News

127th Utah State Amateur: Shelleys become first threesome of match-winning brothers

Just as Jackson Shelley was picking up his tee after the pivotal shot of his extra-holes match, Austin Shelley was taking off his hat to signal the end of his duel on the nearby  18th green of Logan Country Club.

And on the other side of US-89, Tyson Shelley finally was taking command of his match.

While having all three of them lose in the first round seemed like a real possibility at various times Wednesday, the Shelleys of Holladay made history in the 127th Utah State Amateur Championship. Never had three brothers won matches on the same day. The Joneses (Tyler, Zac and Cooper) of Highland each made match play in both 2022 and ‘23, but not all of them advanced in either tournament.

An extended Shelley family celebrated Tuesday at Eagle Mountain GC as all three Shelley brothers advanced to the match play portion of the 127th Utah State Amateur. (Right to Left): Allie Andrew, Kelly Andrew, Chad Andrew, Hailee Shelley (Tysons wife), Tyson Shelley, Brian Shelley, Solhee Shelley, Jackson Shelley, Soonja Ko, Keith Shelley, Elle Hale, Austin Shelley, Dax Warren. Photo courtesy of the Brian & Solhee Shelley.

“It’s obviously cool that we all made it through the first round,” said Tyson, a BYU senior and the oldest brother. “There’s a lot more golf to be played, but this is a good start.”

2024 State Am champ, now a first-season professional, Cole Ponich was on the bag in the Round of 64 for Tyson Shelley.

More golf, in this case, means another intra-family battle. A year after Tyson outlasted Austin, the youngest brother, in a first-round match in Ogden, Jackson and Austin will meet in Thursday morning’s round of 32. Another round will be staged in the afternoon, with the quarterfinals and semifinals on Friday. The 36-hole final match is scheduled Saturday.

After last July’s brotherly experience, Austin said, “I feel like it’s just going to feel uncomfortable, no matter what. It’s not fun playing against your brother, but you’ve got to deal with it.”

Preparing to start a church mission to South Korea on Monday, Jackson took a long break from competitive golf after advancing through State Am qualifying May 19. He looked rusty at the start Wednesday vs. Hunter Nelson, falling 3 down after seven holes.

“I just tried to stay composed and hit shots and just make pars, honestly,” he said.

The recent Skyline High School graduate was 1 down through 15 holes. He won No. 16 with a par and made a terrific par save on No. 18 to extend the match after driving into a greenside bunker on the adjacent No. 9.

A downwind, 3-iron tee shot on the first extra hole, the par-4 No. 1, left him just short of the green to set up a winning birdie.

Minutes earlier, Austin’s 9-iron shot to within 5 feet of the hole on No. 18 led to his decisive birdie against Cameron Crawford, who had been 1 up through 12 holes vs. the Skyline senior.

Meanwhile, the No. 5-seeded Tyson fell behind early and was just 1 up through 13 holes vs. Augmon Jolley, before winning the last three holes with birdies in a 4-and-2 victory. Tyson credited his caddie, former BYU teammate Cole Ponich, the 2024 State Am champ who recently won the Provo Open in his professional debut.

“Cole really helped me calm myself down,” Tyson said. “He knew I wasn’t playing my best golf and (tried) to remind me that I’m a better player than I was playing.”

Utah Tech’s KJ Ofahengaue

Tyson will meet Utah Tech’s KJ Ofahengaue, who outlasted Tyler Herzog in 20 holes.

In other notable developments Wednesday:

Seven of the remaining 32 players are from three families. Stroke-play medalist Noah Schone and brother Lucas conceivably could meet in the final match; Jackson and Bowen Mauss would converge in the quarterfinals.

Three great-grandsons of Pres Summerhays completed the family’s 100-tournament span of State Am match-play competition. Farmington High School senior Jack Summerhays (Daniel’s son and Lynn’s grandson) advanced; Cameron Summerhays (Boyd’s son and Lynn’s grandson) and Joshua Savage (Bruce Summerhays’ grandson and Shelly’s son) each lost. In 1926, Pres was a 12-and-11 loser to Seymour Harmon in the first round of 32, in an era when all matches were scheduled for 36 holes.

Former champion Dan Horner

Dan Horner claimed his 35th career match-play victory, two short of Bill Korns’ all-time record, as he topped Emery Thomas 4 and 3. Horner will face Martin Leon in a meeting of former champions, after Leon averted Tyler Ewell’s upset bid in 19 holes.

Dallin Wheatley’s hole-in-one on No. 3 was not enough to propel him past former Box Elder High School teammate Jacob Marx, who won No. 16 in an eventual 1-up victory. Chris Marx, the PGA Professional of Eagle Mountain Golf Course in Brigham City, caddied for his son after hosting two days of State Am stroke play.

The Utah Golf Course Superintendents Association was proud to have Jeremy Ranch Golf & Country Club’s Devin Andrews stage an upset of an accomplished player, with a 3-and-1 win over Kenny Palmer.

Logan Country Club lost a home-course favorite, Utah State golfer John Cook, as Daniel Griffiths, a two-time Riverside Country Club champion, drove the green on No. 1, making a birdie and winning in 19 holes.

Click here for Round of 64 match play bracket scoring. 

Utah State Amateur match play Round of 64 recap written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson and the Shelley family,