All posts by : Utah PGA

Through 36 holes of the 2022 PGA Professional Championship at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, eight of the 11 qualified Utah Section professionals have made the first cut.

“Utah always performs well here, but this depth is remarkable,” Kurt Kragthorpe, senior Fairways Media writer, said.

Bruce Summerhays, Casey Fowles, Matt Baird, Joe Summerhays, Craig Hocknull, Tommy Sharp, Jordan Gibbs and Steve Schneiter all survived the first cut – from 312 players to 90. Another cut will be made to the top 70 players after today’s third round.

Utah Section Professionals Chris Moody, Pete Stone and Todd Tanner fell just shy of the 36-hole cut.

The top 20 will advance to next month’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills Golf Course in Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 16-22.

As the third round is underway now, 3-under par cracks the top 20. Bruce Summerhays and Fowles are currently 1-under.

Follow Live Scoring Here.

Photos: Darren Carroll/PGA of America

April is a special month for golfers, mostly because the playing of the Masters at Augusta National, but also for the beginning of a new golf season in Utah. The Utah PGA Spring Pro-Pro, presented by Charley Carlson and hosted by Ogden Country Club signifies that the season is in full bloom.

Davis Park Head Professional Zach Johnson and new Assistant Professional Caiden Jones teamed up to win the Pro-Pro with a Fourball score of (-10) 62, which included eight birdies and an eagle.

“We both chipped in for birdie,” Johnson said. “Caiden made an awesome eagle, made some birdies and good par saves when I was in my pocket. It was a good team effort.”

Jones, who started the PGA Professional Golf Management program in January, couldn’t have started his Utah Section playing career any better.

“We hammed-and-egged it pretty good,” Jones said. “This is my first Section event, it feels great to come out on top. I have to thank Zach for getting me out here.”

Salt Lake Golf Academy Professionals Tommy Sharp and Corey Badger finished runner-up with a (-9) 63 while Eagle Lake Professionals Eric Bumstead and Joe Summerhays finished third at (-7) 65.

Southgate Professionals Eron Deming and Tyler Dalton finished first in the net division with a (-12) 60.

Per tradition, the Spring Pro-Pro acts as a seeding round for the Utah Section PGA Fourball Championship. In true Utah Spring form, the first and second rounds of the Fourball Championship, scheduled to be played April 12^th at Ogden CC, were postponed due to snow.

Johnson & Jones will take the first seed. Johnson won the 2021 Fourball Championship alongside Hubbard Golf Course at Hill Air Force Base Director of Golf Shawn Edwards. He’ll look to defend this year with Jones.

Before golf was played, we had the opportunity to meet as a membership for our Spring Meeting, hoping to set us off on right foot for the 2022 season. After the meeting, out newest Class-A Member Xena Motes was presented her membership plaque. Motes is the head professional at Hubbard.

Thank you to Charley Carlson for supporting the Utah Section and the Spring Pro-Pro every year and thank you to Craig Sarlo, Bob Wallis and the Ogden Country Club staff for hosting our membership.

SPRING PRO-PRO RESULTS

FOURBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

By Kurt Kragthorpe

Ernie Schneiter Jr. long ago was inducted into the Utah Golf Hall of Fame, and he has received multiple honors from the Utah Section PGA and the Utah Golf Association during his 70-plus-year tenure as a golf professional.

The recognition keeps coming, in his 90s. Schneiter was presented a Distinguished Service Award on April 6 during the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation’s annual Spring Honors and Awards Banquet in Salt Lake City.

Schneiter was recognized for his impact in northern Utah, having redesigned and expanded Schneiter’s Riverside Golf Course in Riverdale and built Schneiter’s Bluff GC in West Point. He’s credited with introducing countless golfers to the game while promoting golf on a one-on-one basis with his personable nature.

The Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation annually presents one or two Distinguished Service Awards. High school drill team advocate Lori Rupp will be honored alongside Schneiter in the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Museum in the City Creek Center.

Joe Cravens was recognized as a Coach of Merit and Roger Buhrley, John Colosimo, Gil Cordova, Gail Meakins, Alaina Parker and Dave Wigham were named Distinguished High School Coaches.

Schneiter, a 1948 graduate of Weber High School, was inducted into the Utah Golf Hall of Fame in 2004, along with Mike Weir and Mary Lou Baker. He was named the Utah Section PGA Professional of the Year in 1997 and received both the UGA’s Gold Club Award and the PGA’s Jeff Beaudry Golf Ambassador Award in 2000.

Every golfer’s favorite month of the year is here – and more specifically Masters week is upon us!

We’re here to add even more golf to your day with the April edition of Utah PGA Monthly digital magazine: Read it HERE.

In this issue:

Membership Memories: Scott Brandt

Tips For the Pro: Marco Leoni, social media.

Why I Play: Clint Godfrey

This or That?: Jake Wyatt

By Keith Soriano, PGA

It’s. HERE.  My favorite golf week of the year… The Masters.  As I think about everything that goes into preparing to host the best golfers in the world, I think about the teams of people involved.  The team that puts on each major championship in 2022 has worked diligently for years prior to prepare for their time in the spotlight.  While you may never host an event of this magnitude at your facility, you probably have experience preparing for “major” events. The time, energy, and dedication spent to ensure that tournaments such as your Club Championship or Member-Guest are a success serves as a valuable reminder of the importance of preparation. 

My colleague Todd Smith, PGA once wrote an article on the importance of properly preparing for interviews by comparing them to playing a practice round.  As one of the most decorated players in the PGA of America and a multi-time participant in the PGA Championship, he knows what he’s talking about. It was an important topic, and his article caused me to consider other career-related “major” events that should demand your attention. Like the annual calendar of major golf events, I have identified an annual cadence of four “major” career events that you should complete to prepare you for future success.

What is a “major” career-related event? In my opinion, it is anything that impacts the quality of your job, your enjoyment of it, or the intersection of your work and the rest of your life. Adding the following events to your annual calendar is a positive first step in achieving each of those objectives.

Annual Self-Evaluation and Employer Review – While the effectiveness of annual reviews is often debated and many employees dread the process, you can turn your review into a productive, career-building interaction with some additional preparation. Start with an honest self-evaluation of your performance during the year. Did you reach the goals you set for yourself? Did you meet the performance objectives of your employer? Can you clearly articulate the value you provided using real data? Use the time with your employer to discuss personal goals and understand their vision for the future. Your employer’s feedback and insight can be valuable resources and serve as a guide to identify opportunities for growth. 

Update Your Resume – After a thorough self-evaluation and employer review, it’s time to update your resume to include your greatest successes and highlight additional skills or experiences that you have gained. If you were able to clearly articulate the value you provided to your employer during the review process, add those success stories to your resume as impactful bullet points. 

Reassess Values & Priorities  – Your time, energy, & resources are all finite, which means you need to be intentional about how you choose to spend them. Have there been meaningful changes in your personal life? Were there any significant changes to your job or at your workplace? In either case, any dramatic changes may necessitate a shift in your priorities, which may require options you’ve never considered before. In that instance, seeking the counsel of someone with an outsider’s perspective may be beneficial. 

Goal Setting – This is a critical step, as goals help to define exactly what will demand your attention from this point forward. Using the knowledge gained through your Self-Evaluation, Employer Review & Values Assessment, set specific goals that will help you meet the expectations of your employer while finding the correct balance between your work and your life. Be sure to write them down and share them with someone who will hold you accountable. 

There you have it. A schedule of “major” career events that, like the Masters, should be highlights of your annual calendar. The timing of each will vary depending on your season, but when the time comes, I encourage you to connect with your mentors or myself to help guide you through the process. 

CLICK HERE to make an appointment with Keith Soriano, Regional Director |Member & Section Operations.

The Utah PGA Digital Book of Golf is your personal caddie to having your best 2022 Utah golf experience. Everything you need to know about Utah golf is at your fingertips, including Utah golf tournament calendars, an extensive golf course directory, allied golf association information, Utah golf award winners information and so much more. 

Created to serve Utah golfers of all types and abilities, the Utah Digital Book of Golf is now available for the first time as an easy point and click digital format publication compliments of the Utah Section PGA, including your home course PGA professional. 

To access your Utah PGA Digital Book of Golf, CLICK HERE

On behalf of the Utah Section PGA we wish you all the best and hope this is your best season ever.

The March issue of Utah PGA Monthly digital magazine is here!
Read it HERE.

In this issue:

Membership Memories: Chip Garriss

Utah Section Roundtable: Sponsorship Relations with Ryan Rhees, Jared Barnes & Brett Watson

Why I Play: Brock Padilla

Emergency 9: Eron Deming

Utah PGA Monthly Archive.

The Utah Section PGA is excited to announce Cassie Campos as the Utah PGA Junior Golf Manager and our newest team member.

Campos has been a summer intern on our junior golf staff for four seasons. As her knowledge for the game and the Utah PGA Junior Series increases, we see the benefits she will bring to the Utah Section and Utah junior golf as a full-time staff member.

“Being a part of the Utah PGA family has been the greatest opportunity,” she said. “I am so excited to be able to continue to help grow the game of golf for junior golfers in Utah and share my passion for the game of golf with them.”

As registration for the 2022 Utah PGA Junior Series season begins today, and the start of the season just around the corner – here are some fun facts about Cassie Campos:

• Graduated from Bountiful High School and was a member of the golf team.
• Played golf and attended Westminster College in Salt Lake City from 2016-2021, where she graduated with a degree in accounting. 
• Member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, where she met with other student athletes to come up with ways to improve the student athlete experience. 
• 2X Second Team All-RMAC and 4X All-Academic RMAC Team. 
• Member of the 2021 Conference Championship Team at Westminster. Go Griffs
• Had the amazing opportunity to work as a Merchandising Intern for the PGA of America at the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits Golf Course in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Where she took part in creating and working in the 60,000-square foot merchandising tent for a month. 

Click here for more information on the 2022 Utah PGA Junior Series season.

The RMT/EZGO Winter Classic in honor of Mike Stanger and supported by Under Armour was the perfect way to kick off the 2022 Utah Section season with three rounds of golf, the annual Awards Banquet and the Annual Meeting – bringing Section members together to start the year.

After a warm-up scramble round at The Ledges to shake off the rust, two Stableford championship rounds were played at Southgate Golf Course and Bloomington Country Club, where familiar names would top the leaderboards.

In the regular division, Davis Park Head Professional Zach Johnson took command of the tournament in the final round with a (-6) 66 that included two eagles, four birdies and two bogies.

“I had a good stretch on our first few holes,” Johnson said.  “I birdied 15, eagled 16 and birdied 17. I hit it out of bounds on 18, which was disappointing, and made bogey. Then I got up on hole one and eagled, so our first 8-9 holes I had three birdies and two eagles.”

That strong stretched propelled him from being three-points behind first-round leader Matt Baird, who finished third with 83 total points. Johnson finished with 95 points and reigning champion Casey Fowles finished runner-up with 86 points.

In the women’s division, Salt Lake Country Club Assistant Professional Haley Sturgeon completed the “hat trick” winning her third consecutive Winter Classic with 82 total points. This placed her T4 in the regular division as well.

“The beginning of the year for me has been a struggle mentally and physically with two injuries, but now I’m recovering from those and my game is starting to come back,” Sturgeon said. “No bogies today, two birdies, missed an eagle putt, but was putting solid. I drove the ball well, irons were decent, but my putting made it easy.”

Sturgeon plans on competing in a couple Cactus Tour events at the end of the month and received word from Copper Rock Head Professional John Horton that she has been given an exemption to play in the Epson Tour’s Copper Rock Championship for the second consecutive year.

Stonebridge Professional Paul Phillips picked up where he left off last year with his strong play in Section events, winning the senior division by two points over reigning champion Doug Roberts.

Phillips holed out for eagle on his second hole of the day from about 100 yards on the par-four 10^th hole at Bloomington. He would finish one-under for the day and 85 points for the championship.

In the super senior division, it was Bloomington Director of Golf Scott Brandt and Utah Sports Hall of Fame member Jay Don Blake finishing tied at the top with 82-total points.

And to round out the championship, Chip Garriss won the legend division with 79 points, four better than runner-up Larry Stubblefield.

Thank you to Chad Kartchner of RMT/EZGO and Jordan Bloxham of Under Armour for sponsoring the event and supporting the Utah Section. It was a week to remember and honor our dear friend Mike Stanger, who had been a big supporter of the Winter Classic for years.

The highlight of the week was gathering as a Utah PGA family to celebrate our 2021 award winners in the Awards Banquet and set off on the right foot for a new year after the Annual Meeting.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS

TEAM PLAY RESULTS

Over the past few years, we have seen a significant increase in junior golf. The Utah PGA is committed to creating a great experience for junior golfers to learn the game of golf as well as offer competitive events for golfers ages 4-18. Due to the demand, we will be expanding our program in order to create more opportunities for juniors wanting to participate in our events. The full Utah PGA Junior Series schedule including JET, Linkster and Itty Bitty events will be posted by February 15, 2022. Registration for these events will open March 1 at 9:00AM.

We are excited to expand the number of Majors we offer to 5 events. The Majors are for experienced players. There will now be a handicap requirement for these events in order to create a better experience for all golfers interested in the more competitive events. For boys ages 13-18 participating in Majors, the requirement will be that you must have a handicap under 15. Girls ages 13-18  must have a handicap under 24 to participate in Majors. 

All members and non-members will be able to sign up for these events March 1, 2022 with the knowledge that they will have to have an established handicap meeting the requirement the day of the entry deadline. (Those deadlines are typically the week before the actual event) If you do not meet the requirement on that date, you will be issued a full refund and a player from the waiting list will be considered to take this spot. 

How will you start to establish a handicap? This year your Utah PGA Junior Series membership fee will include a UGA membership card. You will be able to start establishing your handicap immediately once you start posting rounds this spring. Handicaps are updated frequently, so this will be fun for you to set goals and watch your handicap improve over the summer.

New to the Majors season is exemption spots into the Notah Begay Regional event at Glendale Golf Course on September 17-18. The winners of the Salt Lake City Major, Valley View Davis Major, Toeele County Major and Utah County Rumble will earn a spot to play. More information about the Notah Begah Jr. Golf National Championship can be found here.

Membership fees for the 2022 season will be $65 for ages 13-18 and $40 for ages 4-12. The UGA membership card is only included for the 13-18 age group. Membership for all ages allows members to sign up for events and a membership gift. Having a membership also gives you access to member pricing for the Majors. 

Having an established handicap will only be required for those participating in the Major series.  We will still hold our one day 18-hole events for those who are not quite ready to play in the Majors, as well as those wanting to play in more events. Another new addition this year is that our  9-hole “B-Flight” in the 13-18 division will be for those who do not feel they can play 18 holes. Once your junior feels they are ready for 18 holes simply request to be moved to the “A-flight”. 

We are looking forward to another great summer!