All posts by : Randy Dodson

Joe Summerhays finally got an up-close look at the trophy for the Utah Section PGA’s Match Play Championship. His eyes went right to the inscription of the 1988 winner: Bruce Summerhays. 

Joe’s father, then the PGA Head Professional of Wasatch Mountain Golf Course, claimed his title two years after the Section’s founding. The father-son achievement, 37 years in the making, was completed Wednesday, when Joe Summerhays outlasted Matt Baird in a 1-up victory in the 18-hole final match at Hill Air Force Base’s Hubbard Memorial Golf Course.

The latest Summerhays championship required winning an unprecedented six matches, with this year’s expansion to a 64-golfer bracket. On the way to claiming the $2,500 first prize, the teaching pro from Eagle Lake Golf Course/Oakridge Country Club had to play 25 holes in Tuesday’s quarterfinals vs. Tyler Ott. 

And he was happy just to extend that match, thanks to dramatic putts on the last two holes of regulation. “Yeah, that was crazy,” he said. “Once you do that, you kind of feel like maybe it’s meant to be, a little bit.”

Such destiny seemingly was derailed Wednesday, when Summerhays three-putted for a par after two brilliant shots on No. 15 (the sixth hole of the match) and merely tied the hole. But if you know Summerhays, you know he’s not easily fazed. 

“I just try to keep playing, try to leave that in the past and just play,” he said. “I knew I was playing well.”

That remained true, especially on the two par-5s of their second nine. Summerhays was in eagle range after two swings on each hole and Baird’s errant shots cost him good birdie opportunities. That’s how Summerhays came from 2 down on that side, and he pulled ahead with a birdie after a wedge shot to within 4 feet on the par-4 No. 8. 

“I just made a lot of mistakes coming down the last nine, and Joe’s so consistent,” said Baird, the reigning Section Player of the Year and teaching pro at Riverside Country Club.              

“This is a big deal for me,” said the 53-year-old Summerhays, a two-time winner of the Section’s Senior Match Play Championship. “I’ve always wanted to win it, and haven’t been able to do it. … It took awhile, but I got it done.”

The value of experience ultimately became a theme of the tournament, after the emergence of up-and-coming pros looked like a potential story angle. Defending champion Casey Fowles received a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed, before being upset by Josh Leddy in the round of 32. Leddy then lost to Ott, who threatened to eliminate Summerhays. 

Youth eventually gave way to the veterans, with the semifinalists’ average age approaching 50. Baird topped Zach Johnson in 21 holes, while Summerhays was a 1-up winner over Tommy Sharp.  

And then Summerhays rallied to earn his title as the No. 8 seed. He’ll look to add another Senior Match Play victory this summer, with the final match scheduled July 10 at Willow Creek Country Club. Baird will be among his biggest challengers.

Click here for the final 2025 Utah PGA Match Play Championship bracket scoring.

2025 Match Play Championship feature written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.

How about a round of applause for Utah Section PGA’s Steve Schneiter! The veteran PGA Professional playing out of Pebblebrook GC in Sandy, added another chapter to his remarkable career yesterday by qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open at the Country Club of Colorado.

Schneiter carded an even-par 71 and advanced from a playoff to earn one of just five spots available, punching his ticket to the 45th U.S. Senior Open Championship at The Broadmoor GC in Colorado Springs.

Also, congrats to Mountain View GC PGA Professional Mark Owen who secured the first alternate spot out of the playoff.

A national championship run is nothing new for Steve. He’s already won on the national PGA Professional stage multiple times — and he’s not done yet. The USGA’s Senior Open tees off June 26-29.

Results: https://tinyurl.com/3nt8fc5e

Cristie Kerr briefly held the lead in the final round last May at Copper Rock Golf Course, only to have Angela Stanford overtake her. 

The sequel was another story, in the 2025 LPGA Legends Championship. Kerr led all the way Saturday, taking a two-stroke win over Moira Dunn-Bohls.

“It feels awesome,” said the 47-year-old Kerr. “Yeah, I was on a mission this week.”

Kerr posted 69-71-70 for a 6-under-par total, holding off Dunn-Bohls, who closed with a 68, and Maria McBride, whose 67 gave her third place for the second year in a row in Hurricane. Stanford, the tournament’s two-time defending champion, tied for 11th. 

Utah Golf Hall of Fame member Sue Nyhus tied for 39th, finishing in the middle of the starting field of 78. Nyhus’ even-par 72 was topped by only nine players Saturday, while she competed in her early 60s via a Utah Section PGA sponsor exemption in an event for golfers 45 and older. 

Kerr was a fitting winner on the unofficial ending of Women in Golf Month, as declared by Washington County. She played in the inaugural LPGA Black Desert Championship in early May as part of her preparation for a return to Copper Rock. In between, the Epson Tour made its annual visit to Hurricane, following a stop in Scottsdale, Arizona, where Kerr made a hometown appearance and tied for 10th place. 

“I said that if I wanted to have a chance here … I needed to get some reps,” Kerr said. “I made myself do it.”

The strategy worked, as Kerr collected a $60,000 check on the 60th birthday of her husband, Erik Stevens. 

So as the LPGA Legends Championship moves to Indiana in 2026 and Pennsylvania in ‘27, Copper Rock administrators can savor the achievement of staging women’s pro golf doubleheaders in consecutive years. They also get to claim a 20-time LPGA Tour winner (including two major titles) as their most recent champion.

“It means the absolute world to me that I can still get it done,” said Kerr, whose most recent title came in a 2017 LPGA Tour event in Malaysia.   

Kerr parred the last seven holes to stay in front Saturday, after bogeying No. 10 and birdieing No. 11. The back-nine challenge involved “having a hard time controlling the adrenaline, instead of feeling like I was going to mess up or something,” she said. “So, kind of losing the feel a little bit. But I hung in there.”

So did Nyhus, in her own way. Having opened with 78-80, she made four birdies and four bogeys in the final round and described herself as “relieved” afterward.

Nyhus added, “I knew I could do it. But whether I could bring myself to hit the shots I knew I could hit, in this moment, is where I’m a little in and out.”

She was more “in” than “out” Saturday, although a topped drive, covering only about 100 yards and luckily bouncing across a cart path and desert area to find grass, led to her most spectacular birdie. After a 7-wood shot just short of the green on the par-4 No. 2 (her 11th hole the day), she chipped in for an unlikely “3.” She got to 2 under for the day with a 30-foot birdie putt on the next hole, before making two late bogeys.

Nyhus expects her showing to give more LPGA Legends opportunities.

Representing the Utah Golf Association as the only amateur in the field, Arizona resident Robin Krapfl (77-81-82) tied for 59th place. Krapfl won the Utah Senior Women’s State Amateur in September to earn the UGA exemption.

2025 LPGA Legends Championship final leaderboard.

2025 LPGA Legends Championship at Copper Rock final round recap written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.

The four practically perfect shots that Utah Golf Hall of Fame member Sue Nyhus delivered to start the LPGA Legends Championship at Copper Rock were only a few of her favorite memories from playing the par-5 opening hole. 

She’ll remember her caddie, former BYU golf contemporary Dave DeSantis, telling her on the tee, “You belong.”

She’ll appreciate Devin Dehlin, Executive Director of the Utah Section PGA, following through on the sponsor exemption he helped her receive by running to the first tee to witness her first drive in Hurricane. 

And she’ll think about her husband, Steve, who walked alongside her Thursday, representing a family that has framed her life beyond golf. 

In an adventurous round that added up to a 6-over-par 78, just below average in the 78-player field, Nyhus produced some highlights. She appeared on the leaderboard after five holes, having carded three birdies and a bogey. Nyhus made consecutive double bogeys, yet she was only 3 over par through 15 holes. 

She then produced a 9-2 scoring sequence that almost became an even more improbable 9-1, thanks to a well-placed 9-iron shot on the par-3 No. 17. Her ball landed on the bank to the right and trickled down, catching a lot of the hole as it sharply spun out. 

The comeback from the desert-driven quadruple bogey on the previous hole typified how Nyhus battled all day, saving par five times on the last 10 holes via scrambling. 

“I was nervous all day,” she said. “I’m exhausted.”

Robin Krapfl, Nyhus’ friend from their college golf coaching tenures, topped her with a more conventional 77, making one birdie and six bogeys. Krapfl is in the field via the Utah Golf Association’s exemption, having won the Senior Women’s State Amateur last September. Krapfl, an Arizona resident, and partner Marci DuBois also were co-champions of the Women’s Spring Open team tournament in St. George in April. 

Nyhus and Krapfl are grouped together for Friday’s second round. 

Charlotta Sorenstam leads the 54-hole, no-cut event with a 66, followed by 2024 runner-up Cristie Kerr, Leta Lindley and Moira Dunn-Bohls at 69. Two-time defending champion Angela Stanford posted a 72. 

The LPGA Legends Championship, booked for Indiana in 2026 and Pennsylvania in ‘27,  returned to Copper Rock Golf Course for a second year. That created an opportunity for Nyhus, with organizers adding the Utah Section PGA exemption in the senior major event for golfers 45 and older.

“I’m playing with my people, even though I’m not at their level,” said Nyhus, 62. “To be among women who are older, who are passionate about the game, means so much to me. It makes me feel I’m not so alone.”

She’s in her own Utah women’s pro golf demographic, in other words. And at this stage of life, she said, “You can’t get higher competition” than the LPGA Legends.

That’s why Nyhus was nervous, even while famously having competed in every United States Golf Association available to her since her teens. Aside from the 9 on the par-5 No. 16, caused by a hooked drive, she certainly justified Dehlin’s advocacy and DeSantis’ belief in her.              

And when she struck a nice drive on the par-5 No. 12, Nyhus good-naturedly announced, “I knew it was in me.”

2025 LPGA Legends Championship opening round leaderboard.

LPGA Legends Championship opening round recap written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.

There’s a different kind of excitement in the air this week at Copper Rock Golf Course in Hurricane, Utah. The kind of buzz that happens when greatness gathers—and for two golfers with Utah ties, it’s also a week to reflect, reconnect, and compete among the game’s legends.

For the second straight year, Copper Rock hosts the LPGA Legends Championship, bringing with it a field rich with major championship history, hall-of-fame credentials, and experience won from decades on tour. This week, Utah fans have a little more to cheer for.

Thanks to exemptions from the Utah PGA and the Utah Golf Association, two standout representatives of the state’s extensive season—Sue Nyhus and Robin Krapfl—are teeing it up alongside the LPGA Legends’ best.

And make no mistake, they’re not here just to rub elbows.

“This on the fun scale is a 9.75” Nyhus laughed during a Pro-Am round Wednesday. “I can’t thank the Utah PGA enough for this opportunity. To be out here with my daughters Kimberly and Katie, my best golfing pal Kari Lawrence, with Utah PGA Pro Dave DeSantis on the bag and my husband tagging along—it’s the best day on the golf course.”

Nyhus, a Utah Golf Hall of Fame inductee, Utah PGA member, and pioneer of women’s competitive golf in the state, has seen just about everything the game can offer. But even she admits, walking the range and rekindling friendships with names like Laura Davies, Trish Johnson, and Laura Diaz stirs something special.

“These women played junior golf, high school golf, college golf, amateur golf together. Then I went to the European Tour and crossed paths with a bunch of them there too. We’re rekindling 40-year-old friendships,” she said. “It’s like the movie A League of Their Own, but for golf.”

For Nyhus, the goal this week isn’t about the leaderboard—though she’s prepared for that, too.

“I just want my light to shine. I’ve been working on my game, and hopefully I can bring it to bear. No expectations, no pressure. I have nothing to prove to anyone.”

Nyhus tees off at 9:22 a.m. Thursday on the first tee with Dana Ebster and Christy Longfield.

Joining her in the field is Robin Krapfl, the reigning Utah Senior Women’s State Amateur Champion, who earned her spot via the UGA exemption. Krapfl’s game and confidence both found new life last season, and this week is the payoff.

“I’ve worked really hard on my game, and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished,” said Krapfl. “Winning the Senior State Am last year—it was actually the first match play event I’ve ever won. That gave me a ton of confidence. I’m just thankful to the UGA for this opportunity.”

Her goal for the week?

“Well, sure, I’d love to win but I want to finish in the top 25. I don’t know if that’s realistic or not, but it’d be fun—because top 25 means an invite back next year. But really, I’m just taking it all in. To be on the range next to players like Julie Inkster and Hollis Stacy—it’s beyond exciting.”

Krapfl tees off at 11:12 a.m. Thursday from the 10th tee alongside Barb Moxness and Patricia Beliard.

This year’s LPGA Legends Championship features a 78-player field, with a $400,000 purse with $60,000 to the champion. Defending champion Angela Stanford returns chasing a three-peat after her 10-under performance last year edged out Cristie Kerr by three shots.

Eight LPGA major champions headline the field, including Stanford, Kerr, Brandie Burton, Dame Laura Davies, Pat Hurst, Christa Johnson, Liselotte Neumann, and Hollis Stacy.

But for Utah golf fans, this week is just as much about celebrating another chapter in Utah golf history. Whether it’s a Hall of Famer like Nyhus reconnecting with lifelong friends or a newly confident champion like Krapfl representing Utah’s largest golf association, it’s clear that the LPGA Legends Championship is more than just a tournament. It’s a reminder that Utah’s fairways have produced—and continue to inspire—golfers whose stories are every bit as compelling as those found in the LGPA history books.

2025 LPGA Legends Championship opening round tee times and pairings.

2025 LPGA Legends Championship advance story and photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson

The way Patrick Fishburn sees it, not making the cut at the PGA Tour’s Myrtle Beach Classic last week was a blessing in disguise, even if it was his third-straight missed cut in as many weeks.

Shortly after shooting 73-74 at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club in South Carolina to miss the cut by a bunch, Fishburn packed his bags, jumped into a car with his caddy, Alex “Big Al” Riddell, and made the three-hour drive to Charlotte, North Carolina, for this week’s 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Club.

Fishburn, the former Fremont High and BYU golf star from Ogden, is playing in his first major golf championship, beginning Thursday at a course he was unfamiliar with until getting in a practice round Sunday when he could have still been playing back in Myrtle Beach if he had made the cut there.

“It’s not a golf course that you would want to play blindly,” he said, noting that it was so rainy Monday that he couldn’t get out on the course.

In his second season on the PGA Tour, Fishburn is 71st on the PGA Championship Points List, but only the top 70 players are guaranteed spots in the second major of the season. However, he got in when Billy Horschel had to withdraw after having hip surgery.

“Obviously, you grow up in golf dreaming of playing in the majors, so this is a dream come true,” Fishburn said.

Fishburn, 32, is one of two Utahns in the 156-player field, joining former Salt Lake City resident Tony Finau, who will be playing in his 36th major and 11th PGA Championship. Fishburn and Finau, 35, played a practice round together on Tuesday.

Fishburn tees off on No. 10 Thursday at 5:16 a.m. MDT with Andre Chi and Seamus Power.

Finau, who tied for 18th in last year’s PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky, tees off on No. 10 Thursday at 6:33 a.m. MDT with Nicolai Hojgaard and Max Greyserman.

“I am so excited to play,” Fishburn told the Deseret News on Tuesday. “I think this golf course sets up well for me. It lends itself to some of the strengths I have and allows me to play the way I like to play.”

Obviously, the 6-foot-4 Fishburn, who grew up on a horse farm outside of Ogden and was a high school basketball star at Fremont High before serving a two-year church mission in Nashville, Tennessee, loves the monstrous 7,626-yard layout at Quail Hollow because he’s one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour.

“It is an unbelievable venue, probably the biggest property I have played a tournament on. It is massive,” he said. “I have heard multiple people say this is the closest thing to Augusta National that they have played. I believe them, from what I have seen. It is a really impressive place.”

Fishburn won the Utah State Amateur in 2016 and the Utah Open in 2017 before turning pro in 2018. He earned his PGA Tour card prior to the 2023-24 season and is currently 107th in the FedEx Cup standings and 114th in the Official World Golf Rankings.

He’s had two top-10 finishes in the 14 events he’s played in 2025, tying for sixth at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January and tying for fifth at the Valero Texas Open a month ago. Just making the cut at par-71 Quail Hollow would be a big accomplishment, but he’s not focusing on any particular results this week.

“I am more caught up in the process of things than the results. I just know that if I do certain things with each shot, I have a good feeling it will lead to something good,” he said.

Fishburn said he’s had some issues with his putting the past few weeks, but believes he figured out the problem on the practice green the other day: a putter that has the wrong loft and the wrong lie angle.

“So that was kind of a big thing to discover,” he said. “Some little tweaks I have made around the greens, just chipping and putting and just scoring the ball the last two days have really helped.

“So I think I have the game to be in the hunt. You never really think of winning or what place you are going to take,” he continued. “I just know if I play the way I am capable of playing, it will be good enough to be involved on Sunday, even though I have no experience playing in majors and I have no idea what to expect.”

To make up for his inexperience in majors, Fishburn has leaned on his three best friends in golf: Finau, Zurich Classic teammate Zac Blair and veteran PGA Tour player Daniel Summerhays, who, like, Fishburn and Blair, also played for BYU.

Summerhays is rehabbing this season and will be in Charlotte this weekend to provide more advice and mentoring. He placed third in the 2016 PGA Championship.

“I lean a lot on all those guys. They have been huge mentors for me,” Fishburn said. “Asking questions and getting advice is something I have done for a lot of years. I haven’t been afraid to learn from really everyone. There is so much to learn in golf and I try to pay attention to how guys are approaching shots and puling them off. Those guys have always been extremely good to me in providing information and being mentors for me. I am lucky to have those three guys to look up to.”

Along with Summerhays, Fishburn will have his parents — Steve and Peggy — and some old high school friends cheering him on in North Carolina, as well as his agent, Rob Despain, and former Ogden Golf & Country Club pro Craig Sarlo.

His wife of eight years, Madison, won’t be able to make the trip because she is eight months pregnant with the couple’s third child.

“What a proud moment for Utah and the Fishburn family,” Despain said on his Fishin’ for Birdies podcast recently. “It is definitely a milestone in Patrick’s career.”

2025 PGA Championship feature written by Desert News Sports’ Jay Drew. Photos by Fairways Media unless otherwise credited.

The U.S. Senior Open Local Qualifier was held on Wednesday at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, and two members of the Utah PGA advanced to the Final Qualifying, and are now just one step away from playing in a major. Ryan Kartchner (Reef Captial/Black Desert Resort) and Mark Owen (Mountain View GC) both shot 2-over par 74 to claim two of nine spots available. And both are excited about getting there.

This is the second time Kartchner, 52, has tried to qualify for the U.S. Senior Open. Last year, he went to Newport, CA to try to qualify. 

“I got there the day before and played 9-holes in a practice round,” he said. “The next day in the tournament, I played those 9-holes in 1-under par. But I played the other 9-holes in 7-over.”

This year, Kartchner has been playing more, and felt like his game was in a good enough place to make it through the Local Qualifying.

“My new job has allowed me to practice and play more. I’ve been hitting my driver well, and I thought if I could just hit fairways and greens today, I would have a chance.”

That chance almost slipped away on hole 12, when he hit a 3-wood off the tee and it found the water, leading to a double bogey. He hit a hybrid off the next tee, found the right side hazard and ended up with a triple bogey. But he bounced back with birdies on the next two holes and parred out to punch his ticket to the next round.

For the 56 year old Owen, the Local Qualifier almost didn’t happen. 

“I was thinking about withdrawing,” he said. “My back has been giving me fits. I got out of work later than I wanted and traffic was a mess. My tee time was 9:30, and I got there at 9:15. The two guys I was supposed to play with both withdrew, so I was a single. I thought about leaving, but they said they would get me a marker and I could catch up to the next group, so I decided to play 9-holes and see how I felt.”

He felt well enough to shoot 1-under on the front nine, with eight pars and one birdie.

“We played the front nine in less than two hours, then it took us another hour just to play 10 and 11. I got frustrated and bogeyed 12 and 13, but birdied the par 5 14th.”

He was one over for his round with an 8-inch putt for par on 18. He missed it, and thought that 2-over was not going to get him in.

“They told me to hang around because I might be in a playoff. We were getting ready to head to the first playoff hole when a guy in the last group 5-putted 18, and suddenly all of us at 2-over were in.”

Now Owen and Kartchner are one good round away from reaching a goal that both of them have – playing in a major.

“I’ve never played in a Tour event,” said Ryan. “It would be a great reward to all the hard work I’ve put in lately. I feel like if I hit it at the Final Qualifying like I did today, I’ll get in.”

“That’s the one thing I have yet to accomplish in my career,” said Owen. “Making it to the U.S Senior Open and playing in a major is something to look forward to.”

The United States Senior Open Championship will be contested at The Broadmoor (East Course) in Colorado Springs, Colo. June 26-29, 2025. Final Qualifying will take place between May 19-June 2, 2025. 

Good luck, fellas!

Feature written by ABC 4 Sports Anchor, Wesley Ruff. Click here for final results.

Dustin Volk, Director of Golf for Davis County and reigning Utah PGA Section Champion, will headline a strong group of Utah PGA Members competing in the 2025 PGA Professional Championship, held April 27–30 at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Volk, a three-time winner of the Utah Section Championship, will be making his seventh appearance in the prestigious national event. “It’s been a few years since I’ve played in it,” he said. “It’s an honor, and I’m looking forward to turning it into a family vacation again.”

Volk will be joined by eight fellow Utah Section PGA Members who earned their spots through the 2024 Section Championship qualifying: Dustin Pimm, Zach Johnson, Joe Summerhays, Chris Moody, Tommy Sharp and Todd Tanner. Together, they represent another outstanding contingent the Utah Section has sent to the PGA Professional Championship.

Utah PGA legend Steve Schneiter, the 1995 PGA Professional Champion, will also be a part of the field, bringing veteran experience and national championship pedigree to this year’s group of Utah PGA representatives. 

The PGA Professional Championship, presented by Club Car, Corebridge Financial and Rolex, is the premier event for PGA of America club professionals, with a 312-player field representing all 41 PGA Sections nationwide. Golf Channel will provide coverage of the championship, which is contested on both the Wanamaker and Ryder Courses at PGA Golf Club.

At stake: a spot in the field of the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. The national champion and the top 20 finishers will earn places on the Corebridge Financial Team and tee it up alongside the world’s best at the second major of the year.

The Championship will offer a $750,000 purse and $66,700 to the Champion. A 36-hole cut will take place Monday to the low 90 scorers and ties, and a 54-hole cut Tuesday to the low 70 scorers and ties.

Also worth noting is the return of Jordan Gibbs, former head professional at Bonneville Golf Course. Soon to be serving as Director of Instruction at Salt Lake Country Club, Gibbs, who has been Golden, CO the last few years, qualified for the PPC through the Colorado Section.

With a mix of seasoned veterans the Utah Section PGA will be well-represented on the national stage this April. Click here for parings, tee times and scoring.

Utah Tech sophomore KJ Ofahengaue is set to compete as an individual in the 38th PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, where a coveted Korn Ferry Tour exemption will be on the line. The championship, widely regarded as the most culturally significant championship in collegiate golf, will take place May 5-7 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

The 54-hole stroke play championship conducted by the PGA of America, features 27 teams and 45 individuals from NCAA Division I and II men’s programs representing Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions and other minority serving institutions. A Women’s Division will also compete, with an exemption into an Epson Tour event up for grabs. Golf Channel will provide live coverage of the championship.

Ofahengaue will be vying for one of the top three (and ties) positions, which would allow him to apply for a sponsor exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour’s Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open, scheduled for June 19-22.

Coming off a strong freshman season at Utah Tech, Ofahengaue played in 10 team events for the Trailblazers, capped by a T7 finish at the WAC Championship. He also earned All-WAC Academic honors.

The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship (formerly known as the National Minority College Championship) originated at a meeting in November 1986, following the Jackson State University Golf Tournament. The founders’ goal was to elevate the game at minority colleges and universities by providing student-athletes with the opportunity to compete on a championship stage during an era when they were excluded from playing in many collegiate golf events.

The inaugural Championship was conducted in the spring of 1987 at Highland Park Golf Course in Cleveland. Since 1998, PGA Golf Club has hosted the Championship, and in 2006 the PGA of America was granted complete ownership and management of the Championship by the National Minority College Golf Scholarship Fund. In 2019, PGA REACH, the 501(c)(3) foundation of the PGA of America, assumed ownership of the Championship from the PGA of America.

With participation at an all-time high, Utah Section PGA Members kicked off northern Utah’s competitive season in full force at the Spring Pro-Pro and Four-Ball Championship seeding tournaments. Hosted at Valley View and Bountiful Ridge golf courses, the dual-site event showcased mid-season play and plenty of low scores. Special thanks to tournament sponsor Charley Carlson and host PGA Professionals Pete Stone (Valley View) and Kent McComb (Bountiful Ridge) for their support and hospitality.

At Valley View, home-course advantage paid off as Stone teamed up with Davis County Director of Golf Dustin Volk (photo above) to fire a sizzling 12-under 60, capturing the Spring Pro-Pro title at their host venue. Their bogey-free performance earned them the No. 3 seed and a first round bye in the Round of 64 for the Four-Ball Championship at Davis Park Golf Course. Full Scores from Valley View

Over at Bountiful Ridge, the team of Chris Marx (Eagle Mountain GC) and Chase Hansen (Utah Golf Association) caught fire on the back nine with the duo carding eight birdies overall, including five over the final six holes, to post an 8-under 63 and claim the crystal trophy. Marx and Hansen secured the No. 2 seed and a Round of 64 bye in the Four-Ball Championship opening bracket. Full Scores from Bountiful Ridge

The opening rounds of the Utah PGA Four-Ball Championship were played April 22nd at Davis Park Golf Course, where match play began with rounds of 64 and 32-team brackets. A big thanks goes to host PGA Professional Zach Johnson and his staff for setting the stage.

The road to the Four-Ball title continues with the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals on May 29th at The Ranches Golf Course, with the Semifinals and Championship Match set for June 25th at the stunning Wohali Club Eagle Course near Park City. Follow the Match Play Bracket