Omaha, NE – The Players Club of Omaha welcomed 24 teams and 72 Nebraska PGA Professionals for the Section’s 27-Hole Pro/Pro/Pro event, presented by Miller & Sons Golf Cars (E-Z-GO), Coors Light and White Claw Hard Seltzer. With what felt like a miracle, the players were blessed with perfect scoring conditions which led to low scores across the leaderboard.
The format was 1 Best-Ball on the front nine, scramble on the back nine and modified alternate shot on the additional Highland nine. 12 teams shot 10-under or better but only two teams reached the playoff at 18-under.
Mike Schuchart, PGA of Wilderness Ridge CC, Steve Friesen, PGA of Firethorn GC and Brian Steventon, PGA of Shadow Ridge CC teamed up and the trio was excellent. The worst nine-hole score they posted was 32 (-3) which came on the alternate shot portion. The three of them made 13 birdies to go along with three eagles on the day and their posted score of 18-under sent them to the playoff.
Joining that threesome in the playoff was the Happy Hollow Club trio of Ryan Vermeer, PGA, Sarah Pravecek, PGA and Mike Antonio, PGA. In a bogey-free effort, the three of them went 30-28-30 which featured 14 birdies and two eagles. Though it’s the toughest portion of the format, they took advantage of the modified alternate-shot and that included two birdies to finish on No. 8 and No. 9 capped off by a putt for birdie by Pravecek.
The two teams met on Highland No. 9 to decide our 2023 champion via playoff. Just like in the regulation format, the hole was played through modified alternate shots. After two pars on the first playoff hole, Vermeer tapped in a par putt to secure the victory. Happy Hollow Club’s exciting pairing capped off a great start to the 2023 tournament season.
We would like to thank Director of Golf Tyler Lane, Head Professional Derek Carlson, PGA, Superintendent Jared Reinke as well as the entire staff at The Players Club of Omaha for hosting us. We would also like to thank our presenting sponsors Miller & Sons Golf Cars (E-Z-GO), Coors Light, White Claw Hard Seltzer as well as our supporting sponsors Ahead, Sterling Cut Glass, PGA Tour, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Bushnell Golf for helping us make this event as special as it was.
Click here for the full 2023 Nebraska Section PGA Pro/Pro/Pro Event Results