethorn Golf Club Teaching Professional vaulted into the top-5 with a 65 (6-under) of his own. A few groups behind Schnell was Robert Bell of the Minnesota PGA and he went into the final round with sole lead at 11-under. Our defending champion McCain had it rolling as well on moving day and sat just three strokes back of the leader at 8-under for the week. Heading into the final round, just four shots separated 12 players making for an exciting finish.

The final round featured the hardest pin locations of the week, but that didn’t hold the field back from a historically low round across the leaderboard. After finishing runner-up in 2023, Andrew Beckler of Kansas caught fire. In his first six holes, he made five birdies and made the turn with a 28 (7-under) and suddenly, he held a four shot lead with nine to play. He kept his foot on the gas and made two more birdies on the back to record a tournament scoring record of 19-under en route to his first Professional win.

The once NCAA Division ll Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year finally pulled through and he let his emotions out after a monumental victory in his young career.

“I knew it was going to take a low one today but there was never a thought in my head that I had a 62 in me today. It feels incredible to finally notch my first Professional victory and it’s pretty special to do it here in an event I look forward to playing in each year”, said Beckler.

The 33rd Wells Fargo Nebraska Open champion had a lot of praise for this year’s Low-Am and Omaha native Trevor Gutschewski.

“Being able to set the tournament scoring record is certainly a cherry on top, but that won’t stand long. Your U.S. Junior Am Champion (Trevor Gutschewski) will come in and blitz that one of these years but it’s cool to be in the history books for now”, said Beckler.

For the second time in his career, Gutschewski took home Low-Amateur honors after an 8-under showing and playoff victory over England’s Harry Crockett.

“I always look forward to playing in this event and being able to play alongside so many great players from the Midwest. The course is always in great shape and it was fun to finish the week off in playoff fashion”, said Gutschewski.

Capping off our 2023 awards was Iowa PGA Member Jeffery Schmid with his 6-under showing to collect Low-Senior honors.

Beckler 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. He looks forward to taking the momentum from his win into Stage 1 of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School later in October.

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 $2 million and more than $70,000 will be awarded to students in 2024.

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 33rd Wells Fargo Nebraska Open, CLICK HERE.

ABOUT THE WELLS FARGO NEBRASKA OPEN

The Wells Fargo Nebraska Open is endorsed and operated by the Nebraska Section of the PGA and the Nebraska Golf Association and coordinated by Nebraska Public Power District. The proceeds are donated to the Nebraska Community College Foundation, which awards scholarships to hundreds of needy Nebraska students attending five community colleges in the state. These colleges include Central Community College, Columbus, Hastings & Grand Island; Southeast Community College; Lincoln, Milford; Beatrice; Northeast Community College, Norfolk; Mid-Plains Community College, North Platte; McCook; and Western Nebraska Community College, Sidney; Scottsbluff.

ABOUT THE NEBRASKA SECTION PGA

The Nebraska Section PGA is a non-for-profit organization comprised of over 300 PGA Members and PGA Associates who strive to promote the enjoyment and growth of the game of golf.  The Nebraska Section PGA encompasses the entire State of Nebraska, western fifth of Iowa and a small portion of South Dakota including Dakota Dunes and Yankton.  The Section office is located in Lincoln, NE and acts as a resource for local and national golf information for the golf professional and amateur player alike.  Our members are often referred to as “Club Professionals”, not to be mistaken as PGA Tour Professionals.

Each Nebraska Section PGA Professional serves as an expert in the ever-changing business of golf.  They are the leading expert players and teachers, skilled business managers, community leaders, and superior merchandisers who have dedicated their careers to the local delivery of these services.