Summerhays, Wilson Once Again Face Golf’s Toughest Week, the Six Round Q-School Finale

Former BYU players Daniel Summerhays and Dean Wilson are once again facing the ‘toughest week in golf’ when they tee it up Wednesday in the six round, 108 hole PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament at PGA West in La Quinta, California.
There are 173 players entered and only 25 will earn their tour cards.
The three final rounds on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday will be televised on the Golf Channel.
The golf biographies of Summerhays and Wilson as published on the PGA Tour web page.
 
 
Daniel Summerhays Tour Bio
 
Nationwide Tour Victories
(1) 2007  Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational. 
Current Year PGA TOUR Money and Position
$301,899 (171)
Current Year Nationwide Tour Money and Position
$7,830 (189)
Current Year PGA TOUR Best Round
64 at Round 2, Sony Open in Hawaii. 64 at Round 4, Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation.
Current Year Nationwide Tour Best Round
67 at Round 3, Albertsons Boise Open Pres’d by Kraft. 67 at Round 4, Albertsons Boise Open Pres’d by Kraft.
Current Year PGA TOUR Highlights
Claimed a pair of top-25 finishes in the 29 starts during his rookie year on the PGA TOUR. Of four Nationwide Tour starts, posted a best finish of T21 at the Albertsons Boise Open…At The Heritage, recorded a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th hole with an 8-iron from 177
yards en route to a 5-under 66. It was the 20th hole-in-one in tournament history and 11th on TOUR in 2011. He went on to finish T64.
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Current Year Nationwide Tour Highlights
Made 26 starts and had three seconds and a third-place finish among his seven top-10s. Finished the season No. 5 on the money list, with $391,742, the second-highest total in Tour history for a player without a victory. Also was No. 2 in All-Around Ranking, No. 4 in Scoring
Average and Total Driving and No. 6 in Greens in Regulation…Made one cut in his first six starts but was runner-up at the Stadion Athens Classic, where he held the 54-hole lead. A 2-over 73 in the final round left him one stroke back of winner Martin Piller, alone in second…Posted his second top-10 finish at the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic. Fired a third-round 65, matching his low round of the year, to enter the final round tied for fifth, eight shots back. Shot a final-round 69 to drop to T10…Finished T3 at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational, where he held the lead heading into the final nine holes at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course. Made the turn at 9-under par but was overtaken by D.J. Brigman, who was several groups in front. Brigman completed play at 10-under. Summerhays needed a birdie on one of the two closing holes to force a tie. After a par at No. 17, his second shot at the par-4 18th bounced over the green, and he settled for a bogey, dropping him into a T3. Improved seven spots to No. 14 on the money list…Began the final round of the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open with three consecutive birdies to move into contention. Up-and-down round included two front-nine double bogeys, two bogeys and two back-nine eagles along with another birdie for a 3-under 68. Finished T4 after four rounds in the 60s…Continued his solid play the next week by finishing T9 at the Price Cutter Charity Championship. Played the final 47 holes without a bogey en route to recording his fifth top-10 of the year…Solidified his spot on the 2011 PGA TOUR with back-to-back second-place finishes at the Albertsons Boise Open and the Soboba Golf Classic late in the year… Finished runner-up by one stroke to Hunter Haas at the Albertsons Boise Open after holding the 54-hole lead. Birdied three of his first four holes to get to 20-under par but had to settle for 14 consecutive pars to close the day. Second-place effort was his sixth top-10 of the year and was worth $78,300, pushing his season total high enough to lock up a spot among “The 25” leading money-winners at the end of the year and a berth on the PGA TOUR in 2011…Kept his solid play going by finishing runner-up in his next start, the Soboba Classic. Posted four rounds in the 60s to finish three back of winner Steven Bowditch. Picked up $108,000, the largest check of his career, while notching his seventh top-10 of the year.
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Best Nationwide Tour Finishes
1– Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational.
2010 Best Nationwide Tour Finishes
2– Stadion Classic at UGA, Albertsons Boise Open Pres’d by Kraft, Soboba Golf Classic. T3– Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational. T4– Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open. T9– Price Cutter Charity Championship Presented by Dr Pepper. T10– Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic Presented by Samsung.
2010 Season PGA TOUR
Tournaments Entered–1; in money–; Top 10 finishes–
2010 Season Nationwide Tour
Tournaments Entered–26; in money–16; Top 10 finishes–7
 Career Highlights
2010: Made 26 starts and had three seconds and a third-place finish among his seven top-10s. Finished the season No. 5 on the money list, with $391,742, the second-highest total in Tour history for a player without a victory. Also was No. 2 in All-Around Ranking, No. 4 in
Scoring Average and Total Driving and No. 6 in Greens in Regulation…Made one cut in his first six starts but was runner-up at the Stadion Athens Classic, where he held the 54-hole lead. A 2-over 73 in the final round left him one stroke back of winner Martin Piller, alone in second…Posted his second top-10 finish at the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic. Fired a third-round 65, matching his low round of the year, to enter the final round tied for fifth, eight shots back. Shot a final-round 69 to drop to T10…Finished T3 at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational, where he held the lead heading into the final nine holes at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course. Made the turn at 9-under par but was overtaken by D.J. Brigman, who was several groups in front. Brigman completed play at 10-under. Summerhays needed a birdie on one of the two closing holes to force a tie. After a par at No. 17, his second shot at the par-4 18th bounced over the green, and he settled for a bogey, dropping him into a T3. Improved seven spots to No. 14 on the money list…Began the final round of the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open with three consecutive birdies to move into contention. Up-and-down round included two front-nine double bogeys, two bogeys and two back-nine eagles along with another birdie for a 3-under 68. Finished T4 after four rounds in the 60s…Continued his solid play the next week by finishing T9 at the Price Cutter Charity Championship. Played the final 47 holes without a bogey en route to recording his fifth top-10 of the year…Solidified his spot on the 2011 PGA TOUR with back-to-back second-place finishes at the Albertsons Boise Open and the Soboba Golf Classic late in the year…Finished runner-up by one stroke to Hunter Haas at the Albertsons Boise Open after holding the 54-hole lead. Birdied three of his first four holes to get to 20-under par but had to settle for 14 consecutive pars to close the day. Second-place effort was his sixth top-10 of the year and was worth $78,300, pushing his season total high enough to lock up a spot among
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 Personal
Comes from a golf family…His older brother, Boyd, is a past Nationwide Tour member, while his uncle Bruce Summerhays was a Champions Tour player and his cousin Carrie Roberts is a former LPGA player who is now the head women’s golf coach at BYU…Lists his dad and brother as
his heroes. Got his start in golf from his dad…Served a two-year Mormon mission from June 2003-June 2005 in Santiago, Chile, and is fluent in Spanish…Cites winning the 2007 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational as his biggest thrill in golf. Was a member of the Davis High School (Kaysville, UT) state championship basketball team…Is an avid ping-pong player. Says changing his son’s diaper is no problem since he has more than 20 nieces and nephews…With his Spanish-language background, considered himself part of the Nationwide Tour’s “Latin Federation,” which at the time included Miguel Angel Carballo, Sebastian Fernandez, Fabian Gomez and Esteban Toledo. Says he understands Chilean slang perfectly but “Argentine or Mexican slang words are a little different.”…Lists Cafe Rio in Salt Lake City as his favorite restaurant…His most-memorable Christmas present was the first set of Ping Eye-2 beryllium irons he received when he was 12.
 
Dean Wilson Tour Bio
PGA TOUR Victories
(1) 2006  The INTERNATIONAL. 
 International Victories
(6): 2002 Tsuruya Open [Jpn], Gateway to the Open Mizuno Open [Jpn]. 2001 Japan PGA Championship, Japan PGA Match Play Championship, UBE Kosan Cup [Jpn]. 2000 Aiful Cup [Jpn].
 Other Victories
(2): 2003 Champions Challenge [with Mike Weir]. 2004 Champions Challenge [with Mike Weir].
Current Year PGA TOUR Money and Position
$401,314 (151)
Current Year PGA TOUR Best Round
64 at Round 2, Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Current Year PGA TOUR Highlights
Made 10 cuts and missed 10 cuts. Did not record a top-10 finish, but had three top 25s.
Best PGA TOUR Finishes
1– The INTERNATIONAL.
2010 Best PGA TOUR Finishes
2– RBC Canadian Open.
2010 Season PGA TOUR
Tournaments Entered–18; in money–9; Top 10 finishes–1
 Career Highlights
2010: Claimed four top-25 finishes in 21 starts…Took advantage of a sponsor invitation by finishing runner-up, a stroke behind Carl Pettersson at the RBC Canadian Open in July. Posted three consecutive 5-under 65s at St. George’s G&CC to take four-stroke lead into the final round. A final-round, 2-over 72
derailed his chances. 2009: Made the cut in 13 of 29 starts on the PGA TOUR, four of which were top-25s. Scored the only hole-in-one at the Crowne Plaza Invitational when he aced the 13th hole with a 7-iron in the first round. 2008: Enjoyed a solid season on the PGA TOUR, defined by eight top-25 finishes and a pair of T3s in the span of three weeks in July…Carded a 6-under 66 to claim the 18-hole lead at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans before finishing T42. Was one of only two players to break 70 (69) in the final round of THE PLAYERS en route to finishing T10…Shared the second-round lead with five others at the Stanford St. Jude Classic, finishing T13…Finished T3 at the AT&T National, thanks to weekend rounds of 65-67…Closed with rounds of 64-65 to finish T3 at the U.S. Bank Championship…Jumped into top-70 in FedExCup standings and cracked $1 million in earnings for third consecutive season. 2007: After winning in 2006, finished in the top-10 four times, with a best finish of T5 at the Stanford St. Jude Championship…Made his first start at the Masters Tournament, finished T30…It was his third straight season with at least four top-10s. 2006: In fourth full season on TOUR, earned first victory in a playoff over Tom Lehman at The International, and later earned first TOUR Championship berth. Posted a career-best six top-10s and finished 22nd on the TOUR money list…Collected his first TOUR win in his 118th start by defeating Lehman with a birdie on the second playoff hole at The International. Led the tournament in birdies with 23, including the playoff birdie. His 12 points during final round were the most by a winner since Rich Beem recorded 19 in 2002. Began final round five points behind third-round leader Zach Johnson. Became fourth first-time winner at Castle Pines GC and first since Rod Pampling in 2004. Became the first Hawaiian-born player to win on TOUR since David Ishii, who won the 1990 Hawaiian Open…Finished T2 at The Valero Texas Open. 2005: One off the lead after 18 holes at the Buick Invitational after a posting 9-under-par 63. Disqualified for failing to sign his scorecard after a second-round 75…First top-10 of year was solo sixth at the Barclays Classic, where he posted the third double eagle in tournament history on the ninth hole in the second round, holing a 4-iron from 217 yards. 2004: Played in 33 events on the PGA TOUR and finished No. 133 on money list. Returned to Qualifying Tournament and finished T13 to regain full playing status in 2005…After Bell Canadian Open was No. 150 on the money list, posted first top-10 of season with a T3 at the Valero Texas Open to earn $203,000. Jumped to No. 121 on money list with best career finish. Led by one stroke through 36 holes after opening 64-65. 2003: Came to PGA TOUR after garnering six victories on the Japan Golf Tour during three-year stretch (2000-02). Rookie was one of seven (out of 38) players to retain full status out of TOUR Qualifying School…In only his 10th career start on the PGA TOUR, finished T6 at the Chrysler Classic of Tucson. 2002: Earned status for the 2003 season by finishing T11 at the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament…Best finish in four starts was T23 at Sony Open in Hawaii…Won twice on the Japan Golf Tour, at the Tsuruya Open and Gateway to the Open Mizuno Open. 2001: Breakthrough year in Japan with three victories, including the Japan PGA match-play and stroke-play championships, both considered majors on that tour, and made it into the top 70 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Finished second on the Japan PGA Tour money list, earning over $950,361…Also finished T30 at the U.S. Open. 2000: JPGA rookie of the year. 1999: Member of the Nationwide Tour, finishing with two top-25s in eight starts. 1996: One top-25 finish in eight starts on the Nationwide Tour. Amateur: Medalist at the 1991 Western Athletic Conference Championship. Member of the 1990-92 WAC championship teams at Brigham Young University. College teammate for three seasons at BYU with TOUR member Mike Weir.
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 PGA TOUR Playoff Record
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Summerhays Coasts to Win, Wilson Also Advances

Daniel Summerhays posted a very conservative final round 76 and still won by three strokes at the second stage PGA Tour Q-School Qualifying at Murietta, California Sunday. Summerhays was the leader after all four rounds and was never in doubt of advancing to the final stage in his effort to regain his PGA Tour card.
While the final round was a cruise for Summerhays it was sweat all the way for Dean Wilson. He had to come from behind to keep his tour card hopes alive and he made it by a whisker. He shot 69 in the final round and a 70 wouldn’t have been good enough.
The round-by-round scores of the four Utahns were as follows:
1st- Daniel Summerhays, 65-66-69-76-276
15th- Dean Wilson, 75-69-73-69-286
55th- Steve Schneiter, 72-78-75-75-300
57th- Nick Killpack, 77-74-76-74-301

Former Utah Pro Josh Smith Named GM of Five Disney Courses

As an assistant golf professional at Wingpointe Golf Course for seven years Josh Smith kept looking for ways to improve himself; not his game, but his management skills.
He got his break in 2002 when he applied for a job with Arnold Palmer Management and was hired to be the tournament coordinator at Presidio Golf Club in San Francisco. Little did he know at the time that his career was taking a meteoric path to success.
After five stops along the Palmer path including nearly four years as Western Regional Manager of the Palmer golf courses, his career has now taken another big step. The Palmer team has just hired him to serve as the general manager of the five Disney golf courses in Orlando, Florida. The Disney courses are a recent and unique acquisition to the Palmer stable.

Disney, in an effort to generate some passion and energy into its golf course operations, decided to lease its golf properties to Arnold Palmer Management. Instead of a management contract, Palmer negotiated a 20-year lease with Disney that gives the Palmer organization wide latitude to redesign the courses.
About the first task for Jeff Levine, Senior Vice President of Operations for Palmer Management, was to hire a general manager for the five courses, and he turned to Josh Smith to fill that responsibility.
The courses that Smith will be responsible for include:
Disney’s Magnolia course — Named for its 1500 magnolia trees, this course is one of the two original
golf courses that opened with Walt Disney World Resort forty years ago. Designed by Joe Lee, the
course has hosted final round play for PGA Tour events since 1971.
 
Disney’s Palm course -Designed to accentuate the natural beauty of the land, the course opened in
1971 near Magic Kingdom. Recognized as one of America’s premier resort courses, Disney’s Palm will
be renovated to earn the designation of an Arnold Palmer designed course.
 
Lake Buena Vista course – Built in 1972, the course adjacent to Downtown Disney and Saratoga
Springs Resort stretches to 6,829 yards from the championship tees. As a past host for PGA, LPGA
and USGA tour stops, the beautifully conditioned course is a challenge for pros and amateurs alike.
 
Osprey Ridge course – Designed by Tom Fazio in 1992, the course will transition to Four Seasons
Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort as part of their new luxury resort anticipated to open in
2013-14.
 
Oak Trail course – one of Disney’s most popular courses, this nine hole walking course is ideal for
golfers of all ages and skill levels.
 
Smith graduated from the University of Utah in 2000 with a BS degree in Recreation and Tourism, a perfect fit for his new position. He has been a Class A PGA member since December of 2001. He graduated from Granger High School in 1996.
 
Smith is the son of Judy Allem, who is president of the UGA and a member of Hidden Valley CC. He is married to Lexie Sessions, daughter of Don Sessions, who is a former president of Hidden Valley Country Club. Lexie was a first grade school teacher until giving birth to their son, Lucas, who is now nearly two years old.
Smith’s story is one of ‘local boy makes it big in golf, but not on the tour!’
And now the family is on the move from the West Coast to the East Coast.

PGA Tour Q-School: Summerhays Still Holds Five Stroke Lead, Wilson Still Has Chance

Daniel Summerhays is a lock to advance to the final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying and Dean Wilson still has an outside chance, but the other Utahns are going to have to wait another year.
Daniel Summerhays still holds a five stroke lead going into the final round of the PGA Tour School Qualifying being held at Bear Creek Golf Club in Murietta, California. He has posted rounds of 65-66-69-200  for a 16 under par score.  Barring injury or some unusual disqualification he is home free.
Dean Wilson’s third round 73 moved him up to 28th place, but there are only 19 spots allotted for the qualifying. He needs to have a strong final round to advance to the final stage. His three rounds have been 75-69-73-217. Going into the final round he stands at one over par and it looks like it will take three under par to earn a spot.
Steve Schneiter and Nick Killpack are too far back to earn a spot. Schneiter is in 56th place with rounds of 72-78-73-223 and Killpack is in 62nd place with rounds of 77-74-76-227.
Tony Finau finished in 52nd place in the PGA Tour Qualifying School at Humble, Texas with rounds of 71-74-73-74-292. He was the only Utahn entered in that qualifying which started a day earlier than the other qualifying.
In the PGA Champions Tour qualifying the only Utahn entered was Keith Clearwater. He held the lead after his opening round 66, but he followed it up with 75-73-75 and finished far out of the running.

Summerhays Doing Great; Other Utahns Struggle in PGA Tour Q-School Events

Daniel Summerhays shot the low round of the day in each of the first two days of the PGA Tour Qualifying event in Murietta, California and he appears to be a lock to advance to the final stage.
He shot rounds of 65-66-131 and stands 13 under par. His nearest rival is five shots back.
Other Utahns aren’t in such good shape and will have to play lights out in the final two rounds to keep their PGA Tour cards dreams alive.
Nineteen players advance to the final stage and Dean Wilson currently stands in 28th place with rounds of 75-69-144. Steve Schneiter is in 59th place with rounds of 72-78-150, and Nick Killpack is in 63rd place with scores of 77-74-141.
At another qualifying site in Humble, Texas, Tony Finau is in 54th place with just one round remaining. He has shot rounds of 71-74-73-218.
Keith Clearwater, in the qualifying event for the Champions Senior Tour, shot the best round of the opening round, a remarkable 66, but since then he has dropped into 58th place with follow up rounds of 75-73. He stands at two over par with one round remaining.

For Long Years of Service to UGA: Hats Off to Logan Golf and Country Club

Historical note: When Reed McGregor’s nine-year term on the UGA Board of Directors concluded last month it marked the end of an era—for the first time in the incorporated history of the Utah Golf Association there will not be a representative from the Logan Golf and Country Club on the UGA board.
The Utah Golf Association was incorporated in 1965 and one of the original signers of the incorporation papers was Steve Hayward of Logan Golf and Country Club. Since then a representative of the Logan Golf and Country Club has always been on the UGA Board of Directors. That’s 46 consecutive years that a member of the Logan Golf and Country Club has served on the UGA Board of Directors.
That long skein of service was interrupted at this year’s UGA Annual Meeting when Reed McGregor completed his nine years of service and was not replaced by another member from Logan Golf and CC.
During those consecutive 46 years there have been eight different board members represent Logan Golf and Country Club on the UGA Board. The chain began with Steve Hayward and included Pete Randall, Al Hansen, Mark Passey, Keith Hansen, Lee Samsel, Reed McGregor, and Linda Olsen.
Six of the eight also served as president of the UGA: Al Hansen served in 1972, Pete Randall in 1974-75; Mark Passey, 1985; Keith Hansen, 1990-91; Linda Olsen, 2007; and Reed McGregor, 2010.
Mark Passey also served as the UGA Executive Director for five years from 1985 to 1990.
That’s quite a record of service from Logan Golf and Country and the UGA extends its thanks to the club and the members who have contributed so unselfishly to Utah golf.
Footnote: Although not ever a member of Logan Golf and Country Club, another Loganite, Joe Watts, was also a member of the UGA board and served as its president in 1988 and also as UGA Executive Director for nearly 20 years. He grew up in Logan, was sports editor of the Herald Journal, and his family had a long time membership at the club and lived in a home adjacent to the course.

Tribune Editorial Suggests Increase in SLC Green Fees

(This editorial appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune. It regards an issue that is currently being considered by the Salt Lake City Council. It should be of interest to all Utah golfers.)

Green for greens
Published: November 6, 2011 11:30PMUpdated: November 6, 2011 11:30PM
Utahns are strangely addicted to golf. Salt Lake City alone operates an astonishing eight public courses (nine if you count the two at Mountain Dell separately). The greens fees are a bargain, but they are not currently enough to cover operating expenses and capital improvements. It’s time to raise them.
Mayor Ralph Becker has proposed doing just that, raising howls from some golfers. But others acknowledge that taxpayers shouldn’t have to subsidize golf and say they can live with the increases, especially if the courses improve.
The leading proposal before the City Council would raise the greens fee by $1.50 for nine holes beginning Jan.1 at the city’s premier courses. Those funds would go to operations. An additional $1 per nine holes would go to a capital improvements fund. The increases would be smaller at the smaller courses. Subsequent $1 increases are proposed for 2014 and 2016.
The current greens fees are $16 for nine holes ($30 for 18 holes) on two of the city’s courses, Bonneville and Mountain Dell. They are $15 at Wingpointe, $13 at Glendale, Forest Dale and Rose Park; $12 at Nibley Park; $7 at the Jordan Park par-3. Seniors and junior players get discounts.
The fee increases for operations are projected to raise between $1.9 million and $2.4 million over the next five years. But the city is concerned that the fee hikes could cause a 6 percent decline in rounds played, because golfers will go to other, lower-priced public courses in the area. That’s a realistic fear because there is a glut of public golf courses in this market. That oversupply makes municipal governments reluctant to hike greens fees.
Golfers are likely to grumble at the higher prices, and some will refuse to play Salt Lake City. But it is likely that most will continue to play the city’s courses, realizing that they still will be an excellent recreation bargain.
Some golfers have suggested that the city do more with pricing differentials, such as charging a premium to play the busiest times. Good idea. Some actually believe that if the city reduced its fees, it would make more revenue on the resulting higher volume. We doubt that. It sounds too much like the unsuccessful airlines pricing model.
The only way to find out is to hike the fees and see how the market responds.
Keeping the courses financially viable is important, and not only to golfers. The courses add oases of green space and cooling to the urban landscape. But they should be self-sufficient.

© 2011 The Salt Lake Tribune
Green for greens

Judy Allem Elected President of UGA for 2012; Eyes USGA Championship As Top Priority

Judy Allem has been elected President of the Utah Golf Association for the 2012 golf season. This will be her ninth and final year on the UGA board. She has been a member of Hidden Valley Country Club for the past 14 years, but her roots are in women’s public golf where she was associated with the Mountain Dell Women’s Golf Association for many years.
She is well prepared to be the UGA president. Prior to serving as president she has served on the UGA Executive Committee as secretary and vice president. She becomes only the second woman to hold the UGA’s highest position. Linda Olsen was the first woman to be elected president of the UGA in 2007. Judy is happily married to Mike Allem and has one son, Josh Smith, who is a regional vice-president for Arnold Palmer Golf Management in Orlando, Florida. Josh began his professional career at Wingpointe Golf Course in SLC.
Allem has taken Utah teams to two Junior Americas Cup competitions and two USGA Women’s State Team championships. She has attended four USGA Rules Schools and has worked rules at UGA events since first joining the board eight years ago. She worked as a rules official on the Future Collegians World Tour for two years, and has been the chairman of the US Girls’ Junior Qualifying in Utah for the past five years. She has also participated as a rules official in three US Girls’ Junior Championships.
“Our biggest challenge and responsibility this year will be helping with Utah’s first USGA national championship at Soldier Hollow,” Allem said. “We need to make the USGA Men’s Public Links Championship a huge success and that will require the help and support of the entire UGA membership,” she added. “We need both monetary and onsite volunteer support. It is a big undertaking.”
Jim Harland, a member of the UGA Board and recently retired from the Utah State Parks Department, is the local chairman of the USGA championship event.
Other officers of the board this coming year are vice president Dave Dorton, secretary Karen White, and treasurer John Taylor.
Other members of the board are past president Bill Probst, Jim Kane, Jim Harland, Kim Anderson, Reese Nielsen, Steve Brinton, and recently elected Kurt Bernhisel, and Denise Vilven. It is a young board as six members of the board are still in their first terms.
Finishing their final years on the board this past year were Al Simkins and Reed McGregor. Allem, Dorton, and Probst will complete their terms of service at the end of this year.
Bill Walker will begin his second year as the Executive Director of the UGA and will direct the UGA staff that includes Mike Branca, Lisa Imamura, Jeremy Bates, Shauna Newren, and intern Chris Richards.

Four Utahns Look Forward to Second Stage of PGA Tour Q-School

Four Utah players have advanced to the second qualifying stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying School. The tournaments begin November 15th.
Playing at Bear Creek Golf Club in Murietta, California will be Daniel Summerhays, Nick Killpack, and Steve Schneiter. Tony Finau will be playing at the Redstone Golf Club in Humble, Texas.

Jay Don Blake Has Biggest Payday of His Career, Wins Charles Schwab Season Ending Tournament

Jay Don Blake won the biggest tournament of his career Sunday by claiming the PGA Champions Tour season finale by two strokes. His first prize check was for $440,000 and he moved up to fourth place in the season long standings, which was good for another $200,000.
Blake started the day with a two shot lead, expanded it at one time to a four stroke lead, and held on going down the stretch. He made a stressful 18th hole par after hitting his drive into a fairway bunker to secure the victory.
In addition to his wife Marci he had another 18 family members on hand for the tournament, and they rushed the green to congratulate him on his win. The grandchildren had all put on fake mustaches to look like their grandpa. The family celebration in San Fracisco was far different than the one only his wife shared in faraway South Korea when he won a five-hole playoff for his first PGA Tour win in 20 years just seven weeks ago.
Four players finished tied for second behind Blake and that left Tom Lehman as the individual winner of the season long Charles Schwab Cup point standings, which was worth a check for $1,000,000.

Blake hit 12 of 14 fairways, made a pair of nice par saves out of the sand on the back nine then made the tournament-winning par on 18 after taking a bogey on the par-3 17th.
The only time the normally stoic Blake showed any emotion came after he made the six-foot putt for par on the final hole for a two-stroke victory in the Champions Tour’s season finale. He finished at 8-under 276 at TPC Harding Park.
Blake pumped his right fist twice and tipped his cap to the crowd before disappearing in a wave of family and friends who rushed the green. Blake earned $440,000 for winning and took an additional $200,000 for finishing fourth in the overall standings.
“I was nervous, tense, stressed, the whole thing,” Blake said. “But I still tried to stay patient and play my game and just hoped that I could make some birdies and stay out on top.”
Tom Lehman managed to stay on top of the points standings and won a $1 million annuity despite not playing well this week. He shot a 72 to tie for 18th at 2 over, just enough to hold off Mark Calcavechia by 74 points.
Calcavecchia (69), Loren Roberts (70), Michael Allen (71) and Jay Haas (71) tied for second. Calcavecchia needed to finish no worse than a tie for second with one other player to have a chance to overtake Lehman.
“The ending was pretty tight,” Lehman said. “(Calcavecchia) just hung in there and overcame a bunch of mistakes. To come in here knowing you have to finish second or better, and finish tied for second for second with just one too many guys was impressive.”
Blake had a four-shot lead with five holes to go and got some help from the contenders behind him.
Allen, second in the tournament in 2010, got to 7 under twice but couldn’t capitalize. He birdied No. 16 but a bogey on 17 dropped him back.
David Frost, who shared the lead after two rounds, also got to 7 under before fading. Frost had a 72 and finished sixth at 5 under.
With Blake cruising, the only drama surrounded the points title.
Lehman, a three-time winner this season, struggled most of the tournament and never had more than two birdies in a round. Playing several groups ahead of Calcavecchia, Lehman had to watch from near the 18th green until his title was secured.
Calcavecchia made Lehman sweat it out and hit a solid tee shot on 18 before pushing his approach far right. He two-putted for par, then watched his chances at passing Lehman end when Allen putted out for par, guaranteeing at least a three-way tie for second.
“It’s kind of the story of my whole career,” Calcavecchia said. “I’ve had a lot of seconds in my day and a lot of close calls, so it could have been a lot better.”
Lehman took the points lead after winning the Allianz Championship in February and never relinquished it. He is the fourth different player to win the Schwab title in as many years.
This also puts Lehman position to become the first player in history to win Player of the Year honors on the PGA TOUR, Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour.
“It’s been a long year,” Lehman said. “From that second week, I’ve had that yellow jersey and had a lot of times where guys were closing in. I’m thrilled to win the trophy.”