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 31^st-August 1^st 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 29^th 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 5-6^th 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 16-18^th 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 10-11^th 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 10^th at Valley View, they continued to the par-5 11^th.

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.

By Jesse Dodson

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 10^th 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 4^th 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 10^th. They sealed the deal with a birdie on the 14^th 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.

Tournament bracket HERE