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.