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HER Fairways Vol. 2 Issue 3
Summer of Summerhays II
Following in her older brother’s footsteps, Grace Summerhays is making a name for herself in the Utah golf world. Summerhays, last year’s Utah Women’s State Amateur runner-up was crowned this year’s champion when she knocked off four time winner Kelsey Chugg July 13-17 at Soldier Hollow’s Gold Course.
Fairways writer Kurt Kragthorpe’s recap of the 114th Utah Women’s State Amateur stories plus a Product Review, Fairways Media Video and the Girls of Youth on Course, all here in the July issue of HER Fairways: https://tinyurl.com/y24enykg
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David Jennings, Utah Mid-Am Champ
By Kurt Kragthorpe
Text messages told the story of the Utah Mid-Amateur Championship.
After two rounds were staged on the first day of the event at Davis Park Golf Course and Kirk Siddens had broken the competitive course record with an 11-under par 60 in the afternoon, he fielded dozens of congratulatory texts. He tried to tell everyone the tournament was not over, even though he held a six-stroke lead in the competition for golfers 25 and older.
David Jennings, meanwhile, told his group that even if he shot a 60 of his own in the final round, he probably would finish five strokes behind.
Siddens’ forecast proved to be true. Jennings was wrong, even if he had the right number in mind.
Jennings tied Siddens’ record and overtook him on July 21, making nine birdies and an eagle. He came from 10 strokes back to beat Siddens and Kurt Owen by two shots with a 17-under-par total for 54 holes.
Owen made 19 birdies in three rounds, offsetting four bogeys, to join Siddens in the tie for second place.
Thomas Young (67-66-66) and Dan Horner (66-66-67) tied for fourth overall and shared the Masters title for 40-over players, four strokes ahead of Jon Wright. Siddens settled for the Senior (50-over) championship, finishing nine shots ahead of Tommy Johnson.
The top finishers earned exemptions into the State Amateur in September at Jeremy Ranch Golf & Country Club.
Full Results: CLICK HERE
Kurt Kragthorpe is a long-time Utah sportswriter and a frequent contributor to Fairways.
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Grace Summerhays adds a Women’s State Amateur trophy to family’s golf awards
By Kurt Kragthorpe | Special to the Tribune
Midway • Last summer, Grace Summerhays barely missed her chance of winning a State Amateur title at an even younger age than her brother did. Her next-best possible achievement came Thursday, when she became the youngest champion in the 114th Women’s State Am.
Having turned 16 last week, Summerhays validated her trophy with a 3-and-1 victory over four-time champion Kelsey Chugg in the 18-hole final match. That breakthrough came after she reversed the outcome of last year’s title match with a 1-up defeat of BYU golfer Kerstin Fotu in the morning semifinals on Soldier Hollow’s Gold Course.
That’s the venue where her brother Preston won his second State Am title last summer, a year after becoming the youngest winner of that historic event — about a month before his 16th birthday.
“Well, now I matched him,”Grace Summerhays said, smiling. “So that’s pretty fun.”
The latest chapter of Summerhays success stories in State Amateurs came in the first event of the Utah Golf Association’s reconfigured 2020 schedule and required some toughness on the back nines of Grace’s last three matches. Sunbin Seo in the quarterfinals, Fotu in the semifinals and Chugg in the final match each rallied and made Summerhays agonize to the end. She came through every time, living up to the family tradition.
“It isn’t easy being the younger sister of Preston,” said her father/caddie, Boyd Summerhays. “That casts a teeny bit of a shadow, and she’s never looked at it as a negative.”
Grace Summerhays will be a high school junior in Arizona; her family spends the summers in Farmington. Her title follows two State Am wins for her brother, another two for her uncle Daniel and one for her great uncle Bruce. No family in Utah golf history can match that list.
Modeling her father’s usual all-black attire Thursday, including her two gloves, Summerhays displayed the kind of consistency and finishing power that has distinguished Chugg’s career. Chugg, 29, was the only post-college golfer to make the match-play field of 16, and she played an average of 19.75 holes in her first three matches. But after her 18th-hole birdie closed out Tess Blair in the semifinals, Chugg couldn’t play beyond No. 17 in the final match — officially, anyway.
About a half-hour after the competition ended, she teed off on No. 18 on the way back to the clubhouse, in hopes of leaving Soldier Hollow with a better feeling after losing the final three holes to Summerhays. Her biggest regret was lipping out a par putt from inside of 2 feet on No. 15, followed by missing the greens with approach shots on the next two holes. Including No. 16, she bogeyed three of the four par-5s.
“Definitely not my best final round,” Chugg said. “I don’t know if it was fatigue or what; just kind of lost focus. … The putter was the big thing, I had no confidence.”
Chugg also struggled with her putting for much of her semifinal match, before suddenly making tough putts on each of the last four holes — starting with a 35-footer to take the lead over Blair on No. 15.
Tied with Summerhays through 14 holes, Chugg was positioned to win yet another match with clutch play. Instead, it was Summerhays who steadied herself and pulled away to the victory in difficult, windy conditions.
Summmerhays and Chugg will play next month in the U.S. Women’s Amateur in Maryland. Preston Summerhays will try for a third straight State Amateur title in September at Jeremy Ranch Golf & Country Club.
Full Tournament Results: Click Here
Photo Credit: Fairways Media/Randy Dodson
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4 favorites advance to Utah Women’s State Amateur golf semifinals
By: Mike Sorensen, Deseret News
MIDWAY — Before the week started, if you had picked four golfers to make it to the semifinals of the Utah Women’s Amateur, you couldn’t have gone wrong choosing Tess Blair, Kelsey Chugg, Grace Summerhays and Kerstin Fotu.
Three are former champions and the other lost in last year’s finals and is already one of the top junior golfers in the nation.
While the aforementioned golfers indeed advanced to the semifinals Thursday, none had an easy time and could easily have been eliminated with tough matches Wednesday.
Blair, the 2018 champion who captured medalist honors Tuesday, was taken to the final hole by former high school teammate Carissa Graft.
Four-time champion Chugg had to win two overtime matches against 16-year-olds, beating Berlin Long in 21 holes in the morning and long-hitting Apelila Galeai in 20 holes in the afternoon.
Last year’s runnerup, Summerhays, had to overcome a hole-in-one sandwiched between two birdies by Timpview High golfer Sunbin Seo in her afternoon match to win 2 and 1.
Defending champion Fotu, who barely made it into match play after an opening-round 82, came from behind in both her matches Wednesday to advance, the latter against BYU teammate Naomi Soifua.
So that leaves a couple of intriguing semifinal matches, the first featuring the 19-year-old Blair going against the “veteran” Chugg, the 29-year-old former champion of the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, and the second being a rematch of last year’s State Am final when Fotu defeated Summerhays 1 up at Logan Country Club.
The winners of the semifinal matches will meet Thursday around noon in the finals.
“I’m getting too old, these young girls play 36 a day probably,” said Chugg. “I was worn out after the first 18 and hung in there. But this was a really fun day. To be able to pull this off against these young girls — I was outdriven by Lila by 100 yards a couple of times, it’s insane.”
On that hole, Chugg hit her approach from the fairway within 4 feet and after Galeai missed a 12-foot birdie try, Chugg sank her winning putt and let out a whoop.
Summerhays, who lives in Arizona and comes to Utah every summer, is hoping to reverse last year’s finals loss to Fotu. She cruised past Launa Wilson 6 and 5 in the morning and was 4 up on Seo, when Seo birdied No. 11, aced the par-3 12th and then made birdie at 13. The match ended at 17 when Summerhays made a 7-footer and Seo missed her 6-footer.
“I’m excited — I can’t wait to test my game against hers because it’s changed since last year,” Summerhays said of her match with Fotu. “My short game has gotten a lot better and I’ve gained some distance — it should be a really good match.”
Blair had little trouble in her morning match disposing of San Jose State golfer Jadan Gonzalez 7 and 6. Against Graft, her Bingham High teammate who played for Indiana Tech last year, Blair lost three early holes and was still down after 10 holes. She lost hole 17 with a bogey to put the match back to even, but won at 18 when she two-putted from 30 feet and Graft couldn’t get up and down from a tough spot right of the green.
Fotu defeated Southern Utah golfer Chanikan Yongyuan 2 up in the morning and broke away from Soifua, a former State Am finalist, with a stretch of four straight wins on holes 11-14.
*****
First-round results
Tess Blair def. Jadan Gonzalez 7 & 6
Carissa Graft def. Taitum Beck, 19 holes
Kelsey Chugg def. Berlin Long, 21 holes
Lila Galeai def. Laura Gerner 1 up
Grace Summerhays def. Launa Wilson 6 & 5
Sunbin Seo def. Poy Prasurtwong 6 & 5
Kerstin Fotu def. Chanikan Yongyuan 2 up
Naomi Soifua def. Rachel Lillywhite 4 & 3
Second-round results
Blair def. Graft 1 up
Chugg def. Galeai, 20 holes
Summerhays def. Seo 2 & 1
Fotu def. Soifua 3 & 2
Thursday schedule
Semifinals
8 a.m. — Blair vs. Chugg
8:10 a.m. — Summerhays vs. Fotu
Finals
Noon — Blair-Chugg winner vs. Summerhays-Fotu winner
Article: CLICK HERE
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Four-time winner Kelsey Chugg survives a 41-hole day in the Women’s State Amateur
By Kurt Kragthorpe | Special to The Tribune
Midway • After one more clutch putt and celebratory fist pump, Kelsey Chugg walked off the No. 2 green of Soldier Hollow’s Gold Course and announced, “That’s enough golf for one day. Let’s go home.”
The four-time champion of the Women’s State Amateur played 41 holes Wednesday, winning two extended matches and advancing to Thursday’s semifinals. Chugg will meet Sacramento State golfer Tess Blair of South Jordan and 16-year-old Grace Summerhays will face BYU’s Kerstin Fotu in a replay of last summer’s title match, won by Fotu. The 18-hole final match will follow in the afternoon.
Chugg, 29, appeared to be in trouble against each of her high school opponents, Lone Peak’s Berlin Long and Lehi’s Lila Galeai. She was 4 up over Long through 12 holes, but ended up needing to make a tough par putt on the first extra hole, just to survive. “I thought I missed that; I was shocked to make that,” she said.
Chugg eventually won when Long’s short birdie putt lipped out violently on the third extra hole. More drama followed in the afternoon, when Chugg birdied the par-4 No. 18 to extend the match with Galeai. Another great short-iron shot led to a birdie on the second extra hole.
“To be able to pull this off against those girls … I was outdriven by Lila by 100 yards a couple of times. It was insane,” Chugg said.
A former Utah Golf Association staff member, Chugg now works for Salt Lake City’s golf program. Having most recently won the Women’s State Am in 2017, she joins the 2018 (Blair) and 2019 (Fotu) winners in the semifinals — along with Summerhays, whose 17-year-old brother, Preston, is the two-time defending champion of the traditional State Amateur.
Summerhays held off a rally by Timpview High’s Sunbin Seo, whose surge featured a hole-in-one on No. 12. Seo was 4 down after 10 holes and never quite caught up, losing 2 and 1.
Blair, again playing as the stroke-play medalist and No. 1 seed, never had to play beyond the 16th hole in any of her four matches in 2018. She needed only 12 holes to advance to the quarterfinals Wednesday. Carissa Graft, her former Bingham High School teammate, then made her agonize to the end, though. Blair won No. 18 with a par to take a 1-up victory.
“She’s a crazy-talented player,” Blair said of Graft, who won the Class 6A state tournament over Blair in 2019 and now plays for Indiana Tech, an NAIA school. “I knew that it was going to be tough when I saw that she was in my bracket, and that’s exactly what it was. It was good; I needed to feel the nerves.”
Fotu beat BYU teammate Naomi Soifua 3 and 2 in the quarterfinals, after needing a comeback to make match play as the No. 14 seed. She went 3 under par on the last nine holes of stroke play, then upset Southern Utah golfer Chanikan Yongyuan 2 up in the first round.
Photo Credit: Fairways Media/Jesse Dodson
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Tess Blair is the Women’s State Amateur medalist and defending champ Kerstin Fotu rallies to make match play
Midway • As the stroke-play medalist and No. 1 seed, Tess Blair went on to win all four of her matches in convincing style in the 2018 Women’s State Amateur. She would love to follow the same formula this week.
“Hopefully, that’s some good vibes,” she said.
As the qualifying portion of the 114th Women’s State Am ended Tuesday on Soldier Hollow’s Gold Course, Blair completed a four-stroke victory. The Sacramento State golfer from Bingham High School shot 69-67 for a total of 8 under par, finishing ahead of 16-year-old Grace Summerhays (72-68), Southern Utah golfer Chanikan Yongyuan (72-69) of Thailand and four-time champion Kelsey Chugg (75-69).
Those four claimed the highest seeds for match play – and they would have made almost any pre-tournament list of the top five contenders. Two rounds are scheduled Wednesday, followed by the semifinal and final matches Thursday.
The field was reduced from 61 players to 16 for match play, with the cut coming at 11 over par. Tuesday’s biggest development was defending champion Kerstin Fotu’s rally. The BYU golfer from Alpine made three birdies on the back nine to post a 72, a 10-stroke improvement over her opening round, giving her the No. 14 seed and a first-round match vs. Yongyuan.
Fotu is among 10 collegians in the match-play field, joining five high school golfers and Chugg, 29.
Blair’s second round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 No. 8, where she hit a 7-iron to within 5 feet. With her outstanding college season having been halted in March due to COVID-19, Blair said, “I haven’t played this well since I left school, so I’m excited.”
Summerhays birdied the last three holes to move ahead of Yongyuan and into second place. Having made a swing adjustment after the first round, Summerhays said, “I just exaggerated it at the end and started hitting it good. The putter’s really good, which is always good in match play, and I’m starting to hit it a lot better, so I feel good.”
Photo Credit: Fairways Media/Randy Dodson
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The Amateur Open – A new way of playing golf this summer
A unique, new golf competition in UGA regions will aim to benefit Youth on Course.
The Amateur Open aims to make every round of golf exciting and rewarding through a summer-long competition. Golfers can simply post their scores from their rounds to get on a region-wide Leaderboard and win gift certificates to local golf establishments.
How it works:
- Men and women 21+ can Register in TheAmateurOpen of UT club for $56 (if you already have a handicap, you can still register on the platform by paying $30); Players can use special promo code WEL20 for this inaugural season and save $20.
- Pick a partner and play on any course and set of tees; golfers can compete as a team or individual or both ($5 for each competition). A portion of this fee will directly benefit Youth on Course in Utah.
- Get on Weekly and Season leaderboards by posting your hole by hole scores on GHIN app or by uploading the picture of your completed scorecard
- Play a minimum of 8 rounds between June 29 – September 6 to become eligible for season points race prizes.
- At the end of the season, there will also be an 18-hole Amateur Open Championship.
The idea:
The Amateur Open is made up of working professionals who are passionate about the game of golf. Founder, Som Chilukuri says “We are really passionate about the game especially since it makes competition across skill levels possible, more so with the World Handicap System. We realized that there is no real platform for golfers to connect with a larger picture across a region or season. Leagues are typically limited to a course and a group. We thought it would be really cool to make each round count for every golfer and in relation to all the golfers in the area and that’s how this idea came up.”
The club emphasizes three main themes:
- Celebrate the “compete with yourself” aspect of the game
- Create winning possibilities across skill levels
- Foster vibrant community of recreational, yet competitive golfers
Chilukuri says it best “golf to us is an avenue to unify people in a great competitive setting with no barriers at all on skill levels, age, and gender or whatsoever. And with The Amateur Open, we are able to do that without needing to physically come together at a single event or course”
Support for The Amateur Open:
Utah Golf Association supports The Amateur Open in its values and mission to create competitive golf opportunities while bringing the community together. UGA has consulted with The Amateur Open to provide League Management best practices, making it a certified UGA League.
The Amateur Open is also supported by an Advisory Panel from Incub8 Startup Studios, a Silicon Valley-based technology incubation company. www.incub8.vc
Youth on Course:
“We are excited that 10% of each round’s proceeds will directly benefit Youth on Course,” says Jacob Miller, Executive Director of UGA. Youth on Course allows junior golfers in our region to play golf at participating facilities for only $5 (or less) per round. This program has allowed junior golfers in our community access to playing golf when they otherwise wouldn’t be able to play. Learn more at youthoncourse.org.
Interested in learning more about The Amateur Open?
Visit: theamateuropen.com to register.
Contact Info – Email: [email protected] or Text: 913 229 4459