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Lashley Overtakes Rodgers to Win Siegfried-Jensen Utah Open

Jordan Rodgers didn’t lose the Siegfried-Jensen Utah Open, Nathan Lashley won it. Rodgers started the day one shot ahead of Lashley and they held a comfortable lead on the rest of the field. They both knew that if they both played well one of them would win.

Lashley promptly birdied the first hole and in match play lingo it was ‘all square’ and the match was on.

Rodgers birdied three to go one-up, but Lashley birdied five to square it. They both birdied seven and ten and Rodgers regained his original lead with a birdie on 11. They both birdied 13 and Rodgers birdied 14 to go two-up, the biggest lead of the day.

With only four holes to play the rookie Rodgers had things in control, but the veteran Lashley knew that ‘when the going gets tough the tough get going’—and going he got.

Lashley birdied 15 and 16 to square it, and then made it three in a row with a birdie on 17 and his first lead of the bogey-free day for both golfers. His birdies on 16 and 17 came on putts from 45 and 35 feet respectively.

On the critical 18th hole Lashley’s drive was in the rough, but he had a reasonably good lie. He short-sided himself and missed the green left, but hit a magnificent chip shot that hit the pin and stopped near the hole for par. Rodgers had to sink a birdie putt almost the length of the green and when it didn’t go in the match was over. For the record, he missed the next meaningless putt and it was the only bogey of the day for both of them. Lashley finished at 22 under par for the three days.

For Lashley it was his second Siegfried-Jensen Utah Open title and for Rodgers it was a historical opportunity lost forever. Rodgers is the reigning Utah State Amateur champion, and since 1934 only one player in history, Ed Kingsley, has won the Utah State Am and the Utah Open in the same year. As the reigning Utah State Am champion Rodgers came within a whisker of equaling that achievement, and unless he chooses to regain his amateur status sometime in the future he won’t be the one to equal Kingsley’s feat.

Dusty Fielding shot the best round of the entire tournament, a 62, and that jumped him up to a tie for sixth place at 14 under par. Also in sixth place was low amateur of the tournament Patrick Fishburn. He had a final round of 64 and that spells well for BYU’s golf future.

The leading scores were as follows:

194- Nathan Lashley, 63-676-64

196- Jordan Rodgers, 64-65-67

198- Chris Riley, 65-68-65

200- Martin Trainer, 66-67-66

201- Nick Killpack, 65-70-66

202- Dusty Fielding, 71-69-62; Patrick Fishburn (a) 66-72-64

203- Jimmy Gunn, 69-66-68; Kim Takesoo, 69-66-68; Chris Moody, 68-66-69; Justin Keiley, 65-69-69

204- Mitch Carlson, 68-70-66

205- Matt Baird, 69-68-68

206- Jesse Mueller, 69-66-71

207- Rhett Rasmussen, 67-70-70

208- Dean Wilson, Robbie Fillmore, Zahkai Brown, Jake Ellison, Carl Jonson, Clay Ogden, Dustin Mills