Nebraska
Nebraska tough: Trevor Gutschewski makes USGA history in U.S. Junior win
In its 129 years of conducting championships, the USGA had never crowned a winner from Nebraska.
That changed Saturday at Oakland Hills Country Club’s South Course, where Trevor Gutschewski, a 17-year-old Omaha native and son of a PGA Tour pro, took down Tyler Watts, 4 and 3, in the scheduled 36-hole final of the 76th U.S. Junior Amateur.
“It was a dogfight out there,” Gutschewski said. “Tyler’s a great player; he kept me on my toes. Had to play some really good golf to come away with the win.”
Much was made about Gutschewski’s place in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as Gutschewski, ranked No. 3,517, navigated his way through match play. But that ranking was missing data, and another junior-only ranking slotted him No. 28, just 13 spots back of Watts, a 16-year-old from Huntsville, Alabama, who is a member of the inaugural U.S. National Junior Team.
Add in his verbal commitment to the University of Florida and Tour pedigree – Scott Gutschewski, 47, has won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour and currently plays on the PGA Tour – and the young Gutschewski had no reason not to believe he could pull off what would be his biggest victory to date, easily usurping his Nebraska Junior Match Play title from earlier this year.
“If I play well, I can hang with anybody,” he said earlier this week after upsetting Blades Brown in the Round of 32.
Scott Gutschewski, who missed the cut Friday at the 3M Open before flying to Detroit to catch the championship match, describes his middle son as a flusher, who can be tough to beat when his driving it well.
“He’s an absolute range rat,” Scott Gutschewski told Golf Channel on Friday night. “He loves to hit balls and practice. He hits ball all the time – at home in the basement, outside in the weather, doesn’t matter.”
Trevor Gutschewski and his father hug after his victory during the finals of the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. on Saturday, July 27, 2024. (Logan Whitton/USGA)
Logan Whitton/USGA Museum
So, when Trevor Gutschewski needed 23 holes to win his opening match against Rich Wills, he wasn’t exhausted. He didn’t trail again until dropping each of his first two holes against Brooks Simmons. He promptly took the next two and then in the semifinals knocked off WAGR’s highest-ranked player in the field, China’s Xihaun Chang.
Even with his spirited run to the final, Gutschewski was still a sizable underdog to Watts, whose victories include the Jones Cup Junior, Southern Junior and last year’s Alabama State Amateur, where Watts broke Gordon Sargent’s record as youngest champion. But Gutschewski came out firing, carding four birdies in his first six holes to go 3 up. Watts clawed back and led 1 up at the break, only to see Gutschewski birdie the first hole again to kickstart a sizzling afternoon.
In 15 holes after lunch, Gutschewski lost just one of them while notching four birdies, his final one coming at the par-3 13th hole, where he stuck his tee shot from 147 yards to a couple feet and went 3 up. He also didn’t card a bogey in the afternoon.
Talk about Nebraska toughness.
With his win, Gutschewski earns a spot in next summer’s U.S. Open at Oakmont. Scott Gutschewski played the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage, missing the cut. Trevor’s older brother, Luke, was co-medalist at the 2022 U.S. Amateur before losing his first-round match.
Trevor easily has USGA bragging rights now, both in his family and his entire state.
Nebraska Game and Parks is offering residents a chance to win prizes simply for getting outside and moving, as part of a challenge honoring America’s 250th birthday.
The Outdoor Nebraska 250-Mile Challenge invites participants to log miles through activities like walking, running, kayaking, horseback riding and more using any fitness app. The goal is to reach 250 miles before the end of the year. Once completed, participants fill out a form on the Nebraska Game and Parks website to become eligible for prizes.
Mike Selman, a regular walker at Zorinsky Lake, said the challenge caught his attention.
“I think it’s great, as long as you put in the time and effort,” Selman said.
Selman said getting outdoors is already a big part of his routine.
“I absolutely love it, I love being outdoors, just the beauty, the nature, the trees, the water,” Selman said.
He said one of his favorite aspects of the challenge is the opportunity to explore Nebraska’s many outdoor spaces.
“Especially here, around Zorinsky, Standing Bear, Flanagan, you got great opportunities and great places to go,” Selman said.
When asked if he planned to submit his miles, Selman did not hesitate.
“I’ll definitely think about it, most definitely,” Selman said.
Between Memorial Day and the end of the year, logging just over 1 mile a day would be enough to reach the 250-mile goal and qualify for prizes.
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We’ll have to wait a bit longer to get into the Cowgirls’ Super Regional.
A rainy night in Lincoln meant the teams only managed to get four outs into the Super between Oklahoma State and Nebraska. The game is tied at 0. The weather delay lasted about two hours before they called it.
The game will resume at 4 p.m. Friday and be televised on ESPN2. They will not play another game Friday, as Game 2 will now take place at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Nebraska football team added its third 2027 offensive line commitment and addition from the state of Georgia on Wednesday.
Loganville (Ga.) Grayson offensive lineman KD Jones officially announced his commitment to NU this week. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Jones picked the Huskers over Georgia Tech, Auburn, Kentucky and Virginia Tech. He visited Lincoln on May 6 and is scheduled to take his official visit to Nebraska on June 6.
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The Huskers first offered Jones in April, after offensive line coach Geep Wade had previously been recruiting him at Georgia Tech.
“Coach Wade called me and offered me today,” Jones told HuskerOnline on Apr. 25. “He has been on me for a long time, ever since he was at Tech. So his interest wasn’t anything new to me. He came to watch me train at school and was amazed. He offered the next day.”
Jones joins safety Corey Hadley from the state of Georgia in NU’s 2027 recruiting class.
“I knew nothing about Nebraska before the offer,” Jones said in April. But now that Coach Wade and Coach (Lonnie) Teasley are there, I know I can trust them.”
Jones had planned to take official visits to all the schools recruiting him, but his early commitment to NU appears to have shut down those visits.
He jones Omaha (Neb.) Millard North’s Matt Erickson and fellow Grayson product Jordan Agbanoma are the other offensive linemen in the Huskers’ 2027 recruiting class. He’s now the 10th commitment in Nebraska’s class of 2027.
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