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Former Soldier Hollow State Am Champions Face Each Other in Semifinals
Jeff Evans and Dan Horner, the last two State Am champions to win the title at Soldier Hollow will face each other in the semifinals Saturday afternoon. The only way this story could be any better is if it were the championship match instead of the semifinals, but fate dictates those things, not storytellers.
Evans won the championship in 2011 over Stratton Schulz, 8 and 7, and Horner won the championship in 2008 over Devin Daniels in 38 holes.
Saturday morning in this year’s quarterfinal matches Horner defeated defending champion Jon Wright, 4 and 2, and Evans defeated the 2010 champion Joe Parkinson, 3 and 2. Parkinson won his title in 2010 at Alpine Country Club.
For both Wright and Parkinson the quarterfinal losses ended a streak of eight straight match play wins. Parkinson had not played in the tournament since winning in 2010 and so his five wins that year coupled with the three wins here account for his eight straight wins.
In the quarterfinal bracket absent any former champions medalist Cole Ogden was down two after four holes, but didn’t lose a hole from there on and defeated Jeff Powars, 2 and 1; and Jake Holt dominated the back nine to eliminate Connor Jones, 4 and 3.
Thus the 36-hole championship match on Saturday will pit the winner of the Soldier Hollow champions’ showdown match, either Dan Horner or Jeff Evans, against the medalist, Cole Ogden or Jake Holt. Holt hails from Tooele and plays on the Southern Utah University golf team. Ogden plays on the BYU golf team and is the younger brother of USGA National Public Links champion, Clay Ogden, who made the cut and will be playing Saturday and Sunday at the Utah Championship of the Web.com Tour at Willow Crreek.
The match play records of the four semifinalists so far this week are as follows:
Jeff Evans def. Colton Dallimore, 3 and 2; Clark Jones, 2 and 1; Joey Olson, 3 and 1; Joe Parkinson, 3 and 2.
Dan Horner def. Joe Webber, 1-up; Ryan Brimley, 4 and 3; Jordan Hammer, 8 and 6; Jon Wright, 4 and 2.
Cole Ogden def. Craig Wilson, 1-up; Jonathon Oettli, 2 and 1; Kai Ruiz, 5 and 4; Jeff Powars, 2 and 1.
Jacob Holt def. Rafe Johnston, 2 and 1; Christian Jensen, 4 and 3; Kelton Hirsch, 2-up, and Connor Jones, 4 and 3.