Benge, Kosmicki to Play for 58th Nebraska Match Play Title
NIOBRARA (July 17, 2025) – Omaha's Jackson Benge and Grand Island's Henry Kosmicki will face-off in the 36-Hole Final of the 58th Nebraska Match Play Championship at Tatanka Golf Club in Niobrara.
Benge and Kosmicki both advanced through the Quarterfinals and Semifinals on Thursday to punch their tickets to the Championship Final on Friday. Benge, a Omaha Westside graduate and current Husker, is looking for his second NebGolf title to add to his 2022 Nebraska Junior Match Play win. Kosmicki, a Grand Island Senior High graduate and current Hastings Bronco, is searching for his first title.
Both players had to face tough competition on Thursday, with Benge facing the defending champion in his Quarterfinal match. Gretna's Beau Petersen was his opponent, but Benge jumped out to an early lead and held off another comeback attempt by Petersen. Benge won two of the first three holes, and then won four-straight holes around the turn, three with birdie to push his lead to 5 up through 11 holes.
Petersen snuck one back with a dart on the par-4 14th hole, but Benge closed out the match with a par on No. 15, to win 4 and 3.
The Semifinal match for Benge was nearly a carbon copy, as he faced former Husker teammate, and fellow Omaha Westside grad, Grant Jabenis of Omaha. Benge did not lose a hole during the match, taking a 2-up lead at the turn with a birdie on No. 9. That started a stretch of four wins in five holes, once again including three birdies and pushing his lead to 5 up. A par on No. 14 closed out the match, 5 and 4. Benge has not played Nos. 16-18 since his first match.
Kosmicki's matches each went the distance and included clutch finishes. His Quarterfinal match against Lincoln's Miles Elgert looked dire with Kosmicki 1 down with two holes to play. However, he won No. 17 with a par and rolled in a birdie putt on No. 18 to take the match, 1 up.
In the Semifinals, Kosmicki faced the 2023 Champion, Calvin Freeman of Table Rock. The match was the opposite for him, as Kosmicki took off to an early lead, winning holes No. 6, 7 and 8 to push his margin to 3 up. Freeman fought back though, making birdies on Nos. 12 and 13 to cut the lead to 1 up.
Freeman made a couple of clutch par saves on Nos. 16 and 17, and Kosmicki went to the par-5 18th once again. He stepped up and rolled in another birdie putt to seal the win over Freeman, 2 up.
Benge and Kosmicki will tee off at 7:30 a.m. in the 36-hole Final, with the second 18 to follow in the late morning.
The updated bracket is available on the championship website below, along with the scoring page and additional information.
https://www.nebgolf.org/nebraskamatchplay/