Author: Jesse Dodson
The inaugural Utah PGA Junior Series Utah County Rumble Major, played at Gladstan Golf Course and The Oaks at Spanish Fork Golf Course on July 15-16 in Utah County wrapped up the Major Qualifying season. We had back-to-back Major winners and a few last-minute qualifiers for the season-ending Promontory Major Championship on July 29th in Park City, Utah.
Mckienzie Schow of the Girls 17-18 Division was two-strokes behind leaders Kyla Hoster and Ellie Hair after her first-round 78 at Gladstan Golf Course but with a final-round 76 at The Oaks she came from behind to win the Utah County Rumble with a two-stroke cushion.
Schow attributes her approach shots made the difference going into the second round to win the third Major of the season by two strokes and to gain some momentum for the Promontory Championship, where the Girls Major Points leader and winner at Promontory will qualify to play in the 2019 Utah Women’s Open at Thanksgiving Point Golf Course in Lehi.
“It’s been a goal of mine for the past couple of years,” Schow said about the opportunity to qualify. “It would mean a lot.”
Braxton Watts, who won the 2018 Promontory Major Championship, will now have the opportunity to defend his title at Promontory as he shot (-3) 72-69 in the Utah County Rumble to win the Boys 17-18 Division by one stroke over first-round leader and Boys Major Points leader Landon Herndon.
“The putter, definitely the putter,” Watts said about his game to win the Utah County Rumble.
With seven final-round birdies, the putter was definitely where it needed to be to get the win.
“I’m excited to go play, I love the course,” Watts said of the Promontory Championship. “I’m excited to go play it again.”
Clair Whisenant gets back-to-back Utah PGA Junior Series Major wins with a victory at the Utah County Rumble. With rounds of 78-79, she snuck by with a one-stroke win over Savannah Romney and now sits only 40 points back of the lead in the Girls Major Points race.
Nathan Giles started the final round five-strokes behind leader Even Lawrence in the Boys 15-16 Division but with a (-1) 71 at The Oaks he left as the Utah County Rumble champion. With the win and the 100 awarded points, Giles sits only 20 points behind Herndon going into Promontory.
Victoria Romney of the Girls 13-14 division created a nice cushion after her career-low, round-one (-1) 71 and cruised to victory at The Oaks with a second-round 80. The win gives her a spot at Promontory to compete in one more major of the 2019 season.
Kihei Akina, who calls both Alpine, Utah and Hawaii home, won the Boys 13-14 division with rounds of 77-73. He finished strong on the back nine with a birdie on the dogleg left, par-five 18th hole at The Oaks.
A big thank you to Tracy Zobell of Gladstan Golf Course and Ryan Rhees of The Oaks for hosting the first-ever Utah County Rumble and providing great tournament-venues for our last Major Qualifiers of the season.