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In the fourth running of the Siegfried & Jensen Utah Women’s Open, the field showed the event continues to grow and draw in not only local professionals and amateurs, but out-of-state collegians and professionals as well. In a season where collegiate golf is up in the air, the Utah Women’s Open provides a competitive outlet for many.

It was University of Nevada, Las Vegas incoming junior Veronica Joels that took control of the final round August 4^th at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club in Lehi, Utah, with a closing (-6) 66, providing a three-stroke victory over Low Pro and two-time champion Lea Garner.

Joels started the day three-strokes behind Brigham Young University’s Kerstin Fotu, who held the first-round lead with a (-2) 70.

“I’m kind of just a go-getter,” Joels said of her three-stroke deficit to begin the final round. “Being three-shots back is like, it can flip at any time, it’s golf. You can flip it real fast.”

Joels got to work quickly on the front nine with birdies on holes 3, 4, 5 and 8 for a four-under 32. Though she sealed the deal with two closing birdies on 17 and 18, a great comeback from a bogey on 16.

“Putting was really working for me today,” she said. “I definitely made anything within 10-12 feet, it was just there for me. Putting was the difference for sure.”

Like many, Joels’ collegiate season was cut short in March. She’s substituted her time playing in 13 Cactus Tour events in Arizona. She competed in the Nevada Women’s State Am and then decided to give the Utah Women’s Open a run, and did it well.

With her victory, she earned an exemption into the 2020 Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open played August 14-16 at Riverside Country Club in Provo, Utah.

It seems as if two-time Utah Women’s Open champion Lea Garner will perpetually be in contention at this event, and she’s okay with that. She finished Low Pro at (-2) 72-70 and in second place overall, taking home the $2,000 check.

What made her 2020 showing even more impressive is her typical travel schedule for this time of year has been put aside for precaution, leaving the Utah Women’s Open as a welcoming opportunity for the former BYU women’s golfer.

“Just being out here and competing is really fun,” Garner said. “Because of the circumstances of this summer I haven’t played in too many tournaments so I’m just excited to be out here and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.

“I’m always excited for this tournament and I’m really happy that the Utah Section decided to put it on for this year so it’s really exciting to compete and be in that spot again.”

It looks like this will be Garner’s last event of the year, “just because things have been kind of crazy.” Instead, she’s been giving lessons and teaching in Ogden and working on her own game when she has the time.

The Utah Section PGA would like to thank Siegfried & Jensen for their continued support of women’s golf in Utah and to Head Pro Tele Wightman and his Thanksgiving Point Golf Club staff for hosting.

Full Results.

Tournament Photos.

By Jay Drew, Deseret News

Original Deseret News Story can be found HERE.

BYU golfer Kerstin Fotu wasn’t able to successfully defend her 2019 Utah Women’s State Amateur title last month, losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Grace Summerhays at Soldier Hollow Golf Club in Midway.

Seemingly unfazed, Fotu jumped out to the lead on Monday in the fourth annual Siegfried & Jensen Utah Women’s Open at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club. Fotu, a Lone Peak High product who will be a sophomore at BYU this fall, fired a 2-under-par 70 and leads fellow amateur Tess Blair by a stroke heading into Tuesday’s final round.

Blair, a Bingham High product who was the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year at Sacramento State last season, is at 71. She’s followed by professionals Lea Garner and Sadie Palmer, and amateurs Lila Galea’i and Ali Mulhall at 72.

Garner, the two-time winner of the event, is a former BYU and Bonneville High golfer who plays mini-tour events throughout the West.

University of San Francisco golfer Annika Borrelli, the 2019 champion, is not entered this year.

Five golfers shot 1-over-par 73 and are tied for seventh. That group is made up of Salt Lake City pro Haley Sturgeon, Ogden pro Xena Motes, BYU golfer Naomi Soifua, Las Vegas amateur Veronica Joels and Orem amateur Kiselya Plewe, a Weber State standout.

Fotu, from Highland, made a bogey on her first hole but birdied hole Nos. 5 and 7 to gain some momentum. She bogeyed No. 9, then got back under par with a birdie on No. 14 and finished with a birdie on the difficult par-3 17th hole to take the first-round lead.

First-Round Leader Board.

First-Round Photos.

Photos by Utah Section PGA/Jesse Dodson.

By Randy Dodson, Fairways Media

For Mountain View GC Head Professional Mark Owen, the defending champ, the Utah Senior Open is more than a Utah Section PGA Championship.

“This has become one of my favorite tournaments because of the people, all the honorees that have made such an impact on my life and my career. I am happy to say that I have won this one but its always hard to defend, there are so many good amateur players as well as senior pro players.”

The putter was hot for Owen in the opening round, “It seemed all the eight to 10 foot putts were doable today,” he said. Owen made four birdies in a row on holes 4-7 after a bogey on the par 3 second hole. He added three more birdies on the back nine. 

On the final round, Owen finished with just three birdies on the day and carded two bogies, finishing in a tie for second with The Oaks Head Pro Ryan Rhees. The two Utah Section PGA members split the Low Pro money. 

It was Kirk Siddens (a) who took home the crystal champion trophy with rounds of (-9) 66-69. 

Speaking of Siddens, Owen said, “Over the years we’ve had a lot of good games. We used to play a lot of money games together. He’s an excellent player and very capable. He’s had some really good scores this summer.”

Siddens had 11 birdies over his 36-hole performance in the Nevada desert rebounding nicely from his Mid-Am disappointment the week prior. 

“I couldn’t have asked for a better group,” Siddens said. “Mark and I have played many times over the years. I know Mark’s game and I know he can play. We putted out on 18 and had to ask each other, who won?”

Fellow senior amateur Rob Bachman turned in a (-3) 141 to win the Super Senior Division, two shots better than pros Brad Stone, David Hall, Terry Outzen, Scott Brandt and amateur Mike Hacker.  Amateur Richard Bradley won the Legend Division at (+3) 147, two shots better than professional Chip Garriss. 

Retired Utah Section PGA Professional Wayne Volk, who had worked for over 40 years at Hill Air Force Base’s Hubbard golf course was this year’s honoree. Volk was honored by his son Dustin Volk, head pro a Valley View and current Section president in a small ceremony outdoors on the clubhouse balcony at Toana Vista GC. 

Randy Dodson is the president of Fairways Media and a frequent contributor to Fairways.

The season-ending Utah PGA Jr. Series Major Championship, played on the Promontory Club Dye Course on July 27^th, was a fitting end to an exciting 2020 Major season with exemptions into the 2020 Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open and Utah Women’s Open events.

Through the season-long qualifying, 71 junior golfers successfully earned a spot into the Major Championship, and going along with this season’s narrative it was Tyson Shelley of the Boys 17-18 division and Grace Summerhays of the Girls 17-18 division that stole the show, playing the difficult Park City course in a combined 13-under.

Boys 17-18

The low score of the day belongs to Shelley with a (-7) 65, earning a five-stroke win over Jackson Holman and Parker Reese, who both finished (-3) 69.

Shelley’s win not only earned him the Promontory Major trophy, but a spot in the Utah Open played at Riverside Country Club August 14-16, and the Utah PGA Jr. Series Majors Player of the Year.

“This was one of my bigger goals this year, to qualify for the Utah Open,” Shelley said. “I played in it last year, but I wanted to get an exemption this year and improve off last year.”

As for his 65, it was mostly his putter that did the work. “I missed two putts inside 20 feet today. I just got the putter rolling, the greens are good enough here where once you get in on your line, it stays on its true roll.”

Shelley capped off a great season with a great win and would surprise no one with a successful showing in the 2020 Utah Open.

Two spots are given to the top boys division to play in the Utah Open, one to the winner of the Promontory Major and one to the Major points leader. Shelley occupied both accolades so the second exemption was awarded to Parker Reese, who finished runner up in the season-long points race.

Reese finished T11 in the Glenmoor Major, T3 at the Davis Valley View Major, T4 in the Utah County Rumble and runner up at Promontory.

With a consistent run in all the Majors, Reese will represent the Utah Section PGA Jr. Series well competing in the Utah Open.

Girls 17-18

With zero blemishes on her card, Summerhays went back-to-back in Utah PGA Jr. Series Major victories with her (-6) 66 at the Promontory Dye Course.

“For the most part I just didn’t get into trouble, overall I just hit greens and made a couple putts,” Summerhays said.

The winner of the Girls 17-18 division is awarded a spot in the Utah Women’s Open, but Summerhays has a different goal in mind.

“I will be playing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, so unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it to the Utah Women’s Open. It’ll be my first U.S. Am, so I’m really excited.”

With a (-3) 69 Berlin Long finished runner up at Promontory while Rachel Lillywhite placed 3^rd with a (+3) 75.

As for the season-long Majors points race, which consists of the entire Girls 15-18 field, it was Cheyenne Hansen that received the second exemption into the Utah Women’s Open.

“It feels really good, it was my goal to get Player of the Year,” Hansen said. “I’m really excited to play in the Women’s Open, I was really hoping to get in and it worked out perfectly.”

Her Major season consisted of only one event outside the top 10 and a win at the Utah County Rumble. She finished a mere five points clear of runner-up Victoria Romney in the points race.

Boys 15-16

Sean Lam won the Boys 15-16 division with a (-2) 70, with an eventfull back nine that made things a little interesting coming down the stretch, finishing only two-shots clear of second place finishers Lance Smith and Braydon Griffith.

Lam started his back nine with a double on the par-five 10^th, but successfully recovered with two-consecutive birdies. He finished with a birdie on 18 for good measure.

“Off the tee was working well; most of the time I was in the fairway so that gave me good shots into the greens. My putting was good, too, just a lot of two putts. This is my firsts time playing this course, I didn’t know what to expect but it turned out pretty good,” Lam said.

Girls 15-16

Ali Mulhall continued her strong play, coming off a win at the Davis Valley View Major, with a (-2) 70 round in the Major Championship to win the Girls 15-16 division. One stroke ahead of Majors Player of the Year Hansen, who shot a (-1) 71. Arden Louchheim placed 3^rd with a 73.

“I made it on a lot of greens and had a lot of two putts. And I almost made a hole-in-one on 13, just about a foot away,” Mulhall said of her round.

Boys 13-14

A playoff was required to determine the Boys 13-14 Promontory Major champion as Bowen Mauss and Max Landon finished even par for the tournament.

Mauss made up for his bogey on the 18^th hole in regulation by draining a 20-foot birdie putt on the 9^th hole in the playoff to take home the trophy.

“I putted really well and hit my irons close,” he said. “I was feeling a little nervous going into the playoff but I made a good putt for birdie and won it.”

Girls 13-14

Last, but not least, was the Girls 13-14 division where Aadyn Long finished on top with a (+3) 75 round. Ashley Lam finished runner up with a 79 and Madalyn Hadley came in 3^rd with an 85.

For Long, just the opportunity to compete at Promontory was enough.

“It feels good to win, it’s a good tournament. I honestly just came into it, obviously wanting to win, but just to be able to play Promontory is really cool, to see this golf course, it’s such a good tournament.”

This concludes the 2020 Utah PGA Jr. Series Major season. We owe a big thank you to everyone who participated and supported the Utah PGA this year. We owe a lot to the Utah Section PGA Professionals who devoted their golf courses to our membership to make it happen.

Thank you to Promontory Head Professional Cole Carlson for his help running our Major Championship and providing the Dye Course for our juniors to compete on.

Full Results.

Major Points Results.

Event Photos.

The Utah PGA Junior Series Qualifier Major season is complete with the 36-hole Utah County Rumble Major at The Oaks at Spanish Fork on July 13-14, finalizing the field for the season-ending Promontory Major Championship.

Boys 17-18

Tyson Shelley, Boys Major points leader, continued his successful 2020 summer season with rounds of (-11) 67-66 for a five-stroke win over second-place finisher Jack Sargent.

With his second Utah PGA Jr. Series Major victory, the first at the Glemoor Major, he holds a 105-point lead going into the Promontory Major Championship. The winner of the Boys Major points race gets an exemption into the 2020 Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open. The winner of the Promontory Championship on July 27^th will also receive an exemption.

“Off the tee was working really well today,” Shelley said. “This course is really tight so you have to be straight down the middle. You get a lot of wedges too, I think my wedge game was really on these last two days.

“I think the most memorable hole today was on hole 16, I sliced my three iron into the hazard. I had to punch out and I put a seven iron to 20 feet and made it for par.”

Shelley will be a senior at Skyline High School this upcoming season and is verbally committed to play for Brigham Young University.

Girls 17-18

Winning a tournament is hard as it is, throw in competing with your sister in the final pairing of the final round and you have the situation Victoria and Savannah Romney found themselves in at The Oaks.

Victoria won the Girls 17-18 division by a mere stroke over Savannah, finishing (+13) 76-86. Savannah shot 78-85 and Rachel Stewart finished in third at (+21) 87-94.

“I’m glad I was able to get the win today,” Victoria said.

 “It was fun to play together,” she said of competing against her sister. “Though it’s always hard when one of us comes through and wins.”

Victoria relied on her driver today and has her sights on winning the Promontory Championship in two short weeks.

Boys 15-16

Noah Taylor of the Boys 15-16 division started the final round seven-strokes behind first-round leader Jacob Gold, but with a steady (+2) 73-73 tournament, he came out on top and earned a spot into the final major.

“I was putting well today, just solid overall,” Taylor said. “I’ve heard that Promontory is a cool place so I’m excited to get to play.”

Girls 15-16

It took a sudden-death playoff between Cheyenne Hansen and Jacklyn Gonzalez to decide the Girls 15-16 division as they both finished 9-over for the tournament.

It was a par on the par-five 10^th hole that sealed the deal for Hansen to come through with her first Utah PGA Jr. Series Major victory.

“I was so nervous,” Hansen said about the playoff. “I was pretty confident though.

“It was mostly my wedges that helped me today, and I made a couple extra putts.”

Boys 13-14

Cooper Nelson relied on a little home course advantage and birdies on his final two holes to win the Boys 13-14 division by two strokes over JJ Tomsick.

Nelson shot (+9) 76-77, Tomsick shot (+11) 80-75 to finish runner up and Kauner Kay and Max Landon tied for third place at 12-over.

“I made some really clutch putts at the end to get the win,” Nelson said. “I’m hoping to carry this on to future events.”

Girls 13-14

Ashley Lam stole the show in the girls 13-14 division with a (+9) 74-81 win.

On a harder second day, it was her will to “just to keep playing and not give up” that kept her going.

Common with the other champions, her driver made the difference for her to come away with the victory.

Katelin Bingham (+22) finished runner up and Isabell Salas (+24) finished third.

The Oaks at Spanish Fork provided an excellent test for the Utah County Rumble and we owe a big thank you to Head Pro Ryan Rhees and his staff for hosting us.

Full Results.

Tournament Photos.

The 36-hole Davis Valley View Major, the second of four Major tournaments in the Utah PGA Junior Series summer season, produced a shot at 59, a birthday celebration and several exemptions into the season-ending Promontory Major Championship.

Boys 17-18 Division

It was U.S. Junior Amateur champion and two-time Utah State Amateur champion Preston Summerhays who stole the show in the first round at Davis Park Golf Course on July 8^th with five birdies on the front nine and two eagles and a birdie on the back for a (-10) 61.

If that wasn’t enough of a story for day one, Preston drove the 18^th green and had a lengthy putt for a 59, his second chance at that number in competition.

“You can go out and want to be aggressive and shoot low but still, 59s are so hard to do,” Preston said. “But it got in my head once I eagled 13 at Davis to get to nine under. I just needed to birdie three of the last five.

“I had a round maybe a month ago at Lakeside, I think I was eight-under through 12 and then it got too dark so we couldn’t finish. Besides that, just the round at Soldier Hollow at the U.S. Am Qualifier where I shot 60.”

Though a rare three putt on the 18^th prevented a historic number, he held a four-stroke lead over Glenmoor Major champion Tyson Shelley and Parker Reese going into the final round.

It was Shelley in the final round on July 9^th at Valley View Golf Course that made a charge with a 31 on the front nine, including an eagle on the par-four sixth hole. He had caught Summerhays through the 13^th hole then had a chance on 18 to force a playoff, but his six-foot birdie putt slid by.

Preston won the Boys 17-18 division with a tournament total (-14) 61-68. Shelley finished second at 13-under with a pair of 65s and Parker Reese finished third at (-4) 65-74.

Girls 17-18 Division

Though Preston may have stolen the show with a first-round 61, Grace Summerhays, who celebrated her 16^th birthday with her first Utah PGA Junior Series Major victory, finished tied with her elder brother at 14-under to win the Girls 17-18 division.

Grace held the early lead with an (-8) 63 at Davis Park, four-strokes clear of Girl’s Utah PGA Junior Champion Lila Galea’i at (-4) 67.

Grace continued her strong play with a (-6) 66 at Valley View to finish at 14-under and win her first Utah PGA Junior Series Major. Galea’i finished runner up at (-7) 67-69 and Glenmoor Major winner Claire Whisenant, who leads the girl’s Major Point List, finished third at (-4) 71-68.

“It was nice to shoot well today,” Grace said. “Yesterday I hit it okay and made a ton of putts and today I hit it really close, especially on the front nine; I hit it within three feet, three holes in a row. The putter didn’t really have to go off on the front nine… but I was consistent and didn’t really make any bogeys.”

Boys 15-16 Division

Jackson Shelley, the 13-year old younger brother of Tyson, decided to play up an age division and for good reason.

With a first round 68 at Davis he held a two-stroke lead over Tanner Telford and kept his momentum going into the final round with a (-1) 71 to finish four-under overall and win the Boys 15-16 division by two strokes.

“It feels good to get the win,” he said. “I was hitting my driver well and I was putting good.”

In the Glenmoor Major, Jackson missed out on an exemption into the Promontory Major by one stroke, finishing sixth, but with a win, he’s not only in the field at Promontory but will more than likely be in the hunt as well.

Girls 15-16 Division

Henderson Nevada’s Ali Mulhall, who is a frequent competitor in the Utah PGA Junior Series summer season, was two-strokes behind first-round leader Millie Terrion with a (-2) 69 at Davis and proceeded to shoot another 69 at Valley View to win the Girls 15-16 division at five-under.

Arden Louchheim finished runner up at (-3) 70-70 and Terrion finished third at one-under total.

“My putting was good today,” Mulhall said. “I made a lot of good putts. It was fun playing with Millie and Arden.”

Boys 13-14

Rounding out the Boys divisions was Kihei Akina, the Boys 13-14 division champion by one stroke over Sean Lampropoulos.

After round one Akina was tied at the top with Elliot Bond with matching 68s. Valley View proved to be a tougher test as Akina finished the event with a final-round 74, just enough for the win and a spot into Promontory.

“I love that course,” he said about Promontory. “I played it last year and it was really fun.”

Girls 13-14 Division

Aadyn Long punched her ticket into the season-ending championship with a win in the Girls 13-14 division. With a steady (+4) 73-74, she finished 12-strokes clear of second place.

“My driver was the best part. I barely missed the fairway,” she explained.

“It’s a cool course and I’m excited to go play it,” she said of Promontory. “I’m excited to go see it again and go play.”

The final qualifying major will be the Utah County Rumble played July 13-14 at The Oaks at Spanish Fork and the Promontory Major Championship will follow on July 27^th.

We owe a big thank you to Davis Park Head Professional Brad Stone and Valley View Head Professional and Utah Section PGA President Dustin Volk for providing their golf courses to the Utah PGA Junior Series and all the support they provide to junior golf in the state.

Full Results HERE.

Boys Major Points HERE.

Girls Major Points HERE.

Event Photos HERE.

The annual 36-hole Utah Junior PGA Championship, played at Soldier Hollow Golf Course in Midway June 15-16, is usually a qualifier to the national Boys Junior PGA Championship and Girls Junior PGA Championship, but with the 2020 event cancelled, the Utah Section PGA adjusted the qualifier to one exemption into the 2020 Utah Open for the Boys 16-18 division and one exemption into the Utah Women’s Open for the Girls 16-18 division.

Simon Kwon took command in the final round with a (-4) 68 round on a morning that saw 30-40 mph wind gusts. His four-under round was the low of the day, four-strokes better than first-round leader Tyson Shelley’s even-par round.

Kwon finished the event (-7) 69-68 for a two-stroke victory over Shelley to earn an exemption into the Utah Open played in August at Riverside Country Club in Provo.

“It’s going to be awesome to be able to play there and compete,” Kwon said of his Utah Open entry. “This will be my first time, it was definitely a goal to qualify for some tournaments like this.

“I just didn’t really put myself in bad spots today,” he said of his final round. “I really didn’t have to worry too much about making a putt for par, I just made sure I was on the green and didn’t leave myself more than a tap-in for par.”

Kwon will be a senior in high school next year and with the majority of national junior events cancelled in 2020, he has his sight set on the Utah Open and Utah State Amateur.

Shelley finished runner up with rounds of (-5) 67-72 and Boston Bracken finished third at (-3) 68-73.

Lila Galea’i shot a (-1) 71 in the first round to take the early lead and she never gave it up with a final-round (-2) 70 – which earned her an exemption into the 2020 Utah Women’s Open at Thanksgiving Point in August.

Her three-under total provided a five-stroke victory over second-place finishers Berlin Long and Sunbin Seo, who both shot matching 75-71 scores of two-over.

“Feels good to get an exemption in the Utah Women’s Open,” Galea’i said. “Soldier Hollow is always a tough course to play but the way I played today I think it was good. I’m excited to have an exemption and to play.”

Galea’i considers Thanksgiving Point her home course and is feeling comfortable going into the Utah Women’s Open.

“It definitely gives me home course advantage playing at Thanksgiving Point. I know the course like the back of my hand. I just need to make sure I play the best that I can and I think I’ll be good.”

In the Girls 13-15 division there was a three-way tie after round one between Aadyn Long, Katelin Bingham and Patiola Uluave, all coming in at 81.

In the final round, it was Long who stole the show with a final round 77, finishing at 14-over for the event and a five-stroke victory.

Bingham finished second while Uluave took third place.

Zak Richins of the Boys 13-15 division held the first-round lead at even par and never looked back, winning the event with a final round (-1) 71, finishing three strokes ahead of Dustin Miller and Gavin Dosch at two-over.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Utah Junior PGA Championship and a big thank you to Soldier Hollow Head Professional Chris Newson and his staff for hosting our championship yet again.

Click Here for Full Results.

Click Here for Tournament Photos.

This year will be remembered for more reasons than one, the Utah Section PGA hopes that one of those reasons was the opportunity to receive some closure on the 2020 high school golf season as classifications 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A were able to compete in the Spring Individual Championship at Rose Park Golf Course on June 4^th.

Annabelle Millard of Dixie High School, who will graduate in 2022, stole the show for the day and for the 4A classification with a round of (-4) 70, the low round of the event.

“Everything really fell in place, my mental game was really strong,” Millard said about her round.

“I was really excited when I found out about this event. I just feel like it gave a little bit of closure, especially to seniors, who wouldn’t have had state otherwise.”

Millard had six birdies on the day and had a three-hole stretch of birdies on holes seven, eight and nine.

As for the future, Millard added, “I definitely want to play college golf wherever I can and hopefully continue to win state tournaments.”

Ellie DeMond of 3A Morgan High School picked the perfect moment to shoot her career-low round.

The Morgan freshman shot a (+1) 75 to win the 3A Girls Individual Championship. Richfield High School’s Ellie Hair finished runner-up with a (+3) 77.

“My chipping helped me a lot today,” DeMond said.

The second-lowest score on the day came from Rowland Hall freshman Arden Louchheim who shot a (-1) 73 to win the 2A Individual Championship.

“I kept my drives generally in play… it was nice to have shorter wedges in,” Lochheim said.

“Golf has been one of my only constants throughout all of this because we’ve been able to play socially distanced. It was great to get out and play. I was hoping to win state with my team, but it was definitely cool to win individualy.

“I wanted to thank the Utah PGA for putting on this awesome tournament, Rowland Hall and my coach Clay Ogden.”

Rich High School junior McKina Stacey won the 1A Girls Individual Championship with a (+21) 95, two strokes better than her sophomore teammate Natalee Parry, who finished runner-up.

“My main goal was just to relax and focus on my game, rather than other people, and just play my game.

“I was so pumped,” Stacey said of her reaction when she learned of the event. “I was a little out of practice, but I was so excited.”

Rounding out the event was the Boys 1A Individual Championship, won by Manila High School junior Brody Schofield, who shot (+4) 76.

Schofield decided he wanted to be a golfer after watching the 2015 Masters tournament. The nearest golf course is an hour drive from his home.

“I was so pumped,” Schofield said about learning of the event. “The reason everyone wants this is because we love competition. When you can compete, it gives you something to work for.

“The closest course to me is an hour away in Green River, Wyoming. I hit in a cow pasture quite a bit, that’s where I really get a lot of my practice done and then in my backyard chipping and putting.”

The Utah Section is in a fortunate position to be able to provide an individual championship to the spring classifications in a year that isn’t quite going as planned.

For full results CLICK HERE

For photos of the event CLICK HERE

With Covid precautions in place, the 2020 Utah Section PGA Spring Pro-Pro looked a little different and was held a little later in the year as usual, but the results and the comradery were just as good.

There was a tie at the top of the leaderboard when all was said and done. Team Mark Owen/Chris Moody and Team Dustin Volk/Pete Stone finished with a (-8) 64 at Ogden Golf & Country Club.

With six birdies and an eagle on the par-five 12^th hole, Owen and Moody had a blemish-free card and through a scorecard playoff will take the 2^nd seed going into the season-long Utah PGA Four-Ball Championship.

Defending Champions Chris Gresh and Dustin Pimm will take the 1^st seed, with the first and second rounds being played on June 2^nd.

Volk and Stone had only one blemish on the card, but with an eagle on the par-five sixth hole and seven birdies, they were able to reach eight-under and will go into the Four-Ball Championship as the third seed.

“We had a great turnout as always, Charley Carlson is a great sponsor, he always is, he worked with us through all the changes,” Utah PGA Executive Director Devin Dehlin said. “We want to thank Craig Sarlo, Bob Wallace, everyone at Ogden country club, along with their membership for allowing us to use their course.

“It was awesome, it was great from my standpoint and the Section staff, to see many of our members because we haven’t seen them in a while.”

Traditionally the Spring Pro-Pro is held alongside the Spring Meeting, but to avoid large gatherings the meeting was cancelled.

The Four-Ball Championship bracket is set and the tournament is underway. The first two rounds will be held at Ogden Golf & Country Club, while the remaining rounds will be scheduled by each individual match until the championship match.

For Spring Pro-Pro results CLICK HERE.

For Four-Ball Championship bracket CLICK HERE.

The 2020 Glenmoor Major kicked off the Utah PGA Junior Series summer season, provided two exemptions into the 2020 Utah State Amateur and tickets to the season-ending Promontory Major Championship.

The 36-hole championship providing plenty of excitement, including recent 5A/6A Girls Individual Championship winners Berlin Long and Lila Galea’i playing from the blue tees to be eligible for the two exemption spots into the Utah State Amateur, the world’s longest continually run golf tournament.  

It was St. George resident Boston Bracken who held the lead after day one at Glenmoor with a (-5) 67, BYU verbal commit Tyson Shelley was one-stroke back and three others tied for third, including Long at three-under.

Shelley took control of the final round with a (-4) 68 to win the overall event and the Boys 17-18 division.

Shelley was previously exempt into the Utah State Amateur with his performance in the 2019 Utah Open, finishing in the top-five among amateurs, leaving an extra spot to be earned.

“Everything was working well today on the course, it feels really good to get the win,” said Shelley. “I just hit good shots all throughout the tournament and I was able to make putts. My goal is to win the State Am.”

Sean Lam (-5) shot a final-round (-3) 69 to punch his ticket into the State Am, which is scheduled to play at Jeremy Ranch Golf and Country Club in September. He also won the Boys 15-16 division, finishing his round birdie, eagle.

“My putter was working really well today,” Lam said. “I started off kind of slow then the back nine I finished birdie-eagle.

“It feels nice to get in the State Am, kind of some redemption because I didn’t make it to match play the last two years.”

First-round leader Boston Bracken didn’t find the final-round results he was hoping for, but did play well enough to find his way into the State Am.

Bracken just finished the 8^th grade and is an incoming freshman at Crimson Cliffs High School.

“Feels pretty good,” Bracken said of getting a spot into the State Am. “My first time trying to qualify, first time making it, so feels good. I’m looking forward to a lot of good competition.”

Bowen Mauss won the Boys 13-14 division with rounds of (-4) 69-71 with four birdies on Glenmoor’s back nine in the final round.

Claire Whisenant won the Girls 17-18 division with a final-round 73, finishing three-over for the tournament. Long finished second at four-over and Galea’i finished third at five-over.

Millie Terrion (+6) won the girls 15-16 divison with rounds of 71-79 and Ashley Lam (+15) won the Girls 13-14 division with rounds of 83-76.

The top-five finishers in each boy’s division and top-four finishers of each girl’s division earned exemption into the season-ending Utah PGA Jr. Series Promontory Major Championship.

For all photos from the tournament click HERE.

For full results click HERE.