Haley Sturgeon and Leighton Shosted were two of the final-round stars of the Larry H, Miller Utah Women’s Open in August, so it was not surprising when they became the top two seeds in the Utah Section PGA Women’s Match Play. Or when they met in a final match that went to No. 18.
2025 Women’s Match Play champion, Leighton Shosted.
Shosted completed a 1-up victory at Alpine Country Club. She ended Sturgeon’s three-year reign in the event, thanks to winning the par-5 No. 17.
Shosted, an Arizona native, turned pro this past summer after a college career that took her from Utah Valley to Grand Canyon and Tennessee. Now affiliated with Red Ledges Golf Club, Shosted finished fifth in the Utah Women’s Open by moving up with three birdies in the last six holes.
2025 Women’s Match Play runner-up, Haley Sturgeon.
Sturgeon made a run at the title that day at The Country Club, where she’s an assistant pro, before finishing second. She again dominated the Women’s Player of the Year race in the Section. Sturgeon positioned herself for a possible fourth straight Women’s Match Play title by shooting a 36 (topping Shosted’s 37) in the nine-hole qualifying round that reduced the field from 10 to eight players.
Sturgeon withstood a challenge from Emily Jones in the semifinals, winning 3 and 2. Shosted played a total of only 26 holes in her first two matches, including a 5-and-4 semifinal victory over Carly Dehlin.
A familiar stage awaits as the Senior PGA Professional Championship returns to PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, this week for the 16th time in the event’s storied history.
The 2025 Senior PGA Professional Championship, supported by Golf Channel and PXG, will feature a 264-player field of PGA of America Golf Professionals age 50 and older. The four-day, 72-hole Championship will be contested Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 23-26, on PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker and Dye Courses.
The top 35 finishers will earn a berth in the 2026 Senior PGA Championship, set for April 16-19 at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, as members of the Corebridge Financial Team.
Riverside Country Club Head Professional Chris Moody finished 11-under par (65–68) for a four-shot win, capturing his first Senior Section Championship title at Stonebridge GC earlier this year and, just as importantly, earning a spot in his first Senior PGA Professional Championship
Also earning trips to Port St. Lucie with Moody were Joe Summerhays, Todd Tanner and Matt Baird, and Mark Owen. Joining the filed as an alternate is Todd Meyer.
Past Senior PPC Champions at PGA Golf Club also in the field include Bob Sowards (2023), Omar Uresti (2020), Utah PGA’s Steve Schneiter (2016), Frank Esposito Jr. (2014) and Mike San Filippo (2005, ‘02).
In addition to the Leo Fraser Trophy, named after the 16th president of the PGA of America, players are competing for a $350,000 purse, including the winner’s share of $31,100. The top eight finishers, including ties, will automatically qualify for the 2026 Senior PGA Professional Championship at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club in Gold Canyon, Arizona.
Each player will compete on the Wanamaker and Dye courses on Thursday and Friday before a cut to the low 90 scorers and ties. Saturday’s third and Sunday’s final round will take place exclusively on the Wanamaker course. A second cut following 54 holes will be made to the low 70 scorers and ties.
For more about the Senior PGA Professional Championship, visit here.
Ridgeline High School captured the 4A boys’ State Championship at Lakeside Golf Course Thursday, holding off a late charge from Crimson Cliffs to win by just two strokes and earn its second title in four years. The Riverhawks followed a first-round 280 with a 292 to finish at +4, led by freshman Beckham Skinner (-4) and sophomore Dallin Anderson (E).
Crimson Cliffs senior Dylan Winona earned medalist honors with rounds of 65-69 for an 8-under 134, finishing four strokes ahead of Skinner to claim the individual title in his final high school tournament.
Morgan High rallied from a 12-shot deficit after the opening round to win the 3A State Championship at Stansbury Park Golf Course Thursday, posting an 8-under 581 to edge Juab by four strokes for the program’s sixth title in eight years.
2025 3A State Champions, Morgan High
Junior Caleb Rees led the comeback with a 7-under 65, while teammate Jace Benson added a 66 as the Trojans surged on Day 2.
Juab’s Denver Douglas claimed the individual medalist honor with a bogey-free final-round 63, finishing 12-under for the tournament to secure his first individual state title.
Corner Canyon showcased its depth at the 6A State Championship, highlighted by Will Pizza’s impressive second-place individual finish at -10, helping the Chargers place five golfers in the individual top seven leaderboard.
Corner Canyon High, 6A State Champions
Seniors Tyse Boman and Ben Wilson each shot 5-under, while sophomore Drew Wilson added a 4-under score on day two, propelling Corner Canyon to its third consecutive team championship.
6A State Championship medalist, Lone Peak High’s, Blake Brown
Leading for both rounds at Sleepy Ridge GC, Lone Peak’s Blake Brown captured the individual medalist title at 12-under. The Chargers’ strong overall performance solidified their dominance securing a three-peat in 6A’s top two-team rivalry.
Austin Shelley rallied late to claim the 5A individual state championship at TalonsCove yesterday, making a birdie on the first playoff hole to edge former teammate Will Pedersen of Olympus and continue the Shelley family legacy of state titles.
5A Individual Champion, Austin Shelley, Skyline High
Trailing by two on the final hole, Shelley made three birdies in the final six holes, including a clutch 12-foot putt on No. 17, to reach an 11-under tie, then sealed the win with a 20-foot playoff birdie. His surge also propelled Skyline to a one-stroke team victory over Olympus, 575-576, giving the Eagles seven titles in the past eight years, with strong support from Marcus Davis-Condie, Bodie Green, and Boone Brown.
Anytime you win a team golf state championship by one stroke, every stroke truly did matter. Every par save, every bogey save — heck, even double-bogey saves were key for Waterford as it beat Beaver by the narrowest of margins (651 to 652) on October 2nd to win the 2A state championship.
And while all 651 of Waterford’s shots mattered the same, there was certainly something a little more special about Will Stender’s hole in one given the magnitude of the moment.
Waterford’s Will Stender celebrates his hole-in-one at Palisade’s Golf Course.
His ace on hole No. 4 at Palisade GC during fist round played a key role in Waterford not only beating Beaver by one stroke, but ending a 20-year state title drought.
From 1999 to 2004, Waterford’s boys golf team won six straight state championships. Just when the dynasty was getting going, the hardware stopped rolling in.
2A State Champions, Waterford High
That is until Thursday afternoon.
Led by Stender’s ace, the Ravens had a two-stroke lead over Beaver after the opening round, and that slight cushion made all the difference during the second round.
Waterford opened up a six-stroke lead through nine holes in the final round, but Beaver made a big charge and actually took a narrow lead with five holes to go before Waterford’s golfers closed the round with some timely shots to clinch the title.
2A State Championship medalist, North Summit’s Bradley Woolstenhulme.
There wasn’t nearly as much drama in the individual title race as North Summit senior Bradley Woolstenhulme (74-75) ran away with 2A medalist honors, winning by four strokes after shooting a two-day 149.
In the first nine days of October, five team champions of 2025 will be crowned in Utah boys high school golf.
With 36 holes of competition in each classification (the 1A boys play a spring schedule), the Utah Section PGA will host and conduct the tournaments at five venues around the state. Every team will count four of six players’ scores in each round.
Here’s a look at the events in chronological order, with a glance at each region’s top performers in adjusted scoring average in state qualifying events, as tallied by the Utah High School Activities Association through late September:
Class 2A: Oct. 1-2, Palisade GC, Sterling
South Sevier is the defending champion, but private schools Waterford and Rowland Hall of the Salt Lake Valley are heavy favorites this year.
Waterford’s team (photo above) scoring average of 299.65 is impressive at the 2A level. The Ravens’ average counting score for four players is slightly less than 75. Beaver (316.5) is third overall, as the top public school in 2A.
Region 15: North Summit’s Bradley Woolstenhulme (71.47) dominated his region, highlighted by a 66 at Round Valley GC in Morgan.
North Summit’s Bradley Woolstenhulme played in the Utah PGA Mountain Cup at Park Meadows.
Region 16: Wasatch Academy senior Henry Mahoney (91.82) shot an 83 in the combined Region 16/17 tournament at River Oaks GC in Sandy.
Region 17: Waterford’s Hank Donnelly (71.71) and Adam Deng (71.83) look like Woolstenhulme’s top challengers for medalist honors. Donnelly carded a 68 at River Oaks.
Region 18: Beaver junior Taven Young (77.22) posted a 74 at Cove View GC in Richfield.
Class 6A: Oct. 6-7, Sleepy Ridge GC, Orem
Region 3 rivals Corner Canyon and Lone Peak will stage quite a competition at Sleepy Ridge. It would not be surprising if each team has four counting scores in the 60s in each round, after the Chargers and Knights averaged 275 strokes in state qualifying events. Farmington (278.75) was not far behind.
Defending champion Corner Canyon features brothers Ben and Drew Wilson, sons of University of Utah assistant golf coach Keith Wilson, plus Tyse Boman and Will Pizza. Lone Peak is led by junior golf stars Ryder Huish and Blake Brown. Austin Jones, the youngest of four brothers who have played for Lone Peak, will try to contribute to a 10th state team title for his family.
Farmington High’s Jack Summerhays
Region 1: Farmington senior Jack Summerhays (68.29), a State Amateur quarterfinalist in July, shot a 65 at Davis Park GC, the Phoenix’s home course.
Region 2: Riverton senior Jaxon Erickson (68.83), the runner-up in the 2nd UGA Utah Junior State Amateur, posted a 66 at Mountain View GC.
Region 3: Ben Wilson’s region season, with a 68.05 average, was highlighted by a 65 at TalonsCove GC.
Class 5A: Oct. 6-7, TalonsCove GC, Saratoga Springs
Neighboring schools Olympus and Skyline have staged great battles in Region 6. The season’s competition will conclude at TalonsCove, where Fremont also should be in the mix.
Olympus is led by Will Pedersen, the winner of the Utah Junior Golf Association’s annual match-play tournament. Defending champion Skyline features Austin Shelley, who finished second in the Utah Golf Association’s 2025 Men’s Player of the Year race. Shelley won the UGA Utah Junior State Amateur in June. Pedersen (Utah) and Shelley (BYU) have made college commitments.
Olympus High’s Will Pedersen is a University of Utah commit.
Region 4: Cyprus lacks the star power of the top teams in other regions, but the Pirates have created a success story at the Copper Golf Club in Magna with a deep squad. Cyprus senior Derrik Daybell (75.41) shot a 71 at Stonebridge GC.
Region 5: West Field sophomore Mack Herzog (67.85) is another UJGA star, whose best round this fall was a 64 at The Barn GC.
Region 6: Pedersen (67.95), who’s committed to play for the University of Utah, has shot three 66s this fall, at Meadow Brook GC, Glendale GC and Lakeside GC.
Class 4A: Oct. 8-9, Lakeside GC, West Bountiful
In the tradition of former stars such as Zach Felts and Boston Bracken, Crimson Cliffs is loaded with talent. Playing in northern Utah, the Mustangs will be challenged at Lakeside GC by two resurgent programs from Salt Lake City: East and Highland.
Crimson Cliffs High’s Dylan Winona
Region 8: Uintah has produced two outstanding players, Eastyn Ewell (69.31) and Korver Hawkins (70.33). Ewell shot 66s at Mountain View GC and Dinaland GC, the Utes’ home course in Vernal.
Region 9: The St. George-area region staged some great competition, with Crimson Cliffs leading the way. Dylan Winona (68.1) posted a 63 at Southgate GC and Maverick Rhodes averaged 70.03 strokes.
Region 10: East’s Ben Wright (70.92) carded 65s at Meadow Brook and Glendale GC.
Region 11: Ridgeline freshman Beckham Skinner (70.36), a son of PGA Professional Erik Skinner, carded a 66 at Lakeside GC, the state tournament site.
Class 3A: Oct. 8-9, Stansbury Park GC, Stansbury Park
Based on region tournament scoring, Morgan appears to have the biggest advantage of any team in any classification, going into state competition. The Trojans are top-heavy with Jace Benson and Caleb Reese and just need decent play from two other golfers in hopes of ruling the 3A meet.
Jace Benson tees off on the ninth hole during the second round of stroke play of the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, Texas (Dustin Satloff/USGA)
Region 12: Benson (69.94) shot a 63 at Round Valley GC, Morgan’s home course. He’s a national-class junior golfer.
Region 13: Union sophomore Parker Frandsen (74.15) shot a 71 at Skyline Mountain Resort GC.
Region 14: Juab’s Denver Douglas (70.13) posted a 66 at Canyon Hills Park GC, the Wasps’ home course in Nephi.
2025 Utah Boys High School Golf State Championship preview written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kraghtorpe. Photos by Fairways Media unless otherwise credited.
Every year, the Utah PGA Section Championship crowns a champion, sends top finishers on to the national stage, and adds another chapter to the history of Utah golf. This year at Toana Vista Golf Club, that history came with an exclamation point.
Haley Sturgeon, Assistant Professional at The Country Club, became the first female Utah PGA professional to qualify for the national PGA Professional Championship. Her 4-under par total of 140 on rounds of 71–69 earned her a tie for 5th place, inside the top seven qualifier cutoff, and with it, a spot in the 2025 PGA Professional Championship.
No woman in the history of the Utah Section has ever done what Sturgeon just accomplished.
“Being my first Section Championship, I was just so excited to finally be there,” Sturgeon told Utah Golf Radio hosts Paul Pugmire, Jan Brownstein, and Section member Tommy Sharp. “As an associate, you always dream of it—getting your Class A and earning the chance to play. To compete and qualify my first time in, that’s just unbelievable.”
Unbelievable, maybe. But make no mistake—it was also earned.
Sturgeon opened her first round at Toana Vista carding five birdies on the front nine, including a streak of three straight on holes seven, eight, and nine. She made the turn at 4-under and steadied herself on the back, closing with a birdie on 18 for a 71. Day two was all about patience and execution. With the notes she had made from round one in hand, Sturgeon played smart, steady golf. She dropped a birdie on the par-5 6th, then rolled in what turned out to be the pivotal putt of her championship—a tricky downhill slider on seven for another birdie, her 15th and 16th holes of the final round.
“That was a big one, but I had no idea what it meant at the time,” Sturgeon said. “I never once looked at the leaderboard. I just didn’t want that extra pressure. I was just trying to play smart and let it happen.”
When she walked off 18 and turned in her card, she realized what she had done. Tied for 5th. In.
“It was surreal. People started congratulating me, and I thought, ‘Okay, I had a good round.’ Then I looked at the board and saw I was T5 and thought, holy cow. I had no idea. I was just out there playing.”
Sturgeon’s finish wasn’t just about personal accomplishment. It carried weight for women’s golf in Utah and beyond.
Haley Sturgeon is the first Utah PGA female professional to qualify for the national PGA Professional Championship.
“I thought about it on the way home, wondering if a woman from Utah had ever done this before. When I realized I was the first, it just felt incredible. Hopefully this inspires younger girls and women to know they can play at this level, too.”
Sturgeon is now part of a short but significant list of female PGA professionals who have earned their way into the PGA Professional Championship, names like Suzy Whaley, Joanna Coe, and Ashley Greer. And now, Utah has one of its own.
For Sturgeon, the focus now shifts to preparation. “Lots of TrackMan practice rounds,” she said with a laugh.
But whatever comes next, her place in Utah PGA history is already secured. At Toana Vista, Haley Sturgeon didn’t just make the top five. She made history.
Utah PGA Section Qualifiers for the 2025 PGA Professional Championship
Seven Utah PGA professionals punched their tickets to next April’s national PGA Professional Championship thanks to their finishes at the Section Championship in Wendover:
Chris Moody – Section Champion (-6)* Tommy Sharp – Runner-up (-6) Zach Johnson – (-5) Todd Tanner – (-5) Haley Sturgeon – (-4) First female Utah PGA professional ever to qualify Tele Wightman – (-4) Evan Wartgow – (-4)
While Utah PGA Section Champion Chris Moody will compete in the national Senior PGA Professional Championship next month in Florida, a new door has opened for Salt Lake City’s Tommy Sharp.
As the Section Championship runner-up this week at Toana Vista Golf Club in Wendover, Sharp, a PGA Teaching Professional at the Salt Lake Golf Academy, accepted the Section Champion’s exemption into the PGA TOUR’s Bank of Utah Championship at Black Desert Resort, set for Oct. 23–26 in Ivins.
Sharp and Moody each posted matching 6-under par 138 totals over 36 holes before Moody secured the Section Championship title with a birdie on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff. For Sharp, the disappointment of missing a short putt to win on the first playoff hole was softened by the news of his PGA TOUR start.
A missed putt on the first playoff hole by Tommy Sharp eventually led to a three hole playoff at Toana Vista.
“Yeah, it definitely softened the blow from missing the 3-footer to win on the first playoff hole this week,” Sharp said. “This will be my second PGA TOUR event—I played in the 2016 PGA Championship. I am unbelievably excited to play in the event. My oldest boy was only 3 years old and we actually found out that we were pregnant the night before the first round of the PGA Championship with my youngest son in 2016. It has been my goal since then to get back to a PGA Tour event so that they would be old enough to remember seeing me play. Now they are 12 and 8 and I can’t wait for them to be there with me.”
That family perspective is fueling Sharp’s motivation. “I think I’ll be more comfortable and know what to expect this time around. I have no delusions of winning the event but I think I can make the cut if I play solid golf.”
Sharp was candid about his 2024 season, calling it one of his toughest years since his 2016 PGA Championship appearance. “Overall, my season has been an utter disappointment,” he admitted. “The game has definitely changed as my kids have gotten older because I pretty much only play with them or in tournaments. As a result, my game is nowhere near as sharp as it was (in 2016), but I wouldn’t change getting to play with them for anything.”
Tommy Sharp tees off on the first hole, the third hole of the playoff to determine the Section champion.
Sharp admitted that Bandon Dunes, the site of the 2026 PGA Professional Championship, was on his mind. “Bandon Dunes is my favorite place I have ever played and it actually put an added pressure on the Section Championship this year as I wanted to qualify so bad,”
“Making it back to the PGA Professional Championship,” Sharp said, “and the added bonus of getting to play a PGA TOUR event in my home state makes up for all of the poor golf this summer.”
In October, Sharp will get that chance at Black Desert Resort—on one of Utah professional golf’s biggest stages, with his kids finally old enough to see him tee it up against the world’s best.
