Author: Jesse Dodson
The Nicklaus Painted Valley Golf Course at Promontory Club provided a true test of skill and was a fitting venue for the 2018 Utah PGA Junior Series Major Championship. The fourth and final Utah PGA Junior Series Major contained a field of some of the best Utah juniors fighting for exemption spots into the 2018 Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open and Utah Women’s Open.
The season-long points race within the Boys 15-18 division was close all year. Braxton Watts and Jackson Holman proved to be in the running for the two exemption spots into the 2018 Utah Open played August 17-19 at Riverside Country Club from the beginning. And it was Watts and Holman who claimed the spots Tuesday July 31st after a trying round at Promontory.
“It feels good to get out to Promontory and be able to play,” said Watts, who won the Major Championship with a 77 and propelled to first in the points race. “It feels good; that’s all I wanted coming into today,” Watts continued. “I just wanted to get that exemption.”
With winning the Major Championship and the points race, the second exemption spot was then awarded to the second-place finisher in the season-long points battle. Holman may have finished second in points but his victories in the two-previous Majors was a season highlight and was good enough to earn exemption to the Utah Open.
“It was overall a good season,” Holman said. “It’s crazy; it’s kind of a dream come true and I can’t wait to play in the Utah Open.”
Alexis Wilson, a stalwart competitor in this year’s Majors played exceptionally well to win the overall Major points list for the girls by 105 points. Wilson’s goal of claiming an exemption into the 2018 Utah Women’s Open came true yesterday and a T3 finish was all she needed at Promontory to make it happen.
However, it was Grace Donahue who stole the show for the girls 17-18 division with a 77 and a victory on the tough Painted Valley Course. It was a true underdog victory as her win only placed her in fourth in the overall points race.
Donahue had birdies on the par-four second and fourth holes and chose a good day to claim a Utah PGA Junior Series Major win. The Utah Women’s Open will be played August 8-9 at East Bay Golf Course in Provo, Utah, and Donahue and Wilson will represent the Utah PGA Junior Series well.
Isaac Layne won the Boys 17-18 division with a 78 and Thayer Plewe shot the magic number of the day, 77, to claim the trophy in the Boys 13-14 division.
Savannah Romney won a scorecard playoff against Bailia Milne at 86 to claim her second Major win of the season in the Girls 15-16 division and Danielle Gibson shot 88 to win the Girls 13-14 division.
We owe a big thanks to Utah Section PGA President and Promontory Director of Golf Ryan Kartchner for making the Promontory Major Championship possible. Having our Championship played on the Nicklaus Painted Valley Course was a real treat and a great opportunity for our juniors.
Promontory Major Championship Results HERE
Promontory Championship photos HERE