Luke Kluver breaks through at Nebraska Match Play
6/27/2020 | by Brayden Conover of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for Nebraska Match Play, Country Club Of Lincoln
Kansas junior Luke Kluver gets first NGA win over Ryan Nietfeldt
University of Kansas’ Luke Kluver added a trophy to his shelf that he has wanted for a long time.
The Nebraska native and rising Jayhawk junior, home for the summer, had not won a Nebraska Golf Association title prior to this past week.
Earning medalist honors after 36-holes of seeding, Kluver shot a 138 (6-under) for a one-shot ‘victory’ before the event flipped to match play.
As the one-seed, Kluver went 7 & 6, 4 & 3, 1 up (through 20), and 2 up on his way to the championship 36-hole match against 44-year old Ryan Nietfeldt. The matchup heavily favored Nietfeldt as he was going for a record 10th NGA title to become the oldest Nebraska match play winner since 2001.
3-down through 18, Kluver began to make his charge.
“Making 3 on the first hole just let him know I was here to play and I was going to come after him,’’ Kluver told the Omaha World Harold. “To be able to square the match after four holes was huge, and I was able to just keep applying pressure on him as the match went on.”
Tying the match and then taking a 1 up lead at the turn, Kluver never looked back. Winning holes No. 10, 11, 13, and 14, Kluver took control of the match on the back-nine for a 5 & 4 win and his first-ever NGA event.
“This is definitely the biggest amateur golf event I’ve won,’’ he said. “It means a lot being in the state of Nebraska, and just feeling able to put my name on that trophy with a lot of other guys is a big-time success.”
About the Nebraska Match Play
Must be a resident or student of the state of Nebraska. Open to NGA members only. Limited to low 120 indexes. Format will be 36-holes of stroke play to determine a round of 32 match play.
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