Click Here Register for the ArborLinks Qualifier.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 19, 2017

CONTACTS: Alexis Boulos, Pinnacle Bank Championship, 402-991-2525 ext. 101

David Honnens, Nebraska Section PGA, 402-489-7760

Pinnacle Bank Championship Announces
Regional Qualifier – ArborLinks

Nebraskans invited to compete for spot in New Korn Ferry Tour Stop

Omaha, Neb. –  Golfers with Nebraska ties will have the opportunity to earn a spot in the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour Pinnacle Bank Championship and compete for a share of the $600,000 purse.

The 36-hole qualifier at ArborLinks in Nebraska City on Thursday, July 6th replaces the regional qualifiers that were originally set for Riverside Golf Club in Grand Island on May 31st and Wilderness Ridge Golf Club in Lincoln on June 22nd.  This unique qualifying experience will feature a maximum of 72 professional and amateur golfers with Nebraska ties vying for an exemption into Nebraska’s Korn Ferry Tour event, the 2017 Pinnacle Bank Championship, presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers and hosted at the Club at Indian Creek.

“The 36-hole qualifier over one day at ArborLinks will be a spectacular test of golf for some of the great golfers from our Nebraska communities.   “We’re excited to provide this opportunity for more golfers with Nebraska ties to compete for the opportunity to tee it up with some of the best players on the Korn Ferry Tour.”

Any Professional or amateur with a 4.0 handicap index or less with Nebraska ties will be eligible to compete.  Current legal residents of Nebraska, Nebraska Section PGA Members and Apprentices, students and graduates of Nebraska colleges or universities and individuals born in Nebraska and graduated from a Nebraska high school will be eligible.

The qualifier at ArborLinks is limited to the first 72 entrants who meet all eligibility and handicap requirements. Entry deadline is Friday, June 30th at 5:00 p.m. Complete details are available by visiting the tournament website at thepinnaclebankchampionship.com or www.nebraskapga.com.

“Nebraska has a rich tradition of some very talented amateur and professional golfers,” said David Honnens, PGA, Nebraska Section PGA CEO.  “The opportunity for one of these very talented golfers to compete and represent our community at the highest level at a tournament like the Pinnacle Bank Championship will truly be a special moment for golf in Nebraska.”

The Pinnacle Bank Championship, presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers, is a stop on the PGA’s Korn Ferry Tour and will be held July 17th – 23rd at the Club at Indian Creek. The Korn Ferry Tour’s prior events in Omaha produced champions such as PGA TOUR winners Bo Van Pelt, Johnson Wagner, Heath Slocum and Jason Gore.  The tournament’s charity partner, TeamMates, will receive proceeds from the event to help fund education and mentoring programs for Nebraska youth.

For more information about the Pinnacle Bank Championship, please visit thepinnaclebankchampionship.com.

ABOUT PINNACLE BANK

Family-owned since 1938, Nebraska-based Pinnacle Bancorp, Inc., is a $9.7 billion financial holding company operating 140 community banks in seven states including 61 locations in Nebraska.  For more information, visit pinnbank.com.

ABOUT THE NEBRASKA SECTION OF THE PGA

The Nebraska Section of the PGA is one of 41 Sections that together comprise the PGA of America.  The Nebraska Section PGA is a non-for-profit organization comprised of approximately 244 PGA Members and 25 Apprentices who strive to promote the enjoyment and growth of the game of golf.  The Nebraska Section PGA encompasses the entire State of Nebraska, western fifth of Iowa and a small portion of South Dakota including Dakota Dunes and Yankton.  The Section office is located in Lincoln, NE and acts as a resource for local and national golf information for the golf professional and amateur players alike.  Our members are often referred to as “Club Professionals”, not to be mistaken as PGA Tour Professionals.  Each Nebraska Section PGA Professional serves as an expert in the ever-changing business of golf.  They are the leading expert players and teachers, skilled business managers, community leaders, and superior merchandisers who have dedicated their careers to the local delivery of these services.

ABOUT THE NEBRASKA GOLF ASSOCIATION

The Nebraska Golf Association, founded in 1966, is comprised of all members of public and private clubs and/or municipal or regional golf associations which utilize an approved handicap service recognized by the USGA and provided by the NGA. The NGA’s mission is to uphold and promote the game of golf and its values to all golfers in Nebraska. Among the duties of the Association include governance of member clubs and service as their handicapping and course rating authority, conduct of state golf championships, local USGA qualifying & other notable competitions, promotion of junior golf, presentation of worthwhile educational programs and support of allied golf organizations in Nebraska.

ABOUT HEARTLAND CHEVY DEALERS

The Heartland Chevy Dealers are made up of 12 local dealers in the Omaha and Lincoln area. Collectively, they work together to further the Chevy brand in the Omaha region. The Heartland Chevy Dealers are active with many events that help the local community in many charitable aspects. Besides being the Official Vehicle of the CenturyLink Center and Ralston Arena, the Heartland Chevy dealers support local events that raise money to help others including the Pinnacle Bank Championship, Maha Music Festival, Omaha Summer Arts Festival, Capital City Ribfest and many more.

The Heartland Chevy Dealers include the following dealers. In Omaha dealers include: Gregg Young Chevrolet, H&H Chevrolet, and Huber Chevrolet. The rest of the dealers based around Omaha include: Beardmore Chevrolet in Bellevue, Copple Chevrolet in Louisville, Duteau Chevrolet in Lincoln, Edwards Chevrolet in Council Bluffs, Husker Auto Group in Lincoln, Jeff Henry Chevrolet in Plattsmouth, Sid Dillon Chevrolet in both Blair and Fremont, and Woodhouse Chevrolet in Missouri Valley.

ABOUT THE KORN FERRY TOUR

Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour continues to identify those players who are ready to compete and win on golf’s biggest stage. In 2013, the Korn Ferry Tour became The Path to the PGA TOUR with all 50 available PGA TOUR cards coming through the Korn Ferry Tour and the season culminating at the four-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals. This season marks the 28th year of competition on the Korn Ferry Tour. Three out of four PGA TOUR members are Korn Ferry Tour alumni. Tour alumni have won more than 450 PGA TOUR titles, including 22 majors and six PLAYERS Championships. The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its Tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, has generated over $2 billion in charitable giving.

ABOUT TEAMMATES

TeamMates Mentoring Program began in 1991 with the vision of University of Nebraska Head Football Coach Tom Osborne and his wife Nancy. Coach Osborne felt that the athletes in his program could make an impact on the middle school students, and twenty-two football players began meeting with middle school students in the Lincoln Public Schools. Of the 22 original mentees, 21 went on to graduate from high school while one left school early to pursue a successful Motocross career. Eighteen of the original mentees also obtained some form of post-secondary education.

 

The TeamMates Mentoring Program was formalized statewide in 1998 with 12 chapters and 441 mentor/mentee matches. Since then, TeamMates has steadily grown to over 140 chapters. In the past school year, TeamMates served 8,000 youth through partnerships with local school districts. TeamMates now have chapters throughout Nebraska and Iowa and recently opened its first chapters in Kansas and Wyoming.

# # #