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Seth Reeves Wins the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna

August 02, 2020
By Sean Wildhack, PGATOUR.COM

OMAHA, Nebraska – Spurred by a final-round 64, Seth Reeves erased an eight-stroke deficit to capture his first Korn Ferry Tour title at the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna, finishing the week at 11-under 273.

“I fist pumped my birdie putt on No. 18 because I thought it secured a top-10,” Reeves said after his win became official. “I’m just kind of shocked, really.”

Reeves, who teed off more than two hours before the final group, dropped a shot with an early bogey on the par-4 third. Despite the setback, the Georgia Tech product rebounded with birdies on Nos. 4, 6 and 7 to get back to 6-under for the week.

As Reeves made his way to the back nine, 54-hole leader Ryan Ruffels began his final round. Ruffels struggled early carding back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 2 and 3. Despite the early struggles, he followed a birdie on the par-5 fourth with an eagle at the par-5 seventh and regained the solo-lead at 13-under.

Reeves caught fire on the back nine and continued his climb up the leaderboard. After birdies on Nos. 10 and 11, the 29-year-old recorded an eagle on the par-5 15th, moving him to 10-under for the week. On his 72nd hole, Reeves made his sixth birdie of the day to post 11-under and take the clubhouse lead.

“I started realizing it was close when I was tied for the lead and the last group only had two holes to play,” Reeves said. “I just was just kind of like, ‘Wow this could actually happen.’”

After the eagle, Ruffels gave a stroke back with a bogey on the par-3 eighth. The Australian tallied another birdie at the par-4 10th to get back to 13-under, but quickly gave two strokes back with bogeys on Nos. 11 and 13. Entering his final stretch of holes, Ruffels carded a birdie on the par-5 15th to regain the lead at 12-under.

As Reeves began to warm up on the range for a potential playoff, Ruffels carded back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17, giving Reeves the solo-lead at 11-under. On his 72nd hole, Ruffels’ lengthy birdie attempt narrowly missed, securing Reeves’ first Korn Ferry Tour title.

“I didn’t think I was going to get it done,” he said. “I decided to come back out here and warm up like normal and was shocked that I had the lead with one hole to be played in the tournament. It went the opposite of how I thought, I’m still shocked.”

After earning his PGA TOUR card through the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour Finals, Reeves struggled as a rookie on TOUR. In 25 TOUR starts, Reeves made 11 cuts but failed to retain his card.

After returning to the Korn Ferry Tour this season, his struggles continued. Prior to his victory, Reeves had made only three cuts in 11 starts this season and entered the week ranked No. 135 on the points list. With his win on Sunday, Reeves jumped 117 spots to No. 18 on the points list.

“I finished dead-last two weeks ago. It’s been hard, I’ve been in kind of a dark place with my game and trying to figure out how to play to my abilities,” Reeves said. “When you struggle as much as I have, you have all those doubts. This tells me I can do it. If I can do it once, I can do it again.”

Championship Central

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KORN FERRY LEADERBOARD

DAILY PAIRING SHEET

Tournament Week Details

On-site Credentialed Media Access

  • All media members will be provided tournament-specific credentials that should be worn at all times.
  • If you are a season-long credential holder and approved to attend the Pinnacle Bank Championship, you should wear your
  • PGA TOUR-issued credential in addition to your tournament credential; however, credentialed media will NOT have access to:
    • Practice areas;
    • Locker room;
    • Clubhouse or player parking lot;
    • Inside the ropes; there will be no rope and stake at Pinnacle Bank Championship, so media members are required to walk on the cart path at all times; with no spectators on the course, this will still provide media with a clear view of the competition.
  • Media credentials are non-transferable to others from the designee’s media outlet without prior approval.
  • On a space-available basis, credentialed media will receive their own workspace designated for the entire week; workspaces may not be rotated or transferred during the week (i.e. no “hot desks”).

Player Interviews

  • All interviews will be facilitated by Korn Ferry Tour Media Officials; media is prohibited from approaching players on their own.
  • Player interviews will take place virtually or in the Flash Area ONLY; access to the Flash Area will be extremely limited and determined by Korn Ferry Tour Media Officials (i.e. an on-site media credential does not guarantee Flash Area access).
  • When applicable, interviews may be facilitated by phone calls between a player and media member, to be coordinated by media official. Zoom and/or Teams interviews may also be used in instances when the Flash Area is not a possibility (inclement weather, etc.).
  • The Korn Ferry Tour will provide a pool reporter and at times a pool camera in the Flash Area; interview audio, video and transcripts will be available for download in the Virtual Media Center.

Media Center Operations

  • The Media Center will be open Tuesday through Sunday.
  • Media dining will be grab-and-go meals and beverages, with hygiene protocols in place; there will not be seating in a specific dining area; meals will be eaten at personal workspaces or outdoors.
  • The media center will not offer lockers for equipment storage. Parking is available in the clubhouse lot.
  • Printed materials will not be available; all tournament information (pairings, notes, tee times, etc.) will be available electronically.
  • The flash area will be located outside the clubhouse near player scoring.

Virtual Media Center
To assist media who will not have on-site access to cover the season resumption, the PGA TOUR has created a Virtual Media Center. All media regulations remain in place. Approved media will have access to the PGA TOUR Virtual Media Center, which will include assets such as:

  • Daily pairings, hole locations, tournament notes;
  • Stats reports;
  • Interview transcripts when available;
  • Complimentary photos, audio (MP3s) and video (b-roll, competition highlights, player interviews) for use, per PGA TOUR Media Regulations.

Nebraska Section PGA Youth Day

Join us live, Tuesday, July 28 at 10:00 am (CT) for this year’s Nebraska Section PGA Youth Day. As we continue to ensure a safe environment for the community, fans, players and tournament staff, this year’s event will be held virtually.

We are fortunate to be able to support the youth in the Omaha region and know this event will help continue to drive good until we can invite the area youth back in 2021.

Need an activity for the kids before signing on to watch the live event!? Click here to download our activity sheet, including crosswords, word search and more.

Qualifiers Selected for Pinnacle Bank Championship

Nebraskan Carson Schaake among qualifiers to earn a spot in Korn Ferry Tour Stop

Three golfers — including one from Omaha — will play in the PGA TOUR’s 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Pinnacle Bank Championship July 27-August 2 and compete for a share of the $600,000 purse.

Will Grimmer, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, who turned pro in 2019 and Wisconsin native Jordan Niebrugge who broke Bobby Jones’ record for the lowest score by an amateur at the Open Championship in 2015 have earned two of the spots in the 2020 Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna and hosted at The Club at Indian Creek. Grimmer and Niebrugge are the restricted qualifiers selected by the Pinnacle Bank Championship board of directors.

Omahan Carson Schaake, a graduate of Creighton Prep who played his collegiate career at University of Iowa, earned his spot by winning the Nebraska Qualifier on July 2, 2020 played at ArborLinks. He shot a 10-under, 134 to edge 2019 Pinnacle Bank Championship qualifiers Ryan Vermeer and Luke Kluver, who finished tied for second place at 7-under-par.

Grimmer is a graduate of The Ohio State University, during which time he represented the U.S. on the Arnold Palmer Cup Team. He has 13 USGA Championships, which were highlighted by two US Open appearances with a made cut at Shinnecock Hills in 2018. He also competed at The Memorial on the PGA Tour last year on a sponsor’s exemption.

Niebrugge earned his Korn Ferry Tour status after a 2016-2017 season highlighted by a top 10 finish on the Mackenzie Tour Order of Merit where he had two runner-up finishes and a T35 finish at the 2017 US Open in Wisconsin. He played collegiate golf at Oklahoma State, finishing his amateur career as the fifth ranked amateur in the world, and was a Byron Nelson finalist.

The Championship’s other unrestricted exemption will be awarded to the winner of the Indian Creek Invitational this Sunday, July 12.

Pinnacle Bank Championship Media Day

The Pinnacle Bank Championship announced the rules that will be followed while covering the 2020 Championship, scheduled for July 30 – August 2.

The PGA TOUR has developed a Media Operations plan which will provide media the opportunity to cover the Pinnacle Bank Championship, while also taking into consideration the protocols necessary to all for the Tour’s return in a safe and responsible manner.

Exemptions for the 2020 Championship will be announced at a later date.

The Championship is also announcing that this year’s benefitting charity will be Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. The Championship has given more than $252,000 to area charities supporting such organizations as Make-a-Wish Nebraska, The Lane Thomas Foundation, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and TeamMates Mentoring Program, which has been the tournament’s benefactor as its charitable partner since 2017.

“We are grateful to Pinnacle Bank and all who support and enjoy the Pinnacle Bank Championship, which will benefit Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in 2020,” said Beth Greiner, Executive Director of Children’s Foundation. “As the only full-service, pediatric health care center in Nebraska, all funds raised will benefit the health – and improve the lives – of our region’s children.”

As was announced on Monday, June 15, the Championship will be played without spectators. The decision was made in accordance with and recommendations from local, state and federal government agencies tasked with ensuring the safety of those essential to conducting the tournament. While some of those restrictions have been loosened in recent days, multiple options were vetted before making our decision, it would be difficult to change course at this point in time.

Questions submitted by members of the media to Kris Ventura, 2019 Pinnacle Bank Champion, are can be found the media page (password: pinnacle).

Pinnacle Bank Championship Set for July to be Held Without Fans

Decision made to protect the health and safety of players and community.

Omaha, Neb. – The Pinnacle Bank Championship announced today that the 2020 Championship, scheduled for July 30 – August 2, will be contested without fans onsite. The Korn Ferry Tour said it supports the decision believing conducting the tournament without crowds onsite is in the best interest of protecting everyone, including the Omaha community at large.

The decision was made in accordance with and recommendations from local, state and federal government agencies tasked with ensuring the safety of those essential to conducting the tournament.

“While we will miss the great crowds and visible community support at the Championship, we look forward to next year’s tournament scheduled for July 26-August 1, 2021 when we can enjoy golf together again,” said Jessica Brabec, Pinnacle Bank Championship Tournament Director.

“In January, we were moving full steam ahead with our plan for this tournament, and like everyone else, by March, based on the information available, we had to make some tough decisions. We felt, and the TOUR agreed, that no spectators was the best course of action to take for the safety of the players and the community,” Brabec said.

In spite of fans not being onsite, the Tournament will continue its long tradition of supporting a local nonprofit through its charity donation.

“We are fortunate to be able to support local nonprofits through the generosity of local companies and appreciate their support in spite of the challenges we’ve all had to work through this year,” said Marc Hock, president of Pinnacle Bank.

The pro-ams scheduled for Monday, July 27 and Wednesday, July 29 will go on as scheduled. Players will all use separate carts and those playing in the Wednesday pro-am will play nine holes with each of two pros.

Unfortunately, Youth Day is also impacted by this decision. Tournament officials are working on a plan to engage with young people through a virtual event. Details to follow.

For more information about the Pinnacle Bank Championship, please visit the website at The Pinnacle Bank Championship.

ABOUT THE PINNACLE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP

The Pinnacle Bank Championship is an award-winning stop on the PGA TOUR’s Korn Ferry Tour in Omaha, Nebraska and will be held July 27-August 2, 2020 at The Club at Indian Creek. The event features a purse of $600,000 and was awarded the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour’s Truck Award and 2017 Korn Ferry Tour’s Tournament Rookie of the Year Award in its inaugural year. The 2017 champion, Sam Ryder currently has 237 FedEx Cup Points and is ranked at 93. His best finish to date in 2020 is tied for third at the PGA TOUR’s Puerto Rico Open. The 2018 champion, David Skinns, ended his 2019 season with one top ten finish and welcomed a new baby boy to his family. The 2019 champion, Kris Ventura is currently ranked 175 on the FedEx Cup list with 76 points. To date, his best 2020 finish is tied for 18th at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open on the PGA TOUR.

ABOUT THE PINNACLE BANK

Family-owned since 1938, Nebraska-based Pinnacle Bancorp is a $12 billion financial holding company with 156 locations across 7 states. For more information, visit pinnbank.com.

Pinnacle Bank Championship Qualifier Set for July at ArborLinks

Nebraskans invited to compete for spot in Korn Ferry Tour Stop

Omaha, Neb. – Nebraska golfers – or those with ties to the state – will have the opportunity to earn a spot in the PGA TOUR’s 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Pinnacle Bank Championship and compete for a share of the $600,000 purse.

The 36-hole qualifier returns to ArborLinks in Nebraska City on Thursday, July 2, 2020. Professional and amateur golfers with Nebraska ties can vie for an exemption into Nebraska’s only Korn Ferry Tour event, the 2020 Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna and hosted at The Club at Indian Creek.

“We are excited competitive golf has returned to Nebraska with our qualifying event at ArborLinks,” said Jessica Brabec, Pinnacle Bank Championship Tournament Director. “Moving our event back two weeks on the calendar to July 27-August 2nd gives us a great opportunity to have a strong field of Korn Ferry Tour professionals, allowing the winner of this event the chance to compete against them.”

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

The qualifier at ArborLinks is limited to the first 60 entrants who meet all eligibility and handicap requirements. Entry deadline is Tuesday, June 23 at 5:00 p.m. Complete details are available by visiting the tournament website at The Pinnacle Bank Championship or the Nebraska PGA.

“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.”

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

ABOUT THE PINNACLE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP
The Pinnacle Bank Championship is a stop on the PGA TOUR’s Korn Ferry Tour in Omaha, Nebraska and will be held July 27-August 2, 2020 at The Club at Indian Creek. The event features a purse of $600,000 and was awarded the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour’s Truck Award and 2017 Korn Ferry Tour’s Tournament Rookie of the Year Award in its inaugural year. The 2017 champion, Sam Ryder currently has 237 FedEx Cup Points and is ranked at 93. His best finish to date in 2020 is tied for third at the PGA TOUR’s Puerto Rico Open. The 2018 champion, David Skinns, ended his 2019 season with one top ten finished and welcomed a new baby boy to his family. The 2019 champion, Kris Ventura is currently ranked 175 on the FedEx Cup list with 76 points. To date, his best 2020 finish is tied for 18th at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open on the PGA TOUR.

ABOUT THE NEBRASKA SECTION 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 not-for-profit organization comprised of approximately 270 PGA Members and 25 Associates 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.

Pinnacle Bank Championship To Present $30,000 Check to TeamMates at Upcoming Event

Total donations to TeamMates over the past three years exceed $95,000

The Pinnacle Bank Championship announced today the tournament has given more than $252,000 to area charities supporting such organizations as Make-a-Wish Nebraska, The Lane Thomas Foundation and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Championship officials will present TeamMates with a check for $30,000 totaling more than $95,000 given to the charity founded by Tom and Nancy Osborne, which has been the tournament’s benefactor as its charitable partner.

The check presentation will take place at a TeamMates mentor meetup to be held at DJ’s Dugout Aksarben at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 29, 2020.

“We are so grateful for our partnership with the Pinnacle Bank Championship and this generous contribution to the TeamMates Mentoring Program,” said Sarah Waldman, executive director of TeamMates. “Our staff and volunteers had so much fun supporting this incredible event, and this contribution in turn helps us provide support to more than 10,000 TeamMates mentees and their mentors.”

“Fostering support within our community and providing donations to organizations such as TeamMates, Make-a-Wish and others aligns with the values of the tournament and we’re thrilled we have such great support from the Omaha community and our partners,” said Jeff Jorth, board chairman of Support Nebraska.

The Pinnacle Bank Championship returns in 2020 for its fourth year running from July 27–August 2 at The Club at Indian Creek, one week later than last year.

“2019 was a great year for us with a total attendance of more than 41,000 spectators from 11 states across the country allowing us to contribute more than $120,000 to charities supporting youth in the Omaha area,” said tournament director Jessica Brabec. “We’re hoping to greatly exceed those numbers in 2020.”

About TeamMates

The mission of the TeamMates Mentoring Program is to positively impact the world by inspiring youth to reach their full potential through mentoring. TeamMates serves all youth who have indicated an interest in meeting with a safe, caring adult once a week at school. Matches play board games, shoot hoops or just talk. TeamMates is currently serving students in almost 180 communities across Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Wyoming and South Dakota with the vision of reaching the gold standard of school-based mentoring programs and serving 12,000 youth by the end of 2020. Go to teammates.org to learn how to become a TeamMates mentor today.

Ventura secures PGA TOUR card with win at Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Chevrolet

Source: PGATOUR.COM OMAHA, Neb. – All Kristoffer Ventura ever wanted to do was be a card-carrying PGA TOUR member. But the elusive club just never quite seemed to want him back. An emergency appendectomy before the final stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament. Countless failed attempts at Monday qualifiers, and a missed cut the only time he did manage to get through. “It felt like, wow, the world really doesn’t want me to play on TOUR,” he recalled. Maybe the world wants him after all. The 24-year-old will officially call himself a PGA TOUR member next season, as a 1-under 70 secured his card Sunday at the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Chevrolet. He entered the day with a one-shot lead over Lanto Griffin, and despite early troubles, managed to hang on for a two-stroke victory over Andres Gonzales and Chad Ramey. He finished at 16-under 268 for the tournament. Gonzales and Ramey, who each carded a 4-under 67, tied for second at 14-under 270. Five others, including Griffin, came in at 11-under 273. “You can say that the start of my career has been tough, and maybe I got the tough part out of the way,” Ventura said. “It just shows that if you keep working hard and believe 100 percent in what you do, great things are going to happen. I trusted that and look where I’m at right now. I’m really humbled.” Ventura went from having conditional Korn Ferry Tour status with zero starts to a PGA TOUR member in a matter of only eight weeks. It began with a sponsor exemption into the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation last month, where a T3 secured his spot for remainder of the season. Three weeks later, he moved inside The 25 after coming out on top in a three-hole playoff at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank. After Sunday’s triumph at The Club at Indian Creek, he sits at No. 6 on the points list and has officially locked up his position for the 2019-20 campaign. “Coming into this week I knew that was going to happen,” he said. “I didn’t tell very many people, but I had confidence in my game, and I had enough tournaments where I felt that it was really achievable. To win this week is incredible. I’m really proud.” Despite the confidence, his latest win didn’t come without some early drama. He bogeyed the opening par-4 fourth, and Griffin poured in a long birdie putt on the ensuing hole to take a one-shot advantage. The deficit would soon grow to two at No. 4, but Griffin bogeyed the next while Ventura poured in an 18-footer from the fringe to deadlock the top of the leaderboard. It was all Ventura from there. He stuck his approach shot to three feet at the par-3 eighth to regain the advantage, and after Griffin bogeyed No. 11, the lead surged to three when Ventura connected on a long birdie at the 13th. He played the final five holes at 1-over to secure the win. “This course is probably one of the better courses that I’ve played,” he said. “It’s tough. You’ve got to hit great shots. It’s windy. You never know what’s going to happen. I told myself that even if I was two behind or three (shots) behind, I could still hang in there, and maybe at the end I’d have a chance to win.” Ramey and Gonzales, meanwhile, both capped the best finishes of their respective seasons. Ramey—who has made all 21 starts this year—poured in a 51-foot eagle at the par-5 15th to surpass the estimated point total to secure a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, while Gonzales rose 86 spots to No. 67 and solidified starts for the remainder of the season. “I’ve been out here for a while, played every tournament so far, so it will be nice to go home and take a little break,” said Ramey, who now sits at No. 32 in The 25. “Obviously, the ultimate goal is the PGA TOUR. I feel like I’ve hit on some stuff here in the last month or so, and I just think I’ve got to keep doing what’s working and don’t overthink it.” For Gonzales, it was his best result since a T2 at the 2016 DAP Championship. It was only his seventh start of the year, as he had been making starts on past champion status prior to his successful week. “It’s nice to start getting some starts and know I’m going to be in some fields,” he said. “It’s exciting for me. I’ve been playing pretty solid for most of the year, but I need to get up on this points list and try to get my PGA TOUR card back.” SUNDAY NOTES:
  • Sunday’s weather: Early thunderstorms, rain, high of 74, winds N/NE 7-14 mph.
  • Final-round tee times were delayed three hours and 59 minutes due to inclement weather in the area.
  • With his victory, Kristoffer Ventura has secured his PGA TOUR card for the 2019-20 season.
  • Ventura became the 10th 54-leader/co-leader to go on and win this season.
  • Ventura joined Robby Shelton and Xinjun Zhang as the only players to win twice this year. Three weeks ago, Ventura erased a three-stroke final-round deficit to win the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank.
  • Ventura finished the week third in scrambling, converting 18 of 23 up-and-downs.
  • Andres Gonzales earned his best finish of the 2019 season and jumped 86 spots in The 25 to 67th.
  • Chad Ramey, who finished T2, has surpassed the 375-point threshold estimated to secure players a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
  • First-round leader Byron Meth finished T9 at 9-under 275 after a final-round 72.
  • Omaha, Neb., native Scott Gutschewski finished the week in a tie for ninth after a final-round 67. At the inaugural Pinnacle Bank Championship in 2017, Gutschewski finished in a tie for second.
  • Norfolk, Neb., native Luke Kluver finished the week 67th. Kluver converted an up-and-down on his final hole on Friday to advance to the weekend.
  • This week’s purse is $600,000, with $108,000 going to the champion, Kristoffer Ventura. He also receives 500 Korn Ferry Tour points.
  • Forty-seven Korn Ferry Tour winners competed in the field this week, combining for 70 victories.
  • The par-4 11th hole (533 yards) ranked as the toughest hole on the course Sunday, playing to an average of 4.493.
  • The par-5 seventh hole (559 yards) ranked as the easiest hole on Sunday. The hole played to an average of 4.328 and yielded five eagles and 41 birdies.