News

5A. 3A, 2A Golf Tournaments Begin at Talons Cove, Fox Hollow

High school golf: 5A title race is wide open; Miners look like top team in 3A
By mike sorensen
Deseret News
Published: Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011 11:53 p.m. MDT
Wednesday and Thursday, the 5A state championship golf tournament will be played at Talons Cove Golf Course in Saratoga Springs, while the 3A tournament will be contested at Fox Hollow Golf Course in American Fork on the same two days.
Six golfers compete for each team, with the low four scores counting towards the team total each day.
Class 5A
It looks like a wide-open affair in 5A with perhaps a half-dozen teams having a legitimate chance to win.
Region champions Alta, Viewmont and Lone Peak each have well-balanced teams that averaged scores between 75 and 76 this year, while Region 1 champion Syracuse and Bingham are not far behind.
The Hawks, who last won a state title in 2003, have six players averaging less than 77, led by Kenny You and Tanner Howard. Others include Brady Donaldson, Nate Lant, Tyler Talbot and Andrew Ovard.
Defending champion Lone Peak is led by Berkely Stulce and he’s backed up by Zach Pymm, Nick Emery, Connor Copeland, Cameron Webb and Jared Webb.
Viewmont has a top player in Kelton Hirsch and a good supporting cast in Boston Watts, McKay Johnson and Cooper Henson.
Syracuse counts on Colton Dallimore and Spencer Barber, while Bingham’s top players are Sam Erickson and Mana Angilau.
The top player in 5A is West’s Austin Banz, whose stroke average of 69 is the best of any player in the four classes. Only one other West player, Marshall Harris, averages below 80, so the Panthers may have a hard time contending for the team title.
Other top players who could contend for the individual title are last year’s runner-up, Kyler Dearden of Northridge, along with Weber’s Bubba Hall, Fremont’s Alex Herzog, Brighton’s Charlie Duensing, West Jordan’s Jaden Jackson and Granger’s Henry Leng.
Class 3A
Park City won the title last year going away thanks to a terrific second-day score, but only Justin Shluker is back from last year’s team. Still, the Miners are the favorites to win their fourth straight 3A title this year.
Shluker was the Region 10 medalist with a 73.5-stroke average while Jack Egan, Henry Hanskat, Evan Fleming and Adam Eisenbarth all averaged in the 70s.
Spanish Fork won the Region 12 title behind Elliott Naulu and Dave Madsen, while Bear River captured the Region 11 title behind Jordan Rose and Bridger Layton. Region 9 champion Desert Hills’ top player is Christian Adams.
Other top individuals are Jake Wagstaff of Wasatch, Christian Karren of Uintah, Chris Turner of Judge, Juab’s Dalton Jackson, Tanner Torres of Canyon View, Pine view’s Andrew Shopinski, Stansbury’s Jalen Roberts and Ryan Lowe and Nick Smart of Juan Diego.
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