Duffy, a past president of the Nebraska Golf Association, didn’t get one break over the weekend as he fought through a 16-man match-play bracket loaded with the top mid-amateur talent from around the country. He went the full 18 holes with Seth Sargent in the first round, then drew Danny Simmerman on Saturday afternoon. That match went three extra holes before Duffy gained a pass to Sunday.
Nurski, for his part, had a decidedly different experience in the lead-up to the final than Duffy did. Nurski didn’t see the 18th hole in his first three matches. Duffy took him the full round before beating him on the 19th hole. The St. Joseph, Mo., native struggled off the tee during the final match, and ultimately that led to his demise.
Despite Nurski's wild tee ball, he and Duffy spent most of the final match neck and neck. Duffy took a 2-up lead to the 16th tee, which was the biggest lead of the match. Nurski won the hole even though both players found trouble off the tee.
Nurski won No. 18 with a conceded birdie to send the match to the extra hole. Duffy won when Nurski three-putted from 20 feet.
"He’s just consistent, he doesn’t make many mistakes," Nurski said in reflection of Duffy's game. "He’s not the longest guy off the tee but his short game is incredible.”
In the senior division, two seasoned veterans went head-to-head in the final match on Sunday afternoon, but Gene Elliott showed why he is AmateurGolf.com’s top-ranked senior. Elliott, an Iowa Golf Hall-of-Famer, closed out Jeff Burda, 5 and 4, to earn a Crump Cup distinction. Elliott became just the fourth player to win the open division and the senior division in the tournament’s 94-year history. Elliott was the overall winner in 2013 when he beat Matthew Sughrue in the final match, 5 and 3.
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