Brad Nurski (Missouri Golf Association Photo)
Brad Nurski etched his name into Missouri golf history once again, securing his fourth Missouri Amateur Championship with an 11 & 9 victory at St. Joseph Country Club.
Nurski dominated the final 36-hole match against Presten Richardson (Mt. Vernon), going bogey-free and not losing a single hole throughout the round.
Richardson competed in the Missouri Amateur four times from 2021 to 2024, holding a 10-3 record in matches compared to Nurski’s impressive 50-13 record. Richardson played college golf at Western Carolina University before transferring as a grad student for 2024-25 at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.
He recently won the Oklahoma State Stroke Play tournament.
Nurski started strong, remaining at least tied with Richardson until hole 5, where he made a decisive birdie to take the lead. Richardson’s bogey on hole 7 extended Nurski’s lead to 2-up. Despite Richardson’s efforts, Nurski maintained his lead, and a par save on hole 12 ignited his momentum.
On the back nine of the first 18 holes, Nurski won four holes, advancing to a 6-up lead. In the final nine holes of the match, he secured victories on five holes, including birdies on holes 3 and 6. Richardson’s missed par putt on hole 9 sealed Nurski’s win, crowning him the 2024 Missouri Amateur Champion.
Nurski entered the tournament as the No. 12 seed, progressing through his matches with commanding performances: 6 & 4 in the round of 64, 1 up in the round of 32, 2 & 1 in the round of 16, 5 & 3 in the quarterfinals, and 5 & 4 in the semifinals.
With this win, Nurski has earned an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota. He becomes the sixth player to win the Missouri Amateur Championship four times, joining an elite group that includes James Manion, Bob Cochran, Jim Jackson, Don Bliss, and PGA Tour champion Tom Watson.
Nurski is an assistant golf coach at Missouri Western State University, where his caddy, Matt Thrasher, is the head coach. He also played college golf there.
“We hang out together, we live two neighborhoods away from each other, we coach Missouri Western together,” Nurski said. “He has full rein to rein me in or pump me up, and he’s just an extra special guy.”
St. Joseph Country Club, Nurski’s home course, saw enthusiastic support with at least 30 carts following the championship match on the course.
“The whole week, you feel like you’re kind of the host, and you want everybody to be welcome and you also still have to focus on your job,” Nurski said. “And that’s what I did this week, especially the last three days.”
ABOUT THE Missouri Amateur
36 holes of stroke play qualifying to determine 64
players for match play. Entries are open to male
amateur golfers who are current members of the
MGA,
play at clubs who are members of the Missouri Golf
Association with a certified handicap index of not
more
than nine (9.0) on the USGA men’s handicap
system.
Non-exempt players must pre-qualify.
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