Kosmicki Wins Nebraska Match Play Championship In Thrilling Fashion
Niobrara, NE – Henry Kosmicki is certainly making some noise this summer up north as he took part in the 58th annual Nebraska Match Play Championships at Tatanka Golf Club.
Niobrara, NE – Henry Kosmicki is certainly making some noise this summer up north as he took part in the 58th annual Nebraska Match Play Championships at Tatanka Golf Club.
Kosmicki found himself in an epic finals matchup against Jackson Benge of Omaha that spanned 36-holes on Friday. Even though they had another 36-holes of action, Kosmicki and Benge needed extra holes to decide the winner in this exciting matchup. Neither golfer led by more than two in the final round. The back-and-forth action continued to hole 38 where Kosmicki seemed to have the advantage as he birdied this hole twice earlier in the day and followed suit with another birdie but this time it crowed him the Nebraska Match Play Champion of 2025.
Kosmicki talked about the big shot on the final hole from 228 yards out, "I had about 228 and I hit a little hybrid up there. I wasn't quite sure if it had missed the green right as me and my caddy looked at each other but it ended up pretty good," Kosmicki said. From there he stood over an eagle putt as Benge put a sand shot within 10 feet. Kosmicki calmly put the eagle put to within tap in distance as Benge missed the birdie as Kosmicki walked away with the victory. "I was a bit nervous on the eagle putt as it gets to you a little bit," Kosmicki continued. "but just tried to remember the process that you set down as its super important."
It was a long week of golf but Kosmicki found a way to stay focused, "It was really fun you know, just trying to stick to the process while never trying to get too down or too up is very important," Kosmicki said. "It was just a ton of fun, I love playing match play."
The Final started with some fireworks, as Kosmicki rolled in a 35-foot putt for birdie and also birdied No. 2 to take a 2-up lead. The marathon match commenced from there, as Kosmicki and Benge tied just 13 of the 38 holes they played.
Benge won No. 8 and birdied No. 9 to tie the match at the turn. He briefly took the lead after a birdie on No. 13 and another win on No. 14, but Kosmicki won Nos. 15 and 16 with conceded birdies to reclaim his lead. He never trailed again. After tying the last two holes of the first 18, Kosmicki took a 1-up lead into the second 18 holes.
The second 18 started the opposite way, as Benge won with a par to tie the match. However, Kosmicki birdied No. 2 for the second of three tries on the day to regain his lead. It was the start of a roller coaster afternoon, where they tied just five of 18 regulation holes.
Benge birdied No. 4, but Kosmicki won No. 5 with a par. A birdie on the short par-4 sixth by Benge tied the match again, but Kosmicki pulled the reversal on him on the par-5 ninth. Benge hit an incredible second shot up the hill to 10 feet, while Kosmicki was just short of the green. Kosmicki converted his up-and-down for birdie, while Benge three-putted for par to lose the hole.
The back-and-forth turned up on the back nine, as Benge won No. 10 and Kosmicki won No. 11 with a long putt for birdie. Benge won No. 13 with a birdie, while Kosmicki took No. 14 with a par. A conceded birdie for Benge on No. 15 tied the match, but Kosmicki stuck his approach shot on No. 16 close and knocked in the birdie.
Benge two-putted for par from the same place on No. 17 that he three-putted in the morning, while Kosmicki just missed a par save, and the match was tied heading to the 36th hole. Benge reached the green in two, and two-putted for birdie, while Kosmicki dropped a four-foot birdie putt to force extra holes.
Both players made par on the first extra hole, No. 1, and Kosmicki reached the par-5 second hole in two with a hybrid up the hill from 228 yards. Benge was in the greenside bunker and hit a great sand shot to 10 feet. Kosmicki rolled his eagle putt to tap-in range for a conceded birdie, and Benge's birdie putt to extend the match lipped out.
After two days of stroke play, Kosmicki finished tied for 15th with a +2 two-day total of 146 which earned him a spot in the bracket round of match play as the No. 20 seed.
In the first round he faced 13th seeded William Barth where he would win the match 2 & 1 to advance to the next round. There he would face Sam Vocelka of Omaha who earned the No. 4 seed by shooting a -1 under 143 during stroke play. That didn't matter to Kosmicki has he pulled off the upset 3 & 2 moving him into the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, Kosmicki and Miles Eigert of Lincoln battled to the final hole where Kosmicki pulled off his third straight upset winning one up to advance to the semifinals. There he faced Ethan Smith of Doniphan who came in as the No. 17 seed and this match also went to the final 18th hole where Kosmicki would win that hole and the match 2 up and advance to the finals.
In the finals which is a 36-hole round he faced off against Benge of Omaha as he entered bracket play as the No. 22 seed.
