Matt Baird’s home-course performance in the Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open is a natural starting point for the summary of how he became the Utah Section PGA’s Player of the Year for the first time. There’s always more to the story, including a stop in Vernal.
Winning this annual points competition requires both outstanding play and a commitment to playing something close to a full schedule. Baird checked both boxes in 2024, accumulating 6,123.5 points to 6,110.25 for Zach Johnson in a remarkably close race.
Baird’s 69-68-67 showing in the Utah Open at Riverside Country Club, where he’s the longtime teaching professional, gave him 1,200 points as the Section’s top performer. Having edged Johnson in that event to put himself in Player of the Year position, Baird added the Vernal Open to his schedule in late September and finished third, again placing just ahead of Johnson.
“It’s cool,” Baird said of the award, having interrupted Casey Fowles’ three-year run. “I’ve always been pretty close. It’s ironic that I win it when I turn 50 (in October). I haven’t made it a priority in my life, but it just helps me look back over the year, and I’m proud.”
Baird gave himself credit for patience during the Utah Open, on a rain-soaked course that played much differently that the usual firm, fast track. And he’s pleased to maintain a high-level game, while spending most of his days attending to the swings of other golfers, from brothers Keanu and Kihei Akina on the elite level to the average Riverside member.
Now that he’s 50, Baird observed, “As a senior, you’re not trying to prove yourself, just going out and enjoying the game.”
Feature written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography by Fairways Media/Garrit Johnson.