News

Check out what has been happening in Utah Golf.

Vincent ends Coral Canyon Amateur Playoff with Epic Fairway Bunker Shot

By Randy Dodson

 

Southern Utah University’s Jake Vincent, a senior on the men’s golf team, and Hayden Christensen posted Coral Canyon Amateur 36-hole scores of six-under 138 and then waited in the clubhouse lounge and watched as the scoreboard was updated.

Another SUU T-bird, freshman Tyler Jones finished at 73-66 – 139, BYU Cougars Kelton Hirsch and Carson Lundell posted 141s as did Caden Hamil. Another Cougar, Elijah Turner came in at 142 rounding out the top five on the leaderboard. No-one else joined Vincent and Christensen at 138.

So with fading sunlight and temperatures dropping, Vincent and Christensen headed back out to the par five first hole to determine the 2020 Coral Canyon Amateur champion and collect the first place points on the Utah Golf Association’s Player Performance Rankings schedule.

Christensen’s drive was dead-center of the fairway but his second shot came up shy and right of the green. Vincent’s tee-shot was a bit longer but found the left side fairway bunker. Facing 200-yards to the green Vincent first pulled a five-iron but taking the wind into consideration, went back for the four, a decision that pretty much ended the playoff.

When Vncent’s epic four-iron fairway bunker shot settled on the green, just below the hole, he was just two-feet away from the first win of the 2020 amateur season.

Christensen’s third shot rolled past Vincent’s ball marker and past the hole, leaving himself a six-foot downhill breaker, that he made for birdie. Then all he could do is watch as Vincent made his tap-in eagle to claim the win.

On the 1-year anniversary of his Coral Canyon Senior division win, lead by two final round holes-in-one, Kirk Siddens was ace-free this year but he did place three twos on his back nine opening round card on his way to a (-5) 37-30 – 67 and a one-stroke lead. Guy Child 70-71 – 141, Ron Davis 74-68 -142 and Mike Jorgensen 68-75 -143 all gave chase but Siddens’ final round 71 was good enough for a 6-under 138 finish to win the senior flight.

St. George teen Boston Bracken won the first flight division with a (-1) 143 on rounds of 74-69, six shots better than Jereme Johnson’s 149.

The early season PPR schedule Dixie Swing now heads to the St. George Men’s Amateur Jan. 17-18th at St. George Golf Club.

Click Here for Coral Canyon Amateur Fairways Photo Journal:

https://fairwaysmedia.exposure.co/coral-canyon-amateur?source=share-fairwaysmedia

Click Here for full results: https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/5966856704309078934

 

Randy Dodson is the president of Fairways Media, publisher of Fairways magazine and a frequent contributor to UGA.org News page.