Elgert, Tyrrell take Pro-Am at Nebraska Open Thursday

COLUMBUS - The Wells Fargo Nebraska Open kicked off Thursday with a Pro-Am at Elks Country Club.

In the Pro-Am, which proceeds the three-day professional tournament Friday through Sunday, the pro golfers played their own ball, while the amateurs grouped in sets of four and played scrambles.

The top two professional finishers on the day were A.J. Elgert and Jeff Tyrrell, each shooting a 68. Mike Schuchart came in third with a 69, followed by Scott Gutschewski, Justin Herron, Connie Pierce, Brady Schnell and Ben Pettitt, who all shot a 71.

The par for Elks is usually 72, but for the tournament (and the Pro-Am), it is dropped to a 71. One of the par-5s has been made into a par-4 to lower the level of par.

Gutschewski, a Ralston native, is a member of the PGA Tour currently. Herron is last year's winner of the Nebraska Open.

In the amateur ranks, one group of four was able to break the 60-mark to take the win, finishing with a 59. The foursome was made up of John McClure, John Knicely, John Arlt and Kyle Johnson.

Now that the opening round is over, the professional golfers will have to get down to business today for the tournament.

The different tee times will be separated throughout the day. It will be in two waves, the first beginning at 8 a.m. and the second at noon. For the first wave, golfers will be teeing off at both at the No. 1 tee and the No. 10 tee. The second wave will all be teeing off from No. 1.

Mike Vun Cannon, the head golf pro at Elks, said the course is in good condition for the tournament.

“The course is in pretty good shape,” Vun Cannon said. “There's been some fungus in the rough, but the greens are always in great shape.”

Past golfers in the Nebraska Open include Zach Johnson, who won the 2007 Masters as a member of the PGA Tour, outlasting Tiger Woods in the final pairing.

The Nebraska Open has been held at Elks for 16 years this year and is endorsed and operated by the Nebraska Section of the PGA and the Nebraska Golf Association.

The event is coordinated by the Nebraska Public Power District. The proceeds of the Open are donated to the Nebraska Community College Foundation.

The Open has raised over $670,000 for the foundation in the last 15 years.

For a list of the 132 golfer involved in the tournament, who come from 20 states, or to see tee times or past results, go to www.nebraskapga.com.