Author: N
Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden, Utah played host to a record number of Utah Section PGA professionals and apprentices in this year’s Spring Pro-Pro and Four-Ball Championship seeding event. In fact, 132 Utah Section Professionals could not find a reason to miss teaming up with a partner and playing the exceptional fairways and greens that OGCC had to offer. The record amount of players in this event is a testament to the camaraderie and friendships among the professionals of the Utah Section PGA. “Normally we are sending emails to try to get more players,” commented Devin Dehlin, the Utah PGA Executive Director, “but for this, we had the opposite problem: too many players. If it weren’t for Ogden CC Professional Bob Wallis pulling some strings and bringing in extra golf carts, tournament administrators would have had to turn many away.
The two-person teams competed not only for the Spring Pro-Pro title but also for seeding in the season-long Four-Ball Championship. Shawn Edwards and Zach Johnson shot a score of 65 to win the Pro-Pro and earn the number two seed. (Last year’s champions Adam Johnson and Barry Schenk are automatically the number one seed.) Edwards/Johnson are no stranger to success in this event, they won the whole thing in 2013 and 2014. Henry White and Troy Watkins fired a 66, and one shot behind them was Todd Tanner and Stacey Jones.
Following the round, the feeling of camaraderie continued amongst the Utah Section professionals as they attended the Spring Membership Meeting. District 9 Director, Kyle Heyen even said, “the professionals in this section are a close-knit group.” A highlight for the Spring Meeting was a special visit from Claudia Sweger representing the Folds of Honor, a charity the Utah PGA is proud to support.
Ideal playing conditions, an excellent course with outstanding greens, generous sponsors (thank you Charley Carlson and Terry Outzen), and fellowship among peers made this event unforgettable. Indeed, the Utah Section PGA is a close-knit group and it is expected that tournament and meeting participation will continue to reach record numbers this year.