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Day 4 at the Utah State Am: Elijah Turner is the only repeat quarterfinalist
The biggest names in Utah golf always frame the buildup to the State Amateur, and then the changing cast of characters makes the historic tournament even more interesting.
Among last summer’s quarterfinalists, only Elijah Turner has advanced to that stage in the 126th State Am at Ogden Golf & Country Club. Friday’s matchups are Brendan Thomas vs. Jackson Rhees, Zach Felts vs. Cooper Jones, Cole Ponich vs. Turner and Davis Johnson vs. Aidan Thain. The semifinals will follow in the afternoon; the 36-hole final match starts at 7 a.m. Saturday.
For the record, the 2023 quarterfinalists were Simon Kwon, David Liechty, Turner, Martin Leon, Cameron Crawford, Josh Howe, Kenny Palmer and Dan Horner.Here’s a look at the 2024 group, all 25 or younger:
Brendan Thomas
Weber State golfers should not have been overlooked in advance of the State Am, and Thomas showed why Thursday. He upset No. 1 seed Tyson Shelley of BYU in the round of 32 and then topped junior golf star Brock Porter of St. George. Thomas, a Viewmont High alumnus, has completed his Weber State eligibility. He’s thriving on the Wildcats’ home course.
Jackson Rhees
If he gets to the semifinals or beyond, Rhees will have had an unprecedented summer. The UtahTech University golfer already played in the semis of the 100th Arizona Amateur Championship. Rhees outlasted 49-year-old Darrin Overson in the round of 16. He’s a son of Ryan Rhees, the PGA Professional at The Oaks GC in Spanish Fork.
Zach Felts
Felts, Rhees’ Utah Tech teammate, made a splash in last year’s State Am at The Country Club in Salt Lake City by upsetting Cooper Jones in the first round. They’ll meet again Friday, after Felts beat Utah State’s John Cook in the round of 16. Felts, a graduate of Crimson Cliffs High School, recently lost in a playoff for the Provo Open title.
Cooper Jones
One of BYU’s top players and a brother of 2022 champion Zac Jones, Cooperhas a checkered State Am record. He lost in the round of 32 in 2021 and in the first round each of the past two years. So a 1-up victory over 2013 winner Cole Ogden in the round of 16 was an achievement.
“I always have high expectations, but I think this year especially, I’m just trying to take one match at a time because I’ve learned in the past that you’ve just got to get through every single match individually,” he said.
Among Jones’ nationalaccomplishments are having made the round of 16 in the 2022 U.S. Amateur and playing all four rounds of two Korn Ferry Tour events this summer. Yet the Alpine native really wants to make an impact in Utah.
“This might not be the biggest tournament I’ve played in, but it’s been circled on my calendar ever since I was 10,” he said. “So it’s bugged me, for sure.”
Cole Ponich
In a rare State Am appearance, the BYU golfer from Davis High has taken quite a journey to the quarterfinals. He needed 22 holes toadvance out of the first round, then went to No. 18 with Dan Horner, who extended his State Am record to 50 matches played. Ponich then topped Parker Bunn of nearby Bonneville High, who’s headed to Oklahoma State.
Elijah Turner
After playing in Zac Jones’ shadow at Lone Peak High and BYUfor nearly the past decade, in what universe does Turner beat him? Well, that’s the State Am for you. If one sequence captured Turner’s success in match play, it came on the par-4 No. 16. Turner made a 30-foot par putt, then Jones missed a birdie attempt from inside of that to tie the hole, and eventually held on for a 1-up win.
Turner was “really proud of myself, for sure,” he said after making the quarterfinals for the third time in six years. “I love the State Am. When I get into match play, I expect to win. I love playing one-on-one.”
Davis Johnson
A year after losing in the first round as the No. 2 seed, Johnson has responded by winning three matches. The University of Utah golfer from Arizona reached the quarterfinals by beating John Fox, whose second-round 63 was the lowest score in stroke play by two shots.
Aidan Thain
The left-handed golfer, who moved to Salt Lake City last year and works for a tech startup company, outlasted Steele DeWald in 21 holes in the round of 16’s last match. Having played at Western Washington University, Thain competed in the State Am last year and lost to Bunn in the first round of match play. He upset defending champion Simon Kwon in this week’s round of 64.
Utah State Amateur day four recap written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. All photos provided by Fairways Media/Triston Hartfiel.