For three young Utah golfers, this Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club will be unlike any other. Nicklaus Miller, Logan Wilde, and Blake Brown have earned their spots in the 11th annual Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, an annual competition that brings the country’s top junior golfers to the famed course on the eve of the 89th Masters Tournament.

Miller, Wilde, and Brown secured their invitations by excelling through 2024 local, sub-regional, and regional qualifiers, proving their skill under pressure. Now, they’ll take their game to Augusta National in a test of power, precision, and touch, competing in their respective age divisions against the nation’s best.

“We’re thrilled to see our Blake, Logan and Nicklaus compete at Augusta,” Utah PGA Executive Director Devin Dehlin said. “Utah has a strong history of representation and success at the Drive, Chip & Putt Finals, and I’m confident these juniors will continue that tradition.”

Blake (Boys 14-15), Logan (Boys 10-11) and Nicklaus (Boys 12-13) qualified out of the Chambers Bay Regional held September 21, 2024. The top finishers from each region site’s age/gender divisions, a total of 80 finalists, earned a place in the National Finals. Utah’s local and sub-regional qualifiers are conducted by the Utah PGA with PGA Professionals providing support at each facility hosting a qualifier. 

For these rising stars, the experience extends beyond the competition itself. The chance to walk the grounds of Augusta National, interact with PGA TOUR professionals, and soak in the atmosphere of golf’s most iconic tournament is a dream come true.

The Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals will be broadcast live on Golf Channel, showcasing the next generation of golfers as they compete on one of the sport’s grandest stages. Regardless of the final leaderboard, Miller, Wilde, and Brown will return home with memories to last a lifetime.

Utah PGA Assistant Executive Director Annie Fisher said, “We are excited to have Sue Nyhus, a distinguished competitor both nationally and in Utah, representing Utah women’s golf. This is a fantastic opportunity for Sue and the Utah Section PGA.”

Copper Rock Golf Club Press Release – Feb. 27, 2025

Dr. Sue Nyhus has played through a golfing path unique to her. She is the only player, female or male, to have qualified for and played in every USGA championship available to her. 

Beginning with the U.S. Junior Amater as a teen in Florida, Sue played in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, The U.S. Women’s Open and all the team and state events. She was a finalist in the U.S. Amateur Public Links, and played in the Senior Women’s Amateur and the Senior Women’s Open. From high school phenom to being the cool grandma, Sue is the only one to have played in them all. 

Along the way she played for Brigham Young University, won the Utah Women’s State Amateur twice, the Utah Senior Women’s State Am three times and played on the Ladies European Tour. She earned a Ph. D. in Sports Psychology, coached at BYU and Utah Valley University, stared down and beat back cancer, and raised three daughters who are good players, great moms and still trying to beat her. And she’s the favorite player of all six of her grandkids. 

Sue put a bow on her incredible career when she was inducted into the Utah Golf Hall of Fame in 2021. She became a Class A member of the Utah Section PGA and is teaching at Willow Creek CC, Thanksgiving Point GC, and Hobble Creek GC. She’s still not done!

The Utah Section PGA celebrated its 2024 award winners in style at its Annual Awards banquet Feb. 11th, at the impressive Black Desert Resort hosted by ABC 4 Sports Anchor Wesley Ruff. The evening’s top honor went to Chris Moody of Riverside Country Club, who was named the 2024 Professional of the Year, adding another accolade to his distinguished career.

A historic moment came with Nyomy Obecema being recognized as the first-ever woman to earn the Utah PGA Assistant Professional of the Year award, highlighting the growing impact of women in Utah’s professional golf ranks.

The annual Winter Classic Championship faced an unexpected challenge from Mother Nature. Annually scheduled for 36 holes, the tournament was reduced to just 18 due to inclement final round weather. Despite the shortened format, champions were crowned in all divisions at Coral Canyon and Sand Hollow, showcasing the depth of talent within the Utah Section PGA. Tommy Sharp (Sand Hollow) and Todd Tanner (Coral Canyon) were crowned champions at each golf course. Click here for full results of all divisions from both golf courses.

Adding to the prestige of Winter Classic week in St. George, PGA of America Honorary President John Lindert was in attendance, addressing the Section alongside District 9 Director Cathy Mathews-Kane during the Annual Meeting. Their presence reinforced the Utah PGA’s standing within the broader PGA of America golf community, celebrating the professionals who continue to elevate the game at the local level. With another successful awards banquet and competitive Winter Classic in the books, the Utah PGA looks ahead to another year of growth and excellence.

PGA of America Honorary President John Lindert’s Message

After speaking at length during the Annual Meeting on topics such as the golf ball rollback study and the selection process of new PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague, Honorary President John Lindert’s message to the Utah PGA on Feb. 12 was one of pride, inspiration and encouragement.

Lindert reflected on the strength of the Section, the camaraderie among its members, and the deep sense of pride that defines Utah’s golf community.

Attending section meetings is something he values, and the Utah PGA stands out for its culture and strong connections. The Section’s members bring passion and dedication to the game, creating an environment that is both welcoming and unique. The Section culture shapes the way members interact, fostering a strong sense of unity that isn’t found everywhere.

“This is an interesting section,” Lindert said. “It’s a section that is built around the Section’s culture. You all have this outdoors-person kind of atmosphere, and you all get each other, and it’s really intriguing watching how everybody interacts. It’s not the same in every Section.”

Lindert emphasized the importance of taking pride in the work being done, both locally and on a national level. The Utah PGA’s representation, leadership, and contributions to the game are a testament to its strength. 

“Hold your head high and recognizing the impact of your efforts, it is essential,” he said, “not just within the Section, but in the broader golf community.”

Read more from Winter Classic week in the February issue of Utah PGA Monthly, click here.

During the 2025 PGA Show last week, PGA Jr. League Coaches took the stage Wednesday (Jan. 22) for the #GameChanger Awards ceremony emceed by NBC’s Lauren Thompson, celebrating their accomplishments in expanding opportunities for kids to learn and enjoy the game of golf.

For the second year-in-a-row, Darci Olsen, General Manager/PGA Professional at Glenmoor Golf Club was recognized for operating the largest PGA Jr. League program in the Utah Section. Olsen’s roster of 311 players was recognized as the 10th largest program in the country. 

The full list of 2024 #GameChanger Award recipients organized by category (25 largest programs in the country, largest program in each PGA of America Section and Player Engagement Award) can be found here.

Since its inception in 2019, the #GameChanger Awards celebrate PGA Jr. League Coaches who go above and beyond to grow the game. The awards honor the 25 largest PGA Jr. League programs in the country as well as the largest programs in each of the 41 PGA of America Sections.

“The #GameChanger Awards have become a yearly highlight for the PGA of America, applauding the incredible efforts of our Coaches to engage young players and make golf accessible to more families,” said Steve Tanner, Senior Director of Player Engagement for the PGA of America. “These Coaches are at the heart of providing impactful experiences that transcend golf, and we’re proud to celebrate their achievements.”

As a golfer, Chris Moody had already accumulated a bunch of trophies and titles in the Utah Section PGA. His latest award hit differently. 

That’s because he earned this one without holding a club in his hands, or having a scorecard to provide a grade of his performance. The Section’s Professional of the Year Award is proof of his steady, day-after-day impact. So is the response he’s received from some Section members whom Moody barely knows, people he never imagined he was influencing or impressing during his two decades on the Riverside Country Club staff, including the last five years as Head Professional. 

Moody is a five-time Player of the Year in the Section. He was named the Assistant Professional of the Year in 2014 and was the Merchandiser of the Year (Private) in 2023.

The Professional of the Year award came just as Moody was turning 50, a natural opportunity to reflect on a life that he has mostly spent at Riverside, where his father, the late Robert Moody, was a longtime member and a club president. As with a lot of success stories, this one comes with a twist. 

Moody figured he was done with golf after chasing a playing career following his graduation from Utah State. He was working for AT&T, pitching long-distance phone plans (yes, those used to be a thing) to businesses and homeowners, when PGA Professional Robert McArthur called him “out of the blue” and asked if Moody would join him in the Riverside golf shop. “The phone call came right at the right time,” Moody said.

Moody describes McArthur as “my beacon,” in multiple ways. Connecting the dots in the Section’s award history creates an unmistakable thread. Eight members have been named both the Assistant Professional and Professional of the Year. Three worked for McArthur in Provo, in succession: Craig Norman, Kent McComb and Moody. 

McArthur “kind of sucked me back into the golf business,” Moody said. “He’s always been kind of a father figure to me. … He’s so personable, so good with people; he makes you feel important.”

In turn, Moody has become influential to others, beyond Riverside’s membership. Pro-am guests in the Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open have appreciated his welcome for the past 11 years. Former assistant Travis Byron recently became Alpine Country Club’s Head Professional. Three other assistants are working toward PGA membership. 

McArthur was named the Section’s Professional of the Year in 1989 and, among other honors, received the PGA Professional Development Award in 2014 and the Doug Vilven Distinguished Service Award in 2020. That’s a lot for Moody to live up to, and his peers say he’s succeeding. 

Feature written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography by Fairways Media.

With her poise and personality, onetime pageant contestant Nyomy Obcemea considered pursuing a career in modeling. In the golf business, she’s already a role model. 

The former Weber State golfer is the first female winner of the Utah Section PGA’s Assistant Professional of the Year award, a remarkable honor for a woman who “never, ever thought I was going to be working in the industry,” she said.

The award “really does warm my heart,” Obcemea said. “I’m just beyond words, honestly.”

And with that, she begins to tell a great story of how she joined the Ogden Golf & Country Club staff after working in marketing for a couple of post-college years. Encouraged by John Chevalier, a marketing client and former OG&CC board member, she somewhat half-heartedly went through an interview with PGA Professionals Craig Sarlo and Bob Wallis in 2016. 

Three months later, she called them back and asked if the position was still open. This time, she made quite an impression in the interview.  Within a few minutes, then-club president Mike Fisher said, “I’ve heard enough.” He told Wallis, “Now I know why you wanted to wait for her.”

Sarlo’s pitch to Obcemea was that someone with her marketing skills and ethnic background with parents from the Philippines would have a lot to offer to a diverse community of golfers. That has proven true, in her eight-plus years on the job. After quickly achieving Class A membership in the PGA, Obcemea went to work in building the club’s junior and women’s programs. 

“She has a wonderful feel for people and for the profession of golf,” Wallis said. “Everyone who knows Nyomy loves Nyomy, … It’s been fun to watch her grow and progress over the years as a professional.”

About 100 juniors now participate in summer lessons and a phase-in opportunity has rejuvenated the ladies’ league. And the rewards have come for Obcemea, whose first student was a 10-year-old boy dealing with bullying. He’s 18 now, and golf may have saved his life. A tattoo on Obcemea’s forearm preserves that experience, referencing a Bible verse about being put in position to do good. 

Having coached the girls golf team at her old school, Northridge High in Layton, Obcemea is launching the program next spring at West Field in Weber County. The team is a diverse group with more “rodeo girls” than longtime golfers, but she likes their potential. The same is true of women’s increasing impact within the Section and in the business overall. Two of her former Northridge players are pursuing careers in golf.

“It gives me a lot of hope,” Obcemea said. “A lot of women in the Section get to trailblaze for the next generation. It’s inspiring, because there’s more ways to get involved in golf than just playing.”

Feature written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photo by Fairways Media

Any award that honors a Utah Golf Hall of Fame member is worth winning. Being recognized as a caring person is also a good thing. And considering how the Utah Section PGA’s Jeff Beaudry Golf Ambassador Award has come to signify a lifetime achievement in the profession, it gets even better. 

There’s even another layer to Mike Bicker’s 2024 selection. In two stints with the Section Board of Directors, Bicker was influenced by the likes of Robert McArthur, Ron Branca and Beaudry himself, then the Executive Director. 

Bicker labels them “a whole lot of great people.”

He’s now in the same class, officially. McArthur and Branca also have received the Golf Ambassador Award. 

Named the Section’s Professional of the Year in 2001, Bicker has assembled some outstanding credentials in nearly 40 years as a head pro in Davis County. He spent about three-fourths of that time at Lakeside GC in West Bountiful, arriving just prior to the course’s expansion to 18 holes. He’s just finishing his 10th year at Sun Hills GC in Layton. 

Judging by his Section awards over the years, Bicker has made an impact in youth player development, PGA Professional development and club relations. He has done it in an unassuming, understated way.
“I’ve always been a bit of an introvert,” he said. So imagine him working for five years at Nibley Park GC as an assistant to the gregarious Jeff Waters. Actually, Waters is another influence, having shown him how to work and have a little fun at the same time. 

Bicker at one time was among the Section’s top players. He tied for 12th place in the inaugural Ben Hogan (now Korn Ferry Tour) Utah Classic, won by John Daly. As his career evolved, service to the Section became his professional highlight, including a term as President. 

He’s also proud to have worked with longtime assistants such as Kelly Class and Chris Newson. Each was named the Assistant Professional of the Year during a Lakeside stint. Chris Johnson has become a Bicker protege at Sun Hills. Johnson directs the Kelly Class Foundation, assisting golf pros. 

Bicker provides guidance to Johnson, so his influence in the profession will continue beyond his Sun Hills tenure, whenever that ends.    

Feature written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography courtesy of Sun Hills GC.

It would be difficult to imagine anyone becoming so immersed in the Utah golf community as Kareen Larson, in such a short time. 

As the General Manager of TalonsCove Golf Club, Larson is the first female winner in the nearly four-decade history of the Utah Section PGA’s Wesley Ruff Golf Citizen of the Year Award. 

She fits the award’s definition well. It goes to “the person who best promotes the game of golf in Utah by sacrificing their own time and efforts with the goal of growing the game” and salutes “professional service in a style and demeanor that reflects well on the entire Utah golf community by exemplifying the attributes of kindness, courtesy, unselfish service and integrity.”

This honor follows Larson’s 2023 recognition by the UGA Woman Award. So within barely 12 months, she was honored by the Utah Golf Association and the Utah PGA, besides earning Senior Women’s Player of the Year honors in the UGA. 

Whether the criterion is points in the UGA Player Performance Rankings or subjective in other awards, Larson is both thriving and contributing in the golf business lately, after a career in health care. She deservedly received credit for TalonsCove’s hosting of the Women’s State Amateur in July. Just as impressively, if less noticeably, she spent the next week at Soldier Hollow Golf Course, coaching Utah’s girls in the Junior America’s Cup as a member of the Utah Junior Golf Association’s Board of Trustees. 

Much of Larson’s promotional effort in golf benefits TalonsCove; that’s her job. Yet she clearly is motivated to help beyond Saratoga Springs, in the larger golf community. She’s thankful that course owner Doug Horne gives her that forum. 

“It’s just a passion I have for this wonderful game and the places it’s taken me, and just giving back to the game,” said Larson, a native Canadian who previously was oriented to hockey (her left-handed swing with a short backswing is evidence) and basketball. 

With golf, she hopes to “spark that same interest in somebody and make it meaningful,” she said. 

Larson bonds easily with golfers at all levels. Lila Galea’i, the 2021 Women’s State Amateur champion, has won three Utah Women’s Four-Ball titles with Larson and enjoyed it all. 

“I’ve always noticed the amount of effort she puts into not only her role on the course, but also her role as a friend,” Galea’i said. “For me personally, she’s always made sure I’m taken care of and I know she’s always doing the same for others.”

Feature written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography by Fairways Media.

Matt Baird’s home-course performance in the Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open is a natural starting point for the summary of how he became the Utah Section PGA’s Player of the Year for the first time. There’s always more to the story, including a stop in Vernal. 

Winning this annual points competition requires both outstanding play and a commitment to playing something close to a full schedule. Baird checked both boxes in 2024, accumulating 6,123.5 points to 6,110.25 for Zach Johnson in a remarkably close race. 

Baird’s 69-68-67 showing in the Utah Open at Riverside Country Club, where he’s the longtime teaching professional, gave him 1,200 points as the Section’s top performer. Having edged Johnson in that event to put himself in Player of the Year position, Baird added the Vernal Open to his schedule in late September and finished third, again placing just ahead of Johnson. 

“It’s cool,” Baird said of the award, having interrupted Casey Fowles’ three-year run. “I’ve always been pretty close. It’s ironic that I win it when I turn 50 (in October). I haven’t made it a priority in my life, but it just helps me look back over the year, and I’m proud.”

Baird gave himself credit for patience during the Utah Open, on a rain-soaked course that played much differently that the usual firm, fast track. And he’s pleased to maintain a high-level game, while spending most of his days attending to the swings of other golfers, from brothers Keanu and Kihei Akina on the elite level to the average Riverside member.            

Now that he’s 50, Baird observed, “As a senior, you’re not trying to prove yourself, just going out and enjoying the game.” 

Feature written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography by Fairways Media/Garrit Johnson.

Haley Sturgeon’s sixth straight Rolex Women’s Player of the Year award in the Utah Section PGA was a story of overcoming new challenges. Competition from a friendly rival who’s in her 60s and the presence of a baby boy were different dynamics for Sturgeon in 2024, while she remained in her usual place in the standings. 

Both in the overall race and in the finals of the Women’s Match Play, Nyhus pressed the 31-year-old Sturgeon. Yet by reaching that stage of the event at Alpine Country Club, Sturgeon had clinched another Women’s Player of the Year award, before taking a 3-and-1 victory. 

Sturgeon posted 800 points to Nyhus’ 650, with wins in the Palisade, Valley View and Davis Park Opens.

Playing well during her pregnancy made the 2023 season memorable; being a mother made her performance this year meaningful in another way. Sturgeon was proud of “overcoming (outside) expectations” of how raising a child might affect her game. 

“I was figuring out how to manage my job (as an assistant pro at The Country Club), being a mom and finding time to practice,” she said. “I am extremely fortunate to have an amazing support system. It allowed me to continue doing what I love and take baby Jack along for the ride.”

Her husband Davis, parents and in-laws all did their parts, while Jack accompanied her during “several rounds of golf, countless practice sessions … and a few golf vacations,” Sturgeon said. 

Feature written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.