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Lincoln -- Former Husker golfers Steve Friesen and Scott Gutschewski will both make their PGA Tour debuts this week, as they participate in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, one of the most prestigious events on the PGA Tour schedule.
Gutschewski is a regular member of the 2004 Nationwide Tour, but earned a spot at Pebble Beach by winning last year’s Monterey Peninsula Nationwide Classic. The victory in that tournament carried a sponsor’s exemption to this year’s AT&T event and will be his first-ever appearance in a PGA Tour event.
Gutschewski, a native of Ralston, Neb., has a full season planned with at least 24 events on the Nationwide Tour on his schedule. He will also attempt to qualify for a few other PGA Tour events through Monday qualifying tournaments.
A former teammate of Gutschewski’s at Nebraska, Friesen earned a spot in the Pebble Beach field through a qualifying tournament on Tuesday. Friesen carded a round of 70 at the Bayonet Course in Seaside, Calif., to finish fourth in the field and qualify for this week’s event.
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am will also be Friesen’s PGA Tour debut. The Lincoln High graduate won the Iowa Open and the Utah Open tournaments in 2003, and has also spent time on the PGA Asian Tour and the Tight Lies Tour.
Gutschewski and Friesen were teammates on Coach Larry Romjue's Nebraska teams from 1997 to 1999. In their senior season, the duo helped Nebraska to a school-best 14th-place finish at the NCAA Championships and a runner-up showing at the Big 12 Conference Championships.
The Pebble Beach National Pro-Am will be contested Thursday through Sunday over three courses on the Monterey Peninsula. In addition to the host course, Pebble Beach Golf Links, golfers will also play Poppy Hills and Spyglass Hill. A cut will be made after 54 holes with the remaining players moving on to Sunday’s final round at Pebble Beach.
Gutschewski will open the tournament on Thursday with an 11:20 a.m. (CST) tee time off the 10th tee at Poppy Hills, before moving on to Spyglass Hill on Friday (10:30 a.m., 1st tee) and Pebble Beach on Saturday (12:10 p.m., 10th tee). Friesen opens the event at Pebble Beach’s back nine on Thursday, beginning at 11:30 a.m., before his times Friday at Poppy Hills (10:40 a.m, 1st tee) and Saturday at Spyglass Hill (12:20 p.m., No. 10).
Gutschewski’s playing partner for each of the first three rounds will be Robert Hamilton, while Friesen will play alongside Kevin Streelman. Both golfers will be teamed with an amateur in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. To follow the progress of the two former Huskers, log on to PGATour.com.