Every year, the Utah PGA Section Championship crowns a champion, sends top finishers on to the national stage, and adds another chapter to the history of Utah golf. This year at Toana Vista Golf Club, that history came with an exclamation point.
Haley Sturgeon, Assistant Professional at The Country Club, became the first female Utah PGA professional to qualify for the national PGA Professional Championship. Her 4-under par total of 140 on rounds of 71–69 earned her a tie for 5th place, inside the top seven qualifier cutoff, and with it, a spot in the 2025 PGA Professional Championship.
No woman in the history of the Utah Section has ever done what Sturgeon just accomplished.
“Being my first Section Championship, I was just so excited to finally be there,” Sturgeon told Utah Golf Radio hosts Paul Pugmire, Jan Brownstein, and Section member Tommy Sharp. “As an associate, you always dream of it—getting your Class A and earning the chance to play. To compete and qualify my first time in, that’s just unbelievable.”
Unbelievable, maybe. But make no mistake—it was also earned.
Sturgeon opened her first round at Toana Vista carding five birdies on the front nine, including a streak of three straight on holes seven, eight, and nine. She made the turn at 4-under and steadied herself on the back, closing with a birdie on 18 for a 71. Day two was all about patience and execution. With the notes she had made from round one in hand, Sturgeon played smart, steady golf. She dropped a birdie on the par-5 6th, then rolled in what turned out to be the pivotal putt of her championship—a tricky downhill slider on seven for another birdie, her 15th and 16th holes of the final round.
“That was a big one, but I had no idea what it meant at the time,” Sturgeon said. “I never once looked at the leaderboard. I just didn’t want that extra pressure. I was just trying to play smart and let it happen.”
When she walked off 18 and turned in her card, she realized what she had done. Tied for 5th. In.
“It was surreal. People started congratulating me, and I thought, ‘Okay, I had a good round.’ Then I looked at the board and saw I was T5 and thought, holy cow. I had no idea. I was just out there playing.”
Sturgeon’s finish wasn’t just about personal accomplishment. It carried weight for women’s golf in Utah and beyond.
“I thought about it on the way home, wondering if a woman from Utah had ever done this before. When I realized I was the first, it just felt incredible. Hopefully this inspires younger girls and women to know they can play at this level, too.”
Sturgeon is now part of a short but significant list of female PGA professionals who have earned their way into the PGA Professional Championship, names like Suzy Whaley, Joanna Coe, and Ashley Greer. And now, Utah has one of its own.
For Sturgeon, the focus now shifts to preparation. “Lots of TrackMan practice rounds,” she said with a laugh.
But whatever comes next, her place in Utah PGA history is already secured. At Toana Vista, Haley Sturgeon didn’t just make the top five. She made history.
Utah PGA Section Qualifiers for the 2025 PGA Professional Championship
Seven Utah PGA professionals punched their tickets to next April’s national PGA Professional Championship thanks to their finishes at the Section Championship in Wendover:
Chris Moody – Section Champion (-6)*
Tommy Sharp – Runner-up (-6)
Zach Johnson – (-5)
Todd Tanner – (-5)
Haley Sturgeon – (-4) First female Utah PGA professional ever to qualify
Tele Wightman – (-4)
Evan Wartgow – (-4)
*Won a three hole playoff
Click here for the Utah Golf Radio show recording with Tommy Sharp, Chris Moody and Haley Sturgeon.
Story and photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson