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Kelsey Chugg Earns Third Women’s Player of the Year Title
By Megan Terry, Programs Administrator
Three consecutive Mary Lou Baker titles, three Utah Women’s State Amateur Championships, and now three UGA Women’s Player of the Year awards; Kelsey Chugg wins some and then wins some more. The expression “You can’t win ‘em all” has ever applied to Chugg. She can and she does.
The 2016 UGA Championship season was, once again, an unsurprisingly successful one for Chugg. Just two months after being named the 2015 Women’s Player of the Year, Kelsey overtook Haley Dunn at UGA Winterchamps to claim the 2016 title. Dunn opened up with what seemed like an untouchable seven-point lead over Chugg at SunRiver Golf Club. Nevertheless, Kelsey rose to the occasion during Round 2 at Sky Mountain Golf Course and managed to earn 51 points to clinch the win with 90 Stableford points over Dunn’s 89 points.
Chugg won her first Mary Lou Baker Open title in 2015 at Spanish Oaks Golf Course by four strokes over Rachel Newren-Harmon. The following year, Kelsey came from behind to claim the victory with a two-day total of seven-under 135 after Sadie Palmer took the Round 1 lead at Davis Park Golf Course. In 2016, after warming up for only ten minutes before her Final Round tee time, Chugg fired two-under 70 at Park City Golf Club for a two-day total of 141, two shots over 2016 Women’s Stroke Play Champion Naomi Soifua.
As the previous champion, Chugg was the No.1 seed in the match play portion of the 110th Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship. She was defeated by Dixie State University’s Cobair Collinsworth after 20 holes in the Round of 16. Kelsey never lost her confidence and determination to succeed. Three weeks later, Chugg traveled to Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, CA, for Stage I of LPGA Qualifying School. She carded rounds of 77-73-72-74 (+8) to tie for 101st place and qualified for the official developmental tour of the LPGA, the Symetra Tour.
“Kelsey had little time to mentally recuperate before taking on some of the best professionals and amateurs around the country for an opportunity to play for a living,” explained UGA Rules and Competitions Director Jacob Miller. “Her success at Q-School just weeks after bitter disappointment shows her strong mental resolve. Despite what playing path she chooses going forward, she will be a top contender at any level.”
Aside from her achievements as one of Utah golf’s top competitors, Chugg is doing great things for the Utah Golf Association as membership director, implementing new programs and member benefits along with streamlining online registration.
The annual presentation of the 2016 UGA Player of the Year Awards will take place on Wednesday, January 18th at Alpine Country Club beginning at 6 p.m. Please RSVP by calling the UGA office at 801-563-0400 by Friday, January 13th at 4 p.m.