Monthly Archives: August 2024

As the final threesome approached Riverside Country Club’s 18th green Sunday afternoon, Derek Fribbs stood in the background. Just then, lightning flashed over the northwest section of the property.

One last thunderbolt was a reminder of what the Colorado pro did (again) in that corner of the course, explaining how he became one of the few double winners in the Utah Open’s modern history, joining Mike Reid, Clay Ogden and Nate Lashley.

“Something magical about Riverside,” Fribbs said, amid mini-tour travels that took him to Provo between stops in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, and Grand Junction, Colorado.

That statement was doubly true Sunday, when Fribbs delivered a phenomenal stretch of golf on each nine. He played Nos. 2-7 in 7 under par and Nos. 13-15 in 5 under, making three eagles. Mix in a bogey on the par-4 No. 10, and the result is a competitive course record of 61, 11 under par.

This time, PGA Tour players Patrick Fishburn and Zac Blair were part of a leaderboard that served to validate Fribbs’ achievement and $22,000 check. Fribbs (70-66-61) finished at 19 under, two strokes ahead of Fishburn (69-64-66).

“I mean, that’s unbelievable playing,” Fishburn said, after having lost the competitive course record he shared with Jay Don Blake.

Due to wet conditions after multiple days of rain at Riverside, Sunday’s round was played with lift, clean and place provisions in the fairways. Even so, Fribbs’ performance was remarkable. Scores were low Sunday, but 64 was the next-best number.

Fishburn, then a BYU golfer, opened the 2016 Utah Open with a 62, the year before he won the tournament. Blake’s 62 came in stroke play in the 1980 State Amateur as a Utah State golfer. 

Blake was on site Sunday, having played all three rounds in preparation for his 500th career PGA Tour start in the Black Desert Championship in October.

On his way to a victory in 2021, Fribbs went 4-3-2 on Nos. 13-15 (a par-5, a short par-4, and another par-5). Then and now, he needed nine strokes on those holes. Asked if he had calculated his total, after going 3-3-3 this time, he joked, “That’s too much math for me.”

The other common theme? He used a 7-iron for his double eagle on No. 15 three years ago. The same club set up each of his three eagles Sunday.

Fishburn shot 63-64-63 to win by nine shots in 2017. His closing 66 would have been good enough Sunday, if not for Fribbs’ fireworks.

“Just couldn’t catch up,” said Fishburn, who was playing two groups behind Fribbs.

Fishburn went 5-3-5 on Nos. 13-15, with errant drives derailing him. “Those two 5s were kind of the killer,” he said.

He could take satisfaction in finishing second, adding $15,000 to his PGA Tour earnings of more than $1 million, with the eight FedExCup Fall events to come in his rookie year as he looks to secure a top-125 finish and a 2025 tour card. Having missed the Playoffs, he will next play in mid-September, partly explaining his motivation for playing in this tournament.

“Lots of reasons,” he said. “This is always a great tournament. Love the Utah Open. Love playing Riverside; lot of great memories here. I need some reps, for sure. And lots of great players. Guys come from all over the western United States to play in this thing, so it’s great competition.”

Fribbs is one of those travelers, another reminder of how many great golfers keep trying to make it in the game. With his 34th birthday approaching, he’ll continue pursuing PGA Tour qualifying in hopes of rising above the mini-tour level. Otherwise, he’ll look forward to a return to Riverside, having more reason to label it “one of my favorite places to play.”

Riverside teaching pro Matt Baird (69-68-67) tied for seventh overall with Blair and others and earned a $1,500 bonus as the low Utah Section PGA contestant. He finished two shots ahead of Braydon Swapp and Zach Johnson.

University of Utah golfer Brandon Robison (70-68-64) was the low amateur by one stroke over former BYU golfer David Timmins. Todd Tanner (70-70-71) won the Senior Sidebar by four shots over Dustin Volk.

Click here for the final round Utah Open leaderboard.

Utah Open final round recap written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography provided by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.

Remarkably, 64 was the worst score that then-BYU golfer Patrick Fishburn posted in winning the 2017 Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open.

Seven years later, Fishburn is back at Riverside Country Country Club as a PGA Tour player, and a second-round 64 was good enough to get him into the lead.

Two questions remain in play after a Saturday of multiple weather-related stops and starts in Provo: What will it take to win this tournament? And when will it end?

Obviously, nobody’s going to touch Fishburn’s record 26-under-par total of 2017. Something better than Zac Blair’s (and playoff contestant Javier Barcos’) 15-under score of last August almost certainly will be required, though.

Fishburn is 11 under through 36 holes after his bogey-free round Saturday. He’s one stroke ahead of BYU’s Cole Ponich (67-67), who’s bidding to become the first golfer since Ed Kingsley in 1934 to win the Utah State Am and the Utah Open in the same year, and first-round leader Gavin Cohen (65-69) of Phoenix. California pro Josh Anderson is 9 under through 13 holes.

As for the timing of what promises to be a great finish, Sunday’s forecast is more promising than Saturday’s results, but the potential exists for more delays.

Saturday’s play was halted due to darkness.The round will resumed at 7 a.m. Sunday, then the 36-hole cut (to 60 players, plus ties) will be made and the final round will begin at 9:30.

Blair (70-66), who’s in contention at 8 under, was aware that earning last summer’s title would put him in an exclusive club of winners of both the Utah Open and the State Amateur. The only names he knew for sure, though? His father, Jimmy, and Fishburn, who followed him at Fremont High School and BYU.

Fishburn is trying to follow Blair’s example of winning the Utah Open as a PGA Tour player, having missed the FedExCup Playoffs. He’s in great position to keep his tour card for 2025, though, going into the fall portion of the schedule that starts in mid-September.

Fishburn made four birdies on each nine Saturday in what almost qualified as a classic Riverside round for an elite player, except that he parred the par-5 No. 5.

Blair’s six birdies included all four par-5s, but he made one bogey. BYU’s Zac Jones, himself a former State Am champion, birdied four of the last six holes to post a 67 and match Blair’s 8-under total.

As for the families in the field, playing together in the first rounds ultimately worked out well for the Ogden brothers and the Moody father-son duo. And the three Shelley brothers, playing separately,Jackson (67-73), Tyson (72-69) and Austin (73-72) all will advance to the final round.

Clay Ogden (67-70) is in line for another nice check in his annual tournament appearance, while amateur Cole Ogden (73-70) tied his brother Saturday and comfortably made the cut. PGA Head Professional Chris Moody of Riverside (75-69) rallied in the second round, although he couldn’t keep up with son Noah (74-67), a recent Timpanogos High School graduate.

Cooper Jones (67-72) joined his brother Zac in advancing to Sunday. PGA Tour veteran Jay Don Blake (69-72) also will play the final round.

The low Utah Section PGA contestant is Braydon Swapp (67-69), who finished first in that category in 2023. Todd Tanner (70-70) tops the Senior Sidebar competition.

Utah Open Day 2 recap written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photos provided by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.

With a birdie on any of the final three holes last August, Phoenix pro Gavin Cohen could have joined the epic playoff that PGA Tour veteran Zac Blair eventually won in the Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open.

Cohen left Riverside Country Club with a tie for third place and good feelings. “I’ve been looking forward to coming back ever since,” he said Friday, after taking the first-round lead in the 54-hole event with a 7-under-par 65 in Provo. “Riverside is such a beautiful venue … and it fits my eye.”

California pro Josh Anderson posted a bogey-free 66, while the group at 67 was big and diverse: Braydon Swapp, the Utah Section PGA’s two-time Assistant Player of the Year; State Amateur champion Cole Ponich of BYU; Skyline High School senior Jackson Shelley, one of three brothers who are inside the cut line; Peter Kim, a Skyline graduate who plays for BYU; State Amateur runner-up Cooper Jones, who will interrupt his BYU career for a church mission to Peru in September; and two-time champion Clay Ogden, who seemingly just shows up in this tournament every August and plays well.

Among other notable players, former BYU golfers Carson Lundell and Rhett Rasmussen each posted a 68 after tying for third last year. PGA Tour rookie Patrick Fishburn, another ex-Cougar and CBS Sports broadcaster Tony Romo, now a Utah Open regular, each shot a 69. 

So did 65-year-old Jay Don Blake, who made four straight birdies (Nos. 13-16) as he tunes up for his 500th career PGA Tour start in the Black Desert Championship in October. Blair made 16 pars and two birdies for a 70.

Cohen began his morning round on the back nine with what he labeled “a dream start” with five birdies in six holes. He bogeyed Nos. 17 and 18, but then made four birdies on the front nine.

“I honestly just felt super comfortable out there,” he said, “and felt like I had a nice couple of weeks of prep going into the event. I’ve been working on some mechanical stuff, especially with my putting so it was nice to see it (work) today.”

Shelley, Ponich and Jones each made eight birdies and three bogeys. Kim’s only bogey came on the par-4 No. 18, concluding his round. Ogden made the only eagle among players high on the leaderboard, with a “3” on No. 13 in the afternoon.

Swapp, who was the low Utah Section PGA contestant last year, leads Camron Saunders by one stroke in that competition within the tournament. Steve Schneiter’s 69 gives him a one-shot edge over Todd Tanner in the Senior Sidebar.

Click here for the 18-hole leaderboard from the Utah Open.

Utah Open opening round recap written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.

The inaugural Western Shootout was a dream years in the making, brought to life by the determination of its founder, Glenmoor Golf Club’s PGA Professional Darci Olsen and the collaborative spirit of fellow PGA Jr. League coaches. 

The concept of a multi state team competition had been percolating in Olsen’s mind for some time, but it wasn’t until a chance meeting at the PGA Merchandise show in February that the vision began to take shape. With enthusiastic support from Tara and Blake Isakson, Zach Abels, and CJ Schmid, the event quickly transitioned from idea to reality, attracting teams from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Arizona.

The success of the inaugural Western Shootout held July 26-27th at Glenmoor and TalonsCove Golf Clubs was a testament to the power of teamwork and shared passion for junior golf by PGA Professionals, coaches, players and families. The event featured 17 teams and 88 players, ranging from 9 to 17 years old. The format, a two-person team competition, offered players an opportunity to compete in familiar PGA Jr. League style in a championship environment, something many might not experience beyond their home-state competition. 

The highlight of the weekend was the camaraderie among players, coaches, and parents, particularly during the western-themed dinner party that brought everyone together in a celebration of golf and friendship.

Hosting the final round at Talons Cove, with the support of General Manager Kareen Larson, added an extra layer of excitement to the event. Not only did it provide a preview for the upcoming state championship, but it also showcased the quality of Utah’s golf courses. The Glenmoor Golf Club teams dominated the competition, claiming victory in both the 17u and 13u divisions, with Canyon Springs from Idaho finishing as strong runners-up. The event’s success was evident not just in the competitive spirit, but in the joy and connections it fostered among participants.

Looking ahead, the Western Shootout is poised to become an annual tradition, with plans already in motion for next year. The vision is to expand the event’s reach, rotating through home courses in Nevada, Wyoming, Arizona, and beyond, thereby increasing the travel team schedule and providing more players with the chance to experience the thrill of championship golf. The ultimate goal is to create a network of events that align with the PGA Jr League’s mission to offer meaningful, competitive opportunities for young golfers.

One of her current BYU teammates joined Adeline Wach in the final group and their coach watched them play Tuesday. Yet the triple-digit temperature made the setting a little different than the last time they got together.

They were not in Ireland anymore.

The Cougars’ two-week, 12-round tour got them accustomed to 70-degree weather, unlike the summer heat in Provo. “You know you’re coming back to it,” Wach said with a laugh and a shrug. “You can’t change the weather. You just deal with it.”

Riding around Timpanogos Golf Club in a cart and wearing a sleeveless shirt were Wach’s concession to the conditions, and she thrived. She shot 67-66 for an 11-under-par total and a six-stroke victory over former BYU teammate Kerstin Ngakuru in the 8^th Siegfried & Jensen Utah Women’s Open.

Ngakuru (71-68) earned $2,000 as the low professional.She credited Wach for motivating her in an effort to stay ahead of former Weber State golfer Kiseyla Salcedo (73-68) in the pro competition.

“Oh, man. She stayed consistent the whole day,” Ngakuru said of the former Adeline Anderson, the 2022 Women’s State Amateur runner-up. “It really pushed me, honestly, to keep up with her. It’s really impressive for her to go low one day and go even lower the next.“

Wach isthe sixth straight collegiate winner of the Utah Women’s Open, joining BYU’s Ngakuru (the former Kerstin Fotu) and Lila Galea’i on that list. She tied the tournament record set by former BYU assistant coach Lea Garner, a pro who won the first two events in 2017 and ‘2018 on this course, prior to Timpanogos’ extensive renovation.

Having taken a four-stroke lead into the final round,Wach was never really threatened. She liked the way she approached the day, saying, “I’ve been working a lot on sticking to my process, no matter what. And so I felt like I had to do that a little deeper and kind of feel my process a little bit more, because it’s hard to follow up a good round.”

The native of Southern California punctuated Tuesday’s round with an eagle on the par-4 No. 14, a hole that was set up as driveable. Her conservative strategy worked wonderfully. After a 6-iron shot off the tee, she pitched in from 67 yards. “When I hit it, I thought it was super long, but I looked up and everyone’s saying it went in,” she said. “So that was fun.”

Devin Dehlin, Executive Director of the Utah Section PGA, observed during the awards presentation, “Looks like we’ve got a lot of blue in the house.”

BYU golfer Whitney Banz (71-70) contributed to that picture, tying for third place overall with Salcedo, who was recently named an assistant coach at Fort Lewis College in Colorado.

Wach and her teammates missed this year’s Women’s State Amateur while in Ireland, but she’ll be a contender in next week’s Utah Women’s Stroke Play Championship at Mountain Dell GC. And then she’ll use her winner’s exemption into the Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open at Riverside Country Club, where Ngakuru became the first woman to make the 36-hole cut in 2021, playing as a collegian.

Wach credited BYU coach Carrie Roberts for “working with me all summer,” helping her become more steady.

As for Ngakuru, this was her last tournament prior to LPGA Tour qualifying, starting Aug. 22 in Rancho Mirage, California. “I see things paying off and, mentally, it feels like I’m in a good place,” she said after making 11 birdies in two days.

Women’s State Amateur runner-up Ali Mulhall (73-69), who placed fifth, will join Ngakuru in the LPGA pursuit. She’ll remain an amateur through the first two stages, though.

Other notable performances included a closing 69 for Lone Peak High School senior Adley Nelson, who finished sixth, and eight birdies in two rounds by Garner, who tied for seventh with Utah PGA Professional Haley Sturgeon. Garner’s $1,150 check boosted her Utah Women’s Open career earnings to more than $13,000.

Many thanks to Timpanogos Golf Club PGA Professional Brett Watson and his staff for hosting the 8th annual Seigfied and Jensen Utah Women’s Open.

Utah Women’s Open recap story written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.

At the end of another hot and action-packed day at famed Congressional Country Club, Avery McCrery and Baylor Larrabee rose to the challenge to win the 48th Junior PGA Championships

By Garrett Johnston

On a sweltering, humid day in Washington, DC, Brock Porter finished his debut Junior PGA Championship on Friday with a closing 4-over par 76 on Congressional Country Club’s Blue Course for a 4-over total for the week that placed him tied for twenty-seventh.

For the St. George resident and his parents Troy and Amy, it was his first trip to the nation’s capitol. Though there wasn’t any time for sightseeing on this stop, Brock gave plenty of fireworks early in then week with a share of the co-lead.

“It was interesting. It was just the first round lead, so I wasn’t too nervous (sleeping that night),” Porter said. “I knew I still had to put three more good rounds together. I was definitely a little nervous, but it was a pretty fun experience and it was exciting.”

Getting to play such a famous course with a lot of history got Porter’s attention this week too.

“It was just awesome. It’s a great course and a really good test I think. Just being out there knowing that there’s been so many good players who have competed there and won there, it’s just pretty cool to be able to play there as well,” Porter said.

So after a long week in the heat, and a T27 (+4) 70-73-73-76 – 291 finish, how does Porter rate his performance?

“It was pretty good overall. I would give it a B plus,” Porter said. “The driver on day two and day three I wasn’t hitting enough fairways. That put me in positions where it was harder to hit greens in regulation, and I ended up making a few mistakes.”

Though Porter didn’t finish as strong as he’d hoped, he felt grateful for his parent’s support all week.

“They’ve always been there for me. They’re the only reason that I’m able to come out and compete in all of these tournaments and play my best,” Porter said. “They never forced anything on me, especially golf. No matter how I play, they always love me. Unconditional, for sure”

The 16-year-old has come a long way since first picking up a club at five at The Oaks GC. He says he feels like an underdog when it comes to college interest in his game, and there’s a lot to prove as his senior high school golf season kicks off soon.

For more information about the Junior PGA Championships, visit JuniorPGAChampionship.com and follow on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Garrett Johnston is a golf podcaster and Fairways Media freelance writer who hosts the Beyond the Clubhouse Podcast with Tour pros, caddies and broadcasters: He lives in Washington, DC and you can follow him on Instagram @garrettjohnstong

Moving Day at the 48th Junior PGA Championship saw Utah’s Brock Porter advance to the final round. Another hot day on the Blue Course at Congressional Country Club proved challenging.

Day three saw typical humid summer weather and high temps at the Junior PGA Championship. As players sweated out their rounds the lead in the Boys Division has condensed to a group of four players. Another five players sit just one shot back at -5 through three rounds, with the tournament finishing today.

For St. George’s Brock Porter, a 3-over through 4 start left him temporarily two shots outside the cut line but it was’t enough to derail his day. A 3-under 33 on the scenic back nine got him in at even par 72 for the day and even-par for the championship heading into today’s final round.

“I didn’t hit the driver great on the front nine, that led to a struggle. I went bogey and a double back to back which was unfortunate, and hurts the momentum,” Porter said. “Then I birdied the first three holes of the back nine, so that really got me going. Then I felt I finished really well.”

A birdie on the 18th certainly helped his position. 

And a great tee shot on the gorgeous downhill par 3 10th hole got him off to a critical stretch of three consecutive birdies that kept him in the cut and on the fringe of the hunt.

“I hit a little 9 iron on 10 and it drew back into the back left pin, then had about 10 feet and made it, so that was good.”

How does he feel for the final round?

“It should be good. I’ll be excited and hopefully I can play really well. That’s the goal.”

Garrett Johnston is a golf podcaster and writer who hosts the Beyond the Clubhouse Podcast with Tour pros, caddies and broadcasters. He lives in Washington, DC and you can follow him on Instagram @garrettjohnstong

At the end of a day that featured heat, humidity and an hour-long rain delay, Utah’s Brock Porter has made the cut and sits in the top 20 following the second round of the 48th Junior PGA Championships at Congressional Country Club.

St. George’s Brock Porter remains the high Utah performer after a 2-over 73 on Congressional’s Gold Course saw him finish in a tie for 17th at even par for the Junior PGA Championship. In the Boys Division, the cutline was 4-over, with 66 advancing to play on Thursday. A second cut will be made after 54 holes to the low-30 girls and low-30 boys, plus ties.

The St. George resident posted an impressive 2-under 70 on the better known Blue Course in Tuesday’s opening round to tie for the lead, but ran into a tough challenge on the fast and firm conditions of day two.

“It was pretty tough out there. I didn’t have all of my game, but I just kept grinding and tried to do the best I could and finish well,” Porter said.

Doing his best included an eagle 3 on the par 5 7th.

“I hit a 4 iron and I was hoping it would hit right of the bunker and it ended up bouncing on and running up to about six feet-and then I made it, so that was nice.”

The top 60 and ties make the first cut here at Congressional, and now Porter trails the co-lead by 5 shots.

What’s the focus heading into tomorrow? 

“I’ve just got to stay steady out there. Anything can happen, so I will try and hit it a little better and do my best to roll some good putts.”

Toa Ofahengaue finished his championship outside the 5-over cutline after another 4-over round put him at 8-over for the event.

Lincoln Markham finished his championship at 10-over par after a 6-over 77 on the Gold Course.

“This is a course and event where you’ve just got to enjoy it, really. This is my last junior event because I’m eighteen right now so this is definitely a good one to cap it off,” Markham said on Monday afternoon before the opening round began on Tuesday.

In the Girls Division, Emma Lillywhite finished at 16-over for both days after a 6-over 78 on the Blue. Navy Hubbs shot 22-over for both days after an 85 today.

For more information about the Junior PGA Championships, visit JuniorPGAChampionship.com and follow on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Written by Fairways Media freelancer Garrett Johnston a golf podcaster and writer who hosts the Beyond the Clubhouse Podcast with Tour pros, caddies and broadcasters.  He lives in Washington, DC and you can follow him on Instagram @garrettjohnstongolf.