One of Haley Sturgeon’s most memorable performances of 2022 didn’t even count toward her fourth straight Rolex Women’s Player of the Year award in the Utah Section PGA.

Sturgeon’s showing in the Utah PGA Match Play Championship, ending with a 23-hole semifinal loss to eventual champion Matt Baird, was another example of her ability to compete. Playing an 85-percent course length in those matches, she defeated the likes of Zach Johnson and Mark Owen.

“Any tournament, any field I can get in, I want to play,” said Sturgeon, an assistant pro at The Country Club in Salt Lake City who finished second in the Assistant Player of the Year rankings. 

In the Women’s Player of the Year competition, Sturgeon was credited with first or second place in all seven events. She posted 4,275 points to 2,750 for runner-up Xena Motes after winning the RMT/EZGO Winter Classic, the North Salt Lake Open and the Valley View Open. In the Siegfried & Jensen Utah Women’s Open, she shot 71-70 at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club to tie for third place overall and finish second among the pros.

The Women’s Match Play victory also highlighted Sturgeon’s season. As the No. 4 seed, she needed only 44 holes to win her three matches, including a 3-and-2 victory over Carly Dehlin-Hirsch for her first title in the event since 2019. Sturgeon labeled it “redemption for last year,” when she lost to Sue Nyhus in the final match.

Sturgeon credited her father/caddie, Mark Dunn, for his help that week. They also teamed up during her second appearance in the Epson Tour’s Copper Rock Championship in Hurricane via a sponsor exemption.

Playing is “still a high priority,” said Sturgeon, who appreciates the way her bosses and the members of The Country Club support her pursuits. Sturgeon intends to play some Cactus Tour events in Arizona this winter.

Feature written by Fairways Media Senior Writer, Kurt Kragthorpe

The Utah PGA championship season came to end with the 36-hole Pro-Assistant Championship presented by TaylorMade, held November 14-15. Four-Ball teams made up of head professionals and their assistants from golf facilities throughout Utah converge on St. George to put a wrap on another successful year of Utah golf. 

“This event, to me, means the culmination of the season and a lot of hard work. That’s why I think we see the numbers we see,” Executive Director Devin Dehlin said following the two day tournament that hosts nearly a 140 PGA professionals and assistants.

“Everyone wants to kind of go (to St.George) and have one last little fun time with their staff. It’s kind of like the reward for the year; bring everyone down and just have a good time. So, it’s a fun atmosphere, but still very competitive,” Dehlin said.

Salt Lake Golf Academy professionals Corey Badger & Tommy Sharp were up to the competitive task as they shot (-15) 65-64 – 129 to win the championship division at the Championship Course at Sand Hollow Resort and Sunbrook golf course. 

The TaylorMade Net Division champions are Hobble Creek GC professionals Craig Norman and Chris Stover at (-20) 63-61 – 124.

Following the opening round of the tournament many Section members enjoyed spending time together at the recently opened Bigshots Golf facility near the southern end of the St. George City limits. 

Of the 36-hole championship Sharp said, “This is fun because it’s coming at the end of the season. It’s fun because it’s serious but not serious. We’re all cheering for each other in our groups. It’s just a little more of a relaxed setting than say the Section Championship.”

“For me,” Badger said, “it’s probably my only chance of winning (a Section event) so for me it is a highlight of the year. I think playing with Tommy, it’s just easy to play. I’m playing with a partner that is pretty much par of better on every hole. That takes all the pressure off.”

The two teaching professionals now look forward to a little downtime through the winter. Sharp’s plans are to get in as much skiing as he can while Badger looks forward to an annual family trip to Hawaii. They both will maintain a pretty busy teaching schedule at the Salt Lake Golf Academy through the winter months. 

Hobble Creek Head Professional Craig Norman took home the TaylorMade Net Champions trophy for the second year in a row, this time with good friend and Midway, Utah teaching professional Chris Stover. Team Norman/Stover were one shot better at (-20) 124 than the 2021 teams of Norman/Sue Nyhus and Norman/Joel Grose who were tied for the top spot last year at 19-under. A scorecard playoff was used last year to determine the win for Norman and Grose.

Full Pro-Assistant Championship leaderboard is available, CLICK HERE. 

A big thank you to Chris Nugent and TaylorMade for sponsoring the event and to Adam Jasperson and his Sand Hollow Staff and Reed McArthur and his Sunbrook staff, for hosting the championship.

The Utah PGA Family is sad to announce the passing of Utah PGA Life Century Member, Via Wightman. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lynn and the entire Wightman family.

Via was the Head Professional at Holyoke Country Club of Massachusetts for 25 years before moving to Utah and joining the Utah PGA Family in 2014. Via’s children, who are accomplished players, made their way to Utah through college golf, which proved to be a blessing for all of us here in Utah.

Via’s legacy in golf will continue through his family and the lives he touched. Including his daughter Juli Erekson, current Utah Valley University Women’s Head Coach and Tele Wightman, the current Head Professional at Thanksgiving Point. Via also has numerous grandkids who are up-and-coming junior golfers (including the Wightmans, Ereksons and Ofahengaues). There is no doubt many of those grandkids will follow in their grandfather’s footsteps in the professional golf world.

He had a passion for junior golf and assisting high school and college golfers improve their game. You would find him often roaming the fairways watching his various family members compete in Utah golf events. This support will be carried on through his wife Lynn and their dog “Baby” who are just as involved as Via was.

The Utah golf community is extremely blessed to have the Wightman family and we offer them our deepest condolences.

Read Via’s obituary HERE.

Every year the Utah Section PGA is proud to recognize individuals, nominated by Utah’s PGA Professionals, that go above and beyond in our golf community. We are fortunate to have so many people who dedicate their time and talents to the growth of the game. We congratulate all of them on a job well done.

On behalf of the Utah Section PGA officers and awards committee, we present the 2022 Utah Section PGA Award winners:

Professional of the Year
Devin Dehlin, Utah Section PGA

Teacher of the Year
Paul Phillips, Stonebridge

Assistant Golf Professional of the Year
Ryan Colemere, South Mountain

Youth Player Development
Stacey Jones & Todd Tanner
InMotion Golf

Merchandiser of the Year, Private Facility
Brock Padilla, Alpine

Merchandiser of the Year, Public Facility
Kent McComb, Bountiful Ridge

Player Development Award
Kevin Connole, Top Golf

PGA Professional Development
Sue Nyhus, First Tee

Wesley Ruff Golf Citizen of the Year
Kurt Kragthorpe

Jon Unger, Sales Person of the Year
Matt Seare, Bridgestone

Superintendent of the Year, Private Facility
Ben Timmons, Jeremy Ranch

Superintendent of the Year, Public Facility
Jay Geise, Hobble Creek

Jeff Beaudry Golf Ambassador Award
Chris Marx, Eagle Mountain

Governor’s Golf Industry Service Award
Ned Siegfried

Two days, eight Utah Section PGA women professionals and one champion.

The annual Utah Section PGA Women’s Match Play Championship was held at Alpine Country Club October 18-19, where Salt Lake Country Club Assistant Professional Haley Sturgeon claimed her second career Women’s Match Play Championship trophy.

As Fairways Media Senior Writer penned, “Judging by the results of her last three rounds, the biggest surprise of the Women’s Match Play Championship is that Haley Sturgeon was merely the No. 4 seed.”

The event started with a 9-hole seeding round before the round of 8 matches, where Sturgeon had a slow start.

Whatever was going wrong during the (+4) 40 seemed to correct itself just fine in her first match against Golf Tec Instructor Xena Motes, where she won 3 and 2 to advance.

Sturgeon’s seeding-round score may have been the biggest surprise of the event, but the biggest upset belongs to Alpine Country Club’s Aspyn Jones who took defending champion and Utah Golf Hall of Fame member Sue Nyhus to 19 holes and survived to face Sturgeon in the semifinals.

Jones may have used all she had the day before as Sturgeon started their match hot and never looked back with an 8 and 6 win to advance to the finals.

Due to a back injury after day one, Glenmoor Assistant Pro Sirene Blair was forced to withdraw after her first-round win over Utah Section PGA’s Cassie Campos, sending Carly Dehlin-Hirsch straight to the finals.

Dehlin-Hirsch won her first match over past champion Emily Jones 2 and 1.

Sturgeon got off to a fast start again in the championship match, winning the first two holes to build a lead she would never relinquish.

“I feel like it’s redemption from last year,” Sturgeon said after the championship match. “Last year my game was so good, but it was a Sue thing, she’s so steady and she sneaks up on you, so I felt like I let it bleed away. This year I told myself, ‘stay strong and be patient.’

“Kind of thinking about Sue, I just got (the ball) out there, got it on the green and played that type of game instead of being aggressive.

Dehlin-Hirsch showed moments of fight, draining lengthy birdie putts on holes 8 and 11 to cut Sturgeon’s lead down to 2, both times. She had the opportunity to take the lead down to 1, but missed a shorter putt on 14 to keep the match 2-up. Sturgeon then won 16 to lead 3-up with three to play.

“Being 3-up at the turn, I got a little nervous on 12 and 13 but when Carly missed the putt on the par-5, 14^th hole, it gave me some confidence that all I had to do is win the next hole to go dormie, so it eased the pressure.”

The Utah PGA Women’s Match Play Championship consistently produces close, exciting championship matches, providing an extra layer to the Utah women’s competitive golf scene for years to come.

Thank you to Neil Maurer, Brock Padilla and the Alpine Country Club staff for hosting our championship again this year. And thank you to Alpine Superintendent Jake Ebner and his staff for wonderful fall conditions.

MATCH PLAY BRACKET

PHOTO GALLERY

Every year the top Utah Section PGA Professionals and Utah Golf Association amateurs compete in the Governor’s Cup and Goddard Cup, a Ryder Cup styled event at TalonsCove Golf Course in Saratoga Springs, Utah.

For the first time since 2019, Team Utah PGA secured the Governor’s Cup earning 20.5 points to the UGA’s 10.5, earning one point per match Sept. 27^th.

“I feel ecstatic about it,” Team Utah PGA Captain and Sunset View Head Pro Casey Fowles said. “It was fun to play like we did, it’s been a hard event for us, playing against the young kids, college kids and the others that are amazing players.”

The morning consisted of Foursome matches where the PGA Pros picked up a big lead, winning five matches out right and earning half-points it two other matches – earning a 6-2 lead going into afternoon Four-Ball and Singles matches.

The Utah PGA seniors Tracy Zobell, Ryan Rhees, Henry White and Paul Phillips took care of business, winning each of the Foursome and Four-Ball matches and only losing one Singles match.

Of the 24 points available in the afternoon matches, Utah PGA earned 15.5, leading to the 20.5 to 10.5 victory.

Highlighting the Four-Ball matches were Fowles and Bonneville Head Pro Jordan Gibbs, who defeated Utah State Amateur champion Zach Jones and top Utah junior golfer Cooper Jones 4&3.

Davis County Golf Professionals Zach Johnson and Dustin Volk also won their match against Brody Childs and Devin Tovey 4&3.

Gibbs won his Singles match against Cooper 5&4 while Rhees and Phillips also claimed 5&4 victories.

In the Goddard Cup, Team UGA essentially had control of the lead the whole day from the opening tee shots.

Team UGA had a clean sweep of the morning Foursome matches, earning a 3-0 lead. BYU freshman Sunbin Seo and Berlin Long won their morning match 6&5 over Golftec’s Xena Motes and Utah PGA’s Cassie Campos.

The Utah Section professionals made a surge in the afternoon Four-Ball and Singles matches with Motes and Utah Golf Hall of Fame member Sue Nyhus earning a point with a 4&3 victory over Seo and TalonsCove General Manager Kareen Larson, while Carly Dehlin-Hirsch, Motes, Nyhus and Campos all won their singles matches, earning another 4 points.

However, the UGA ladies earned key victories with BYU’s Adeline Anderson and Long winning their Four-Ball match and Sarah Salvo and Annette Gaiotti securing their Four-Ball point as well.

Anderson and Salvo’s afternoon play helped carry the UGA to a 7-5 victory over Team Utah PGA, their third win in four years.

“The Goddard and Governor’s Cups are such a fun day of camaraderie between the UGA and PGA,” said UGA Operations Manager Colin Clawson. “While we were disappointed that our three-peat bid fell short in the Governor’s Cup, we are thrilled to be able to bring the Goddard Cup back to the UGA. The ladies were disappointed last year so it was fun to see their excitement as they came out victorious.”

Governor’s Cup Results

Goddard Cup Results

Photo Gallery

Thoughts and prayers from the Utah Section PGA to the Nielsen family during the passing of Lanny Nielsen, a PGA member sine 1963.

His obituary and Celebration of Life information is below:

Even at the ripe old age of 86, Lanny Nielsen’s passing on September 17, 2022 came much too soon. He was a charming, funny, sweet and immensely talented man who made friends with everyone he met. No one had more stories to tell, or enjoyed telling them more. And the countless people who loved him all have stories about him that will continue to be told for many years.

Lanny was born in Preston, Idaho and raised in Blackfoot, where he was a star athlete in most every sport. Golf, however, was his passion, first as a player at BYU, then as a professional and PGA Tour player, then as assistant pro at Hidden Valley, head professional at Wasatch Mountain State Park and the first director of golf at Jeremy Ranch. And starting in 1991, he even began contributing to the development of golf video games for Access Software and then Microsoft.

Lanny’s contributions to Jeremy Ranch were a source of great pride. He developed close relationships with Gerald Bagley, the course’s founder, as well as architects Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay, while the course was in the development stages. Through the 1980’s, he was the tournament director of The Shootout, a PGA Tour event hosted at Jeremy.

The other love of Lanny’s life was Claudia Cummings, who he married in 1984 and always said was “out of his league.” Claudia shared Lanny’s passion for both golf and having a good time. They bought a home on Jeremy Ranch and turned it into a beautiful, magical gathering place for friends, and both of them making sure everyone was having fun. As Lee Benson, their long-time friend once said, “Lanny’s real talent is kicking back. His greatest achievement was collecting friends. He had a gift of putting everyone at ease and making them feel important. He lived a life of tranquility.”

Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing Lanny would say he was one-of a-kind and there will never be another like him.

Lanny’s Celebration of Life will be at Jeremy Ranch Country Club Tues., Sept. 27^th from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Casual golf attire.

The Utah Section PGA congratulates Easton Folster on being named the new Utah Golf Association executive director. We are excited to work with him and continue our solid relationship with the UGA.

Sept. 20, 2022, Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah Golf Association (UGA) President Brian Hulse has announced Utah native Easton Folster as the new executive director effective immediately.  

Folster fills the executive director position left vacant with Jacob Miller’s move earlier this year to the United States Golf Association as a regional director. 

Hulse said, “The Utah Golf Association has a long history of excellence maintained by the commitment and dedication of its board members, volunteers and many talented executive directors. We are pleased to have Easton Folster continue that tradition as our new executive director. Our board and executive committee are excited about the future possibilities that Easton promises to bring to the UGA. His relationships with other stakeholders in Utah golf are an invaluable asset as we strive to meet the challenges faced by our organization and the game of golf in the coming years.”

Folster joined the UGA in February of 2018 as the director of rules and competitions, a position he held until 2022 when he became the assistant executive director under Miller. 

Miller said, “Easton has been a great addition to the UGA team since he started in 2018. He has a passion for the game and the Utah golf community.  It is wonderful to see him get the opportunity and he will be an excellent leader for the UGA for many years to come.“

Born and raised in Mapleton, Utah, Folster is a graduate of Springville High School. Prior to joining the UGA, Folster spent three years as the director of rules and competitions for the Sun Country Amateur Golf Association in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

Prior to his golf industry career Folster attended Brigham Young University before earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish from Campbell University in North Carolina. Less than two years later, Folster earned a Master of Professional Studies Degree in Sports Industry Management from Georgetown University in Washington D.C.. During his time in graduate school, Easton worked in the athletic departments at both Georgetown University and George Washington University. 

Folster discovered his passion for the golf business while working at the Virginia State Golf Association as a USGA Boatwright intern before accepting a full-time position with the Sun Country Amateur Golf Association.

Folster said, “I am honored to be selected as executive director of the Utah Golf Association. When I look at those that have come before me, I am humbled to follow the legacy they have established. The Utah golf community is strong and enjoys a cohesion not seen in many states. I look forward to collaborating with Utah’s allied golf organizations’ leadership to build upon important established traditions, while creating new ones. It will be important to me that the game remains accessible to the greater population of Utah, while looking for ways to introduce the game to new golfers. It is my hope that my time as executive director is remembered for expansion, inclusion, and community outreach.  

ABOUT THE UTAH GOLF ASSOCIATION: The Utah Golf Association is dedicated to growing and protecting amateur golf in Utah. The UGA provides its membership with official United States Golf Association handicapping services and conducts Utah’s amateur golf championships. The UGA is a 501(c)(7) not-for-profit organization whose objective is to promote interest in amateur golf without regard to race, color, or creed and to engage in educational and good will activities that grow the game. The UGA is recognized as a regional golf association of the USGA and as such conducts all local USGA qualifiers.

Mountain View Head Professional Mark Owen won the 2022 Utah Section PGA Professional Championship at Toana Vista Golf Course in West Wendover, Nevada, with rounds of (-11) 68-65.

The victory, however, didn’t come without some dramatics on the final hole from the last two groups.

By the turn of the second round, Owen had caught first-round leader and current Rolex Utah Section PGA Player of the Year leader Casey Fowles. Fast forward to Owen’s 36^th hole and he had the lead by one.

Hitting the green in regulation, Owen’s second putt slid by the hole, resulting in a bogey – finishing his second round in 7-under, 11-under total.

Fowles, playing in the final group came to his 36^th hole needing a birdie to win and a par to tie. However, the Toana Vista 9^th green also got to Fowles, forcing another three putt – resulting in a second-place finish for the Sunset View Golf Course head professional.

“I’m fortunate, that’s for sure,” Owen said.

Owen’s final round included an eagle, seven birdies and two bogies. He attributes the win to his putter after receiving a putting tip from his son a few weeks earlier. “As usual my putter (was working), I made putts. I didn’t hit it bad and I did keep it in play.”

Despite an unfortunate event of his bag falling off his cart, snapping his driver in two on the first tee box of round one, Owen kept the ball out of the Wendover desert off the tee and made a lot of putts to win his third Section Championship – his first coming in 2009 and his second coming 10 years prior in 2012.

“It’s fun to win, and win as a regular player and not as a senior. Although there are some many good senior players, I love winning as a senior, too.”

Owen also claimed the senior division and currently leads the Senior Rolex Player of the Year race with the victory.

Alongside the win, Owen qualifies for the 2023 PGA Professional Championship played in the spring at Twin Warriors & Santa Ana Pueblo Golf Clubs in New Mexico – the same location he’ll be competing in the Senior PGA Professional Championship later this fall.

Also qualifying for the PPC is Fowles, Matt Baird, Jordan Gibbs, Tommy Sharp and Zach Johnson. Steve Schneiter is also exempt to play as a past champion.

Scott Brandt won the super senior division with rounds of (-3) 69-72 and Ron Branca won the legend division with a (+4) 76-72.

As one of our favorite weeks of the year concludes, we owe a big thank you to the West Wendover Casino Group, which includes the Rainbow, Peppermill and Montego Bay hotels and casinos and the Peppermill Concert Hall for their accommodations and support of the Utah Section. Thank you to the staff of Toana Vista Golf Course as well for hosting every year.

Results

Photos