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107th Women’s Utah State Amateur Championship Begins Monday at Wasatch
The 107th Women’s Utah State Amateur Championship gets underway Monday at the Wasatch Mountain Lake Course with defending champion Kelsey Chugg having a relaxing two days while 31 other players battle each other for the remaining 15 match play spots.
The tournament begins with a two-day 36-hole qualifying with the low 15 joining Chugg in the match play portion of the tournament.
Medal play will conclude Tuesday, there will be a Breakfast of Champions on Wednesday morning followed by the match play Round of 16. The quarterfinals will be held Wednesday afternoon.
The semifinals will be played Thursday morning and the championship match will be played Thursday afternoon.
Chugg won the title last year in Logan with a 3 and 2 win over then 13-year-old Naomi Soifua who is once again the youngest player in the tourney at 14. When she played in the tournament last year she was the youngest finalist in the history of either the women’s or men’s state championship.
At the other end of the age scale Annette Gaiotti is the oldest player in the tourney at 60 years of age. She has a marvelous record in senior play, both in UGA and USGA events, but playing against the younger gals, especially when the format calls for 36-holes per day during match play, will be a big challenge for her.
In addition to Chugg there are three other former champions in the field. They are Julie McMullin, Sue Billek Nyhus, and Melanie Warren Christensen. McMullin won it two years ago and must be considered a serious contender this year. Sue Nyhus won it twice, in 1985 and again in 1999 and is also playing very well this year. She is the women’s golf coach at Utah Valley University. Melanie Warren Christensen won it in 1993 and has played competitively very much except at her home course, Riverside Country Club.
The field is full of young, strong, and experienced high school and collegiate players and the depth of field is getting so that it is impossible to predict a winner.
It should be a wonderful week for women’s golf at beautiful Wasatch Mountain.
Women’s Utah State AmMonday’s Pairings36-hole QualifyingWasatch Mountain
7:30- Annika Afoa-Kahaialli’I, Sirene Blair7:38- Tara Green, Sadie Palmer, Rynae Baca7:46- Kelsey Chugg, Lea Garner, Selu Fotu7:54- Julie McMullin, Randi Stephens, Allison Cluff8:02- Sara Fredrico, Hannah Herman, Kareen Alton8:10- Elizabeth Jones, Heather Mathison, Nicole Thomas8:18- Annette Gaiotti, Jordyn Dougal, Monica Yeates8:26- Sue Nyhus, Haley Dunn, Kiselya Plewe8:34- Carly Oldroyd, Naomi Soifua, Cobair Collinsworth8:42- Brooke Whittaker, Kalea Heu, Mary Bischoff8:50- Roberta Scott, Madison Baca, Melanie Christensen