The Utah Section PGA constantly strives to provide a better experience for PGA Professionals and the golfing community of Utah. Whether that’s through professional events offered around the state, accessible junior golf programs, bettering the communities in which we live, and now, a new UtahPGA.com.
“The Utah PGA is excited to launch a new website this week,”
Executive Director Devin Dehlin said. “The new look and features should make
this a popular spot for PGA Professionals to find out what’s happening in Utah
golf. We will also have new options for individual golf courses to promote
local programs at your course. Make sure to go online and take a look!”
The new and improved website contains everything Section
members and golfers are used to, plus a little extra, starting with a new look
and design. With a simple, straight forward layout, it’ll be easier to find
what you’re looking for and a little easier to look at, too.
A new feature on the homepage, thanks to partnering with
Gigg, is our social media board. Anyone that uses #UtahPGA in a post on
Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, has the opportunity to be featured on the
homepage of UtahPGA.com. This is a fun
way for our website visitors to see how the PGA is impacting golfers throughout
the state.
It is the mission of the Utah Section PGA to be a leader in promoting the enjoyment of and involvement in the game of golf. The Utah Section PGA seeks to be a strong and prominent organization within the golf community by providing quality programs and services to both PGA Members and others. The new UtahPGA.com will be a great aid in helping the Section accomplish this mission.
To Section members, thank you for all you do for golf in
Utah and for the Utah Section PGA. We hope you enjoy the new UtahPGA.com.
With a (-10) 61, Sunset View Golf Course Head Professional
Casey Fowles wins his second consecutive America First Davis Park Open on
September 5th in Fruit Heights, Utah.
Last year’s victory at Davis Park required extra holes with
Joe Summerhays, but with a 61 and tying the course record, extra holes were not
necessary as he topped Davis Park Assistant Professional Zach Johnson by two
strokes to claim his second Davis Park Open victory in as many years.
“I played well on that course growing up so it’s been fun to
go back and play as I’m older,” Fowles said of winning two in-a-row.
“It’s just a great bunch of guys up there. I just have good
memories and good vibes there.”
With nine birdies, an eagle and a bogey, Fowles certainly
had “one of those days the stars aligned and everything went well.”
“It was just one of those days where the ball bounced my way
and went in the hole,” he explained. “I didn’t really do anything super
outstanding; I just hit it good enough, made a bunch of putts, had a couple of
good bounces, chipped one in and made a long eagle putt. It was just one of
those days where everything went right, which doesn’t happen very often.”
With the 2019 Utah Section Championship just two weeks away,
Fowles currently sits in 7th in the Omega Player of the Year race.
He may be a few spots out of the season-long race but needs to be considered as
a front-runner going into the Section Championship at Toana Vista in Wendover
September 17-18.
As for the Davis Park Open Senior Division, Bloomington CC
Head Professional Scott Brandt secures another win for his season with a (-2)
69, two strokes ahead of Davis Park Head Professional Brad Stone and Henry
White.
Brandt currently sits in second place in the Omega Senior
Player of the Year, right behind Senior Section Champion Ryan Rhees.
Brandt won the Gladstan Open Senior Division in May and hasn’t finished outside the top 5 since the Tony Basso Group Black Diamond Open in July, where he finished 6th.
Ryan Rhees, head professional of The Oaks Golf Course in
Spanish Fork, Utah, is now three-for-three in qualifying for the PGA Senior
Professional Championship, this time he qualified with a win in the 2019 Utah
PGA Senior Section Championship at Alpine Country Club August 26-27 in Alpine,
Utah.
“Feels great,” Rhees said about the win. “It’s a big
tournament for the seniors and we have a lot of good players in our Section, so
anytime you get a win it feels great.”
Rhees claimed the lead after round one with a (-6) 66, three
strokes in front of Bloomington Country Club’s Scott Brandt and four strokes
ahead of Jimmy Blair.
“Particularly the first day I drove it really well, so that
set me up with a lot of wedges,” Rhees said. “I was able to reach the par 5s in
two and I was able to eagle 17. So mostly the tee shots on the first day set me
up and I was able to make a few putts.”
All that was needed for Rhees in the final round to finish
off the win was an even-par round. His three-stroke lead remained the same over
Brandt, who shot even, and new senior Section member Mark Owen, who shot (-2)
70 to finished tied for second.
“I made some putts this week,” Rhees continued about his good play. “I probably made three or four putts over 15 or 20 feet.”
Rhees, Owen, Brandt and Blair, who shot a second-round 71,
will all represent the Utah Section PGA in the 31st PGA Senior
Professional Championship October 3-6 at the Fazio Foothills & Coore
Crenshaw Courses at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin Texas.
This will be Rhees’s third time playing in the PGA Senior
Professional Championship in three years of playing in the Senior division.
“Last year I played good enough to make the cut, but didn’t
play good enough to get in the Senior PGA Championship,” he said. “There are a lot
of good players so you’ve got to play really good to make it in that top 35.”
Rhees uses this qualifying opportunity as a goal every year,
whether it was the PGA Professional championship or the Senior Professional
Championship.
“It’s always something you try to shoot for,” Rhees
continued. “Luckily I’ve played in seven or eight of the regular ones. It’s
something to look forward to the end of the year if you’ve played good enough.”
As for the rest of the season, Rhees plans to
play in the Davis Park Open, the Section Championship in Wendover and then will
head to Austin Texas in hopes to play well enough to earn a spot in the Senior
PGA Championship.
For Sam Saunders and Kelton Hirsch it wasn’t about the money as they battled in a sudden-death playoff at the conclusion of the Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open Sunday afternoon at Riverside Country Club.
Saunders had already wrapped up the $20,000 professional’s
first prize, while Hirsch had locked up low amateur honors and wasn’t eligible
for any cash. This was purely about competing and trying to get a victory.
The two golfers put on a show for the spirited gallery
around the 18th hole with some terrific shots, and in the end it was Saunders,
a 27-year-old from New Mexico, who claimed the title with a par on the second
hole of the playoff.
“That’s why I play golf, I loved every moment of
that,” Saunders said after the victory. “I really don’t play golf for
money — it helps to prolong my career playing in these tournaments — I love
playing golf and competing. That was really fun.”
Saunders had to withstand one of the most stirring comebacks
in Utah Open history, as Hirsch, a 23-year-old junior-to-be at BYU, made up
five strokes in five holes to force the sudden-death playoff. It wasn’t just
making up the strokes, it was how he did it that was so thrilling.
The two were playing in the final group with Phoenix pro
Blake Cannon and with five holes to play, Saunders was 15-under par for the
tourney, while Hirsch was 10-under with several golfers bunched between them on
the leaderboard.
Hirsch, the 2017 Utah State Amateur champion, had just made
three bogeys in five holes to seemingly fall out of contention, when he said to
himself, “You can either crumble and keep making bogeys or make a run at
this thing. So I just flipped it on and said, let’s be aggressive … and make
a run at it.”
He birdied 14 and 15, then hit his wedge at 16 within 3 feet
and sank that for a birdie. Now he was only down two, but when he hit his tee
shot left into the rough at the par-3 17th, he faced a seemingly impossible
shot to a pin tucked on the left side, leaving him with less than 10 feet of
green to work with.
However, he hit an outstanding flop shot that settled within
inches of the cup, nearly going in.
“It was spectacular, probably the best chip shot I’ve
ever seen,” said Saunders.
“Maybe my best of all time,” added Hirsch.
With Saunders making bogey on the hole, the margin was down to one, but it looked like Hirsch was out of it when at 18 he hit over the left bunker on his drive and then left his approach some 30 feet below the hole. However, he rolled the putt in and celebrated with a fist pump, forcing a playoff.
The two played No. 18 a second time and again Saunders had
the edge, hitting within 10 feet, while Hirsch was 25 feet away. But again
Hirsch rolled in his putt, forcing Saunders to sink his to stay alive.
“I play for a moment like that to make a putt to win or
continue — there’s no feeling like it,” Saunders said. “I hit a
great putt and it went in.”
The third time the two played 18, Hirsch’s luck ran out as
he missed a 7-footer for par after hitting in the front bunker and Saunders
two-putted to finally claim the trophy.
Park City pro Steele DeWald finished third, just one shot
back at 203 after shooting the best score of the tournament, an 8-under-par 64,
Sunday along with Las Vegas pro Mitch Carlson.
“That was a solid round, one of the better rounds I’ve
played,” said the 32-year-old DeWald, who will try PGA Tour Q School this
fall.
Saunders often gets mixed up with the other Sam Saunders,
who is a regular on the PGA Tour and is the grandson of Arnold Palmer. He said
people used to ask him about his grandpa and he one time got charged by the PGA
Tour for some travel and had to have the other Saunders reimburse him a
thousand dollars.
He won the Colorado Open, which featured a $100,000 first
prize, three weeks ago and will defend his New Mexico Open title later next
month. He said he’d like to play the PGA Tour someday, but this fall will try
to qualify for the European Tour.
Hirsch will return to BYU with increased confidence after
his fine week, following up on a second-place finish at the Salt Lake City Open
last week.
“To be able to bounce back like that really
proved to myself and to a lot of people I can play and compete with the best of
the pros,” he said. “I had two great finishes.”
The Southern Utah Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the SUU Athletics Hall of Fame Committee have announced the 2019 Hall of Fame class to be inducted on October 25 at the annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Part of that induction is our very own Zach Johnson,
assistant professional at Davis Park Golf Course and multiple-time Omega Player
of the Year.
“Honoring those that had a major impact on this
university and department is one of the most important things we do each
year,” SUU Director of Athletics Debbie Corum said. “I am
so honored that we get to welcome these fantastic individuals back to campus
and celebrate everything they did during their time in Cedar City.
A lifelong T-Bird, Zach Johnson competed for the university
from 2001-05 and was an extremely solid competitor on the collegiate golf
circuit.
To this day, Johnson’s college stroke average ranks 18th in
SUU history, putting him among the best to ever tee it up for the
Thunderbirds.
Johnson’s impact on the program has been felt since his
graduation, however, as he has continued his career in golf he has continued to
do so while promoting SUU every opportunity he gets.
In 2018, Johnson made national news as he qualified for the
PGA Championship. He has also played in, and won a number of highly
competitive golf tournaments since leaving Cedar City. Some of Johnson’s
other career milestones include winning the 2018 TaylorMade National
Championship, as well as the 2013 Utah Open.
“Zach is the epitome of what a great T-Bird is, both in
his time here playing with us and since he’s moved on,” SUU head golf
coach Richard Church said. “He has stayed very involved with the
program, he’s dedicated his time to growing the game of golf in the state of
Utah, along with the fact that he has been and forever will be a T-Bird. I’m
very proud of Zach and we can’t wait to celebrate him as a member of our
Athletics Hall of Fame.”
The third-annual Siegfried & Jensen Utah Women’s Open
saw a new venue and new champion this year, being played at Thanksgiving Point
Golf Club in Lehi on August 5-6.
After Lea Garner won the first two events at East Bay Golf
Course, no one knew what to expect this year with a larger field and different
course, but Annika Borrelli, sophomore at the University of San Francisco came
in, took the first-round lead with a (-5) 67 and never looked back with a
final-round (-4) 68.
Borrelli had a one-stroke lead over Utah Women’s State
Amateur champion and multiple-time winner on The Cactus Tour Sirene Blair and
Utah PGA Junior Series alumnus Christiana Ciasca, who were both tied for second
at (-4) 68.
And with two-time champion Garner only three-strokes back,
Borrelli needed a solid final round to take home the trophy.
“I’ve been a first-round leader before,” Borrelli explained,
“and it unfortunately usually gets to my head. This was the first time where I
was just trying to play my game, go hole-by-hole, shot-by-shot.”
The game plan worked as she made the turn tied with Blair
but then proceeded to fire off five back-nine birdies, including the last-two
holes.
“Definitely my putting,” she said about what was working
well. “I made some good putts and good saves. My dad and I had a great strategy
going reading the lines and also the pace, I give a lot of credit to that.”
Before the Utah Women’s Open, Borelli had only played in one
other Utah-based event, a college tournament down south in St. George. She
enjoyed the experience and made sure to make a return visit during her summer
schedule. And as for next year, she plans on defending her title in the 2020
Siegfried & Jensen Utah Women’s Open.
“Yeah, I’ll be back,” she said with a smile, holding the
champion trophy.
As for the growing professional division, Blair took home
the low-pro honors and check after close calls the last-two years.
“It feels really good,” Blair said about her low-pro honors.
“I’ve had kind of a rough year so it’s kind of nice to have something that can
boost my confidence.
“I definitely made a lot of putts today, I was grinding
really hard on the greens and they have the greens rolling so nice. Nice and
fast. Just pick a good line and put a good stroke on it and it’ll go in.”
Blair made the turn at one-under for the day, tied with
Borrelli, although she finished the back nine in 36, it was good enough for the
$2,500 low-pro payout.
“I don’t know what it is about this event,” she said about
her performance in the first-three events. “It’s just run really smoothly. The
girls are great, a lot of them I played junior golf with so it’s good to see
familiar faces. Everyone plays well typically, everyone goes low and the
courses are set up to score so it’s always fun to see and fun to play.”
The Brigham Young University Women’s Golf Team took the
third-place spot in the event with Assistant Coach Juli Erekson and
incoming-freshman Kerstin Fotu, coming off her Utah Women’s State Am win,
finished with a tournament-total four-under par.
In only its third year, the Utah Women’s Open continues to
grow and become a crucial stop in the women’s schedule for Utah golf and for
several traveling professionals. We owe a big thank you to the title sponsor
Siegfried & Jensen for supporting it each year and for our presenting
sponsor Fairways Media for supporting women’s golf in Utah.
Another thank you to Thanksgiving Point Head Professional Tele
Wightman and Superintendent Jason Robert and their staff for hosting us this
year. The course was in excellent shape and provided a true test for the Utah
Women’s Open.
If you know Mark Owen, Mountain View Golf Course head professional,
you know he’s a competitor. He played just about every sport growing up and
he’s seen a lot of success locally as a golf professional in city opens and
Utah Section events.
He’s got a new avenue for competition now that he’s reached
the young age of 50 years old, which he rightfully claimed “the new 30.” Owen
took advantage of the opportunity to compete in his first-ever Utah Senior Open
at Toana Vista Golf Course in Wendover July 31st-August 1st
and left as the champion.
The Utah Senior Open, which annually honors a Utah golf
legend, this year being Riverside Country Club member Doug Marriott, is not an
easy event to win. Some of the best golfers in Utah find themselves in this
senior category, which makes for an extremely-competitive event.
Owen started hot with a bogey-free round of (-6) 66,
providing a one-stroke lead over Steve Schneiter, a four-time Utah Senior Open
champion, and Kirk Siddens (a), two overly-accomplished Utah golfers.
“I had a really easy round, didn’t even have a chance to
make a bogey,” Owen said of the first round. “I made 6 birdies, no bogies.
“Today was a lot different,” Owen continued. “The wind was
different, little harder, different pins, harder pins. I didn’t hit is as good,
scraped it around for one over.”
A final-round one over was all he needed to claim the 2019
Doug Marriott Utah Senior Open. He slimmed by with a one-stroke overall victory
over amateur Steve Poulson at (-4) 72-68. Schneiter finished second in the
Professional Championship flight and tied for third overall at two-under.
“Winning always feels great,” Owen said. “I don’t feel like
a senior yet, 50 years old is not what it used to be. I guess it’s the new 30.
“I knew my birthday fell a couple weeks before this event
and I did pinpoint this as one of the events I would play in,” Owen continued.
“All the guys I’ve looked up to for years have played in it. A couple honorees
have played in it that are some of my really good friends and it’s just
something I’m happy and excited to have my name attached to for now on, it’s
cool.”
Owen has played in two events as a senior so far: the Brigham
City Open and the Utah Senior Open. He’s two-for-two with wins.
Bruce Summerhays, a Utah Senior Open regular, not only won
the Legends flight, reserved for golfers over 70, but also claimed the Super
Senior flight with his ever-consistent play of (-3) 69-72.
With four birdies and an eagle in his first round,
Summerhays held a one-stroke lead over past-champion and Bloomington Country
Club Head Professional Scot Brandt. Summerhays would go on to seal his win with
an even-par final round and leave Wendover with the Super Senior trophy.
The Utah Senior Open is special event we look
forward to every year, whether it’s celebrating the tournament honoree,
spending time with Section members and Utah golfers throughout the state or
joining forces with the Utah Golf Association. Thank you to all who support the
event and a special thank you to our Wendover friends and to Toana Vista Golf
Course and Staff.
The 2019 Utah PGA Junior Series Major season has come to a
close with an exciting finish at the Promontory PGA Junior Major Championship
as Braxton Watts, Nathan Giles, Kyla Hoster and McKenzie Schow have earned
exemptions into the 2019 Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open and Utah Women’s
Open.
Two exemption spots were up for grabs in the Boys 15-18 and
Girls 15-18 divisions; one for the winner of the Promontory PGA Junior Major
Championship and one for the winner of the season-long Majors Points race.
In Kyla Hoster’s case, she claimed the top spots in both
categories. Hoster played in three of the four Majors and won the Davis/Valley
View Major and the Promontory Championship. She won at the Pete Dye Promontory
Course on July 29th with a (+7) 79, one-stroke over Ellie Hair’s 80,
which gave left her in first place in points as well.
Hoster and McKenzie Schow were tied in the points race
leading into the Promontory Championship, however, with Hoster finishing in
first in both spots, the points exemption fell to the second-place spot. Schow’s
points cushion was just enough to get that second spot into the 2019 Utah
Women’s Open at Thanksgiving Point on August 5-6th with a
third-place finish at Promontory.
“It’s a really proud moment for me,” Hoster said of
qualifying for the third-ever Utah Women’s Open. “I know it’s a big tournament.
I think it’s a big achievement.”
Braxton Watts of the Boys 17-18 Division must feel right at
home at the Promontory PGA Junior Championship as he successfully defends his 2018
title this year with a tournament-low (-4) 68 on the Dye Course. Watts won the
2018 Promontory Championship played on the Nicklaus Course.
Not only did he defend his Promontory title, he also went
back-to-back Major wins, winning the Gladstan/The Oaks Major to qualify for the
season-ending major.
Accrediting his driver and “striping it” in almost every
fairway, Watts qualified for the 2019 Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open at
Riverside Country Club August 16-18th with an eight-stroke win.
“It means a lot,” Watts said of the Utah Open. “I’m really
pumped to get out there and play Riverside. I didn’t get to play last year due
to family, so I get to go play now, I’m excited.”
Claiming the second exemption spot into the Utah Open for
the boys was Provo-resident Nathan Giles, who won the Boys Majors Points race
by the skin of his teeth.
Giles trailed Landon Herndon in the points race by a slim
margin going into Promontory but would leave with the lead by a mere five
points with a score of 75, including birdies on three of his last four holes.
“It feels awesome, it’s actually my biggest goal this year
to qualify for the Utah Open,” said Giles. “I’m super excited to play in it,
and it’s my home course so it’s going to be fun.”
In the Boys 15-16 Division, Spencer Clayton went low with a
(-2) 70 to take home the trophy. Clayton’s five birdies helped secure the win
over second-place finisher Giles.
Kihei Akina, who won the Gladstan/The Oaks Major, shot an
even-par 72 on the challenging Promontory Club course to win by three over
Emmitt Harris.
To round out the Girl’s Divisions, The Romney sisters took
control of the two younger flights. Savannah Romney won the Girls 15-16
Division with an 82 and Victoria Romney claimed the Girl’s 13-14 Division with
a 79.
The two sisters will be playing for the same Corner Canyon High School Girls Golf Team as the summer season winds down. The 2019 Utah PGA Junior Series Major Season was our best season yet thanks to our Utah Section PGA Professionals hosting our membership at their great courses and for our ever-supportive and growing membership. We owe a big thank you to Promontory Director of Golf Ryan Kartchner and Head Professional Cole Carlson for hosting us at the Promontory Dye Course. What a great opportunity for our juniors!
Six major champions were crowned at the Utah PGA Junior
Series Davis/Valley View Major on July 10-11th at Davis Park Golf
Course and Valley View Golf Course. With exemption spots into the season-ending
Promontory Major Championship, scores were low, competition was tight and
playoffs were needed in the second major of the season.
The lowest score of the tournament came from the youngest
boy’s division. Emmitt Harris of the Boys 13-14 division held the lead after
round one at Davis Park with a (-1) 70 and secured that lead the rest of the
way by firing a (-4) 68 at Valley View in the final round.
With six birdies and only two bogies, Harris proved to be
too good to catch and is now a Utah PGA Junior Series Major Champion.
If a 5-under two-day total score from a 14-year old wasn’t
exciting enough for the Davis/Valley View Major, a playoff was needed to determine
the winner of the Girl’s 17-18 division between Kyla Hoster and Mckienzie
Schow.
Hoster grabbed the lead early by shooting a 69 at Davis
Park, but steady play from Schow on day two led to a tie at (+4) 147 at the end
of the final round at Valley View. After they tied the first playoff hole, the
par-4 10th at Valley View, they continued to the par-5 11th.
Hoster drained a 10-foot birdie putt to seal the deal as
Schow’s birdie just barely slipped by.
“Yesterday it was putting and today was getting my approach
shots close,” Hoster said about what was working well to get the win.
“It feels really good,” she said about the win and
qualifying for Promontory. “It’s a relief, there was a lot of pressure. I feel
very confident right now.”
The win put Hoster in first place on the Girls Major Points
list, 20 points ahead of Schow going into next week’s Utah County Rumble Major
at The Oaks and Gladstan Golf Courses.
Two exemption spots into the 2019 Utah Women’s Open are on
the line for the winner at the Promontory Major Championship and the top spot
on the season-long Girls Major Points list.
More low scores were made in the Boys 17-18 division as
Porter Brackett started the event hot at Davis Park with a (-4) 67, providing a
three-stroke lead going into the final round at Valley View over Landon
Herndon.
Brackett would hold onto his lead on day two with a (+1) 73,
finishing three-under for the major while Herndon maintained his second-place
spot with rounds of 70-79.
“My putting is what saved me,” Bracket said.
The putter certainly made the difference as he drained four
birdies and an eagle on day one to provide the cushion needed going into the
final round.
With his win, Brackett will now compete for the exemption spot
into the 2019 Utah Open by playing in the Promontory Major Championship. The
winner at Promontory will earn his ticket to Riverside Country Club in Provo
and the overall Major Point list winner will also earn an exemption.
Bracket currently sits in second on the points list behind
Caysen Wright, who won the Boys 15-16 division at the Davis/Valley View Major
with rounds of (-4) 68-71. Wright had a three-stroke leading going into the
final round and held off a charging Jackson Rhees, who shot 69 at Valley View
and Nathan Giles, who maintained his second-place spot with rounds of 71-73
after it was all said and done.
Wright, one of the few who shot under par at Valley View,
matched all his bogies with birdies in the final round and was able to get one
more to provide an extra cushion in his five-stroke win.
Claire Whisenant was able to mount a comeback-win with
steady rounds of 75-77 to win the Girl’s 15-16 Division and punch her ticket to
Promontory while Madalyn Hadley expanded on her 7-stroke first-round lead by
shooting 82-83 to win the Girls 13-14 Division.
We’re lucky and fortunate to play on such
championship-caliber courses like Davis Park and Valley View. A big thank you
to Head Professionals Brad Stone and Dustin Volk and their staffs for being
gracious hosts and for running the Davis/Valley View Major.
Our third major of the season will be the Utah
County Rumble Major at The Oaks and Gladstan Golf Courses. This will be the
last opportunity to earn exemption into Promontory.
Dustin Pimm and Chris Gresh, assistant professionals at
Mountain View Golf Course and Mick Riley Golf Course, respectively, have been
playing golf together since the age of 10 and have now become 2019 Utah Section
PGA Four-Ball Champions by defeating Matt Baird and Tele Wightman 5&4
Wednesday, July 10th at Valley View Golf Course.
The weather-delayed Four-Ball Championship finally came to
be this week as matches started Monday and concluded Wednesday.
Pimm and Gresh came into match play as the 4th
seed. They established a little trend throughout the event as to the fashion
they won each match. After a first-round bye, Pimm and Gresh defeated Team
Maurer/Padilla 1 up, then faced Team Meyer/Roberts and won 5&4. They would
go on to face Team Edwards/Johnson, 2018 runner-ups, and slipped by with a 1 up
victory and finished it off with another 5&4 victory in the final match.
“You know, Monday we get here and we actually hit it really
good we just couldn’t make enough putts, luckily we made it by Neil and Brock,”
Pimm said. “Yesterday we finally got the putters going, which was good to see
the ball go in the hole. Today it just all came together.”
Pimm and Gresh got off to a quick start by winning the first
hole with a birdie and they never let go of that lead. They extended their lead
to 3 up by the turn and quickly jumped to 4 up with a 35-foot birdie by Pimm on
the par-four 10th. They sealed the deal with a birdie on the 14th
hole to win.
“In a couple matches this week we got down early so we were
fighting back and today we got up and kept making birdies,” said Pimm.
“It was good to get off to a good start for us,” Gresh
added. “It was the first time we birdied number one this week, so to get that
out of the way was good.”
“I think we fed off each other,” Gresh continued. “He had
great-hole stretches, I had great-hole stretches. I mean, just to be able to
watch each other hit good shots and know that it’s out there. We kept telling
ourselves to hit good shots and they’ll eventually fall and they did today.”
The two were “due,” as Pimm explained. They played junior
golf together and even played for the same University of Utah team.
“It’s awesome, especially for both of us,” Gresh said. “We
haven’t played as much as we used to, we’ve both had surgeries. To come out and
play against a great field and win this, it’s awesome.”
Pimm is nine-months removed from back surgery, where he thought
there was a chance he’d never play golf again. Today, alongside Gresh’s stellar
approach shots and consistency off the tee, you’d never expect either had
recently recovered from surgeries as they combined for seven birdies in 14
holes and won in convincing fashion.
A big thank you to Utah Section PGA President Dustin Volk and his Valley View staff for hosting us and for Charley Carlson and our sponsors for making this event possible.