It would not be accurate to say that Haley Sturgeon earned the Assistant Professional of the Year award in the Utah Section PGA by bringing the Larry H. Miller Utah Women’s Open to The Country Club in Salt Lake City.
This statement, though, is true: The qualities that made it happen certainly help explain why Sturgeon is being honored.
Whether the task is assigned to her or she develops the idea herself, Sturgeon is becoming known for following through. That’s true on the golf course and in the golf shop
“Our membership thinks the world of her. I believe she is their favorite employee,” Bill Blackett, The Country Club’s Head Professional, wrote in nominating Sturgeon for the award. “I am confident she will go on to become a great Head Golf Professional someday.”
This recognition comes in Sturgeon’s first year of eligibility as a Class A PGA member. She follows 2024 recipient Nyomy Obcemea of Ogden Golf & Country Club as the second woman to be named Assistant Professional of the Year in the award’s 40-year history.
The 32-year-old Sturgeon poignantly labeled 2025 “a year of hard work, personal growth and personal heartache.”
A third miscarriage, amid the joy of witnessing 2-year-old son Jack’s development, was a setback for Sturgeon and her husband, Davis. As she said, “Those losses, they hit you harder every time. … Life still goes on, unfortunately.”
Sturgeon persevered in her job and in her own golf pursuits during a year that will long be remembered in Utah golf for the rise of the Utah Women’s Open in its ninth edition. Sturgeon not only was a driving force of the event, gaining the approval and sponsorships of club members, but she created a final-round stir with a 69 that gave her second place behind Emilee Hoffman.
She’s proud of “helping to elevate the event to a new level of prestige,” she said, resulting in “increased visibility to and support for women’s golf in Utah.”
Sturgeon also thrived in coordinating the club membership’s golf programming. The offerings included 16 major club events, 20 ladies’ events and regular games, conducted four days a week. The club welcomed about 30 new members in 2025, and nearly all of them became involved in competition.
Sturgeon also has served the Section by working on the Tournament Committee and the Business Planning Committee.
2025 Utah PGA Assistant Professional of the Year Award profile written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photo by Fairways Media/Garrit Johnson.