News

Additional Course Added for Utah State Amateur Championship

For the first time in its 116 year history the Utah State Amateur Championship will be held on two separate golf courses it was announced today by Bill Walker, Executive Director of the Utah Golf Association.
The Ogden Golf and Country Club will serve as the major site for the event, but Valley View Golf Course, a few miles to the east, will share in hosting the 36-hole stroke play qualifying portion of the tournament. All of the matches and the traditional Breakfast of Champions will be held at Ogden Golf and Country Club.
Last year the UGA made numerous changes in the format for the tournament and all those changes remain in effect for this year’s event. That means that 288 players will advance from regional qualifiers to the main event and that 63 players will qualify for the match play portion of the tournament and join with defending champion Cole Ogden for match play.
Last year the enlarged final field of 288 was played at the two contingent courses at Soldier Hollow, and this year, although it will create some complications, the two qualifying round courses will not be at the same facility.
“Having the championship qualifier expanded to a second course will allow for more golfers to compete in Utah’s premier amateur championship.  A second course for qualifying is not a new idea as the USGA conducts the US Amateur Championship using two separate facilities.” Walker said.
“We could have a minor time delay before the playoff to determine the final match play seeds but we are planning on conducting a well-run championship,” he said.
The tournament will mark the 116th running of the oldest continuously held tournament in the world and will be a highlight of the 100th birthday celebration of the Ogden Golf and Country Club. The championship is set for July 7-12.
The Utah State Amateur was 16 years old when Ogden Golf and Country Club was constructed, and the first time the Utah State Amateur was held at the course was in 1920. Prior to that the championship had always been held at the Salt Lake Country Club.
This will mark the eighth time the tournament has been held at the Ogden club, the last time being in 1994 which was won by Ogden’s Jerimie Montgomery. This year the defending champion carries the Ogden name in the person of Cole Ogden, and he would like nothing better than to be a repeat winner.
Valley View hosted the tournament in 2009 and was won by Zac Blair.
The tournament is expected to attract close to 800 players who will compete in one of ten separate 18-hole qualifying rounds from one end of the state to the other.
In addition, a new wrinkle has been added to the qualifying process with the addition of a last chance qualifier at Wolf Creek GC on July 1st.  This qualifier will open for registration on June 27th and will be open for those players who missed the initial qualifying round registration deadline or failed to advance from one of the ten qualifying sites.  The percentage of qualifiers that advance from the last chance qualifier will be smaller than the initial ten qualifying venues.  Jacob Miller, the UGA Director of Rules and Competitions noted “We are excited about the addition of the last chance qualifier for this championship.”
Entry deadline for the tournament is June 2nd and the fee is $75 to play in the first round of qualifiers and an additional $105 for those who advance to the finals at Ogden and Valley View.
Like last year carts are permitted throughout the tournament except for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals when all players and caddies must walk.
The initial qualifying rounds are scheduled as follows:
June 3- Glendale, AM
June 4- Glendale, PM
June 11- Bountiful Ridge
June 13- Fox Hollow
June 17- Crater Springs
June 19- Wingpointe
June 23- Alpine Country Club
June 23- Logan Golf and CC
June 24- Entrada Country Club
June 26- Dinaland
*July 1-Wolf Creek
*Last Chance Qualifier
 
The schedule for the finals is as follows:
Monday, July 7- First round of qualifying at Ogden G&CC and Valley View
Tuesday, July 8- Second round of qualifying at Ogden G&CC and Valley View (Playoff at Ogden G&CC)
Wednesday, July 9- Match play Round of 64 at Ogden G&CC
Thursday, July 10- Breakfast of Champions and match play Round of 32
Friday, July 11- Quarterfinal and semifinal match play rounds
Saturday, July 12- 36-hole championship match
 
To register fo the Utah State Amateur Championship on-line CLICK HERE