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Schantzenbach Leads with more Familiar Utah Senior Names One Point Back

The 2026 championship season for the Utah Golf Association opened Thursday under sunny southern Utah skies, and when the final Stableford points were tallied at SunRiver Golf Club, it was Draper’s Dale Schantzenbach sitting atop the leaderboard.

Dale Schantzenbach

Schantzenbach pieced together a steady round of two birdies, four bogeys and a dozen pars to post 36 Stableford points and take a one-point lead after the opening round of the UGA Senior Winterchamps.

Trailing by a single point in the tightly packed Senior division are familiar names on the Utah amateur scene — John Owen, Shane Flowers and Steve Maxwell — setting up what promises to be a compelling final round Friday at Copper Rock Golf Club.

John Owen

For Schantzenbach, the key was keeping things simple on a golf course he barely knew.

Schantenbach who mainly plays Salt Lake courses said, “I don’t really know the golf courses down here so my whole thought today was just to do the simple things and try to keep the ball in play. That’s pretty much what I focused on and not overthinking anything.”

Shane Flowers

That approach worked perfectly in the Stableford format, where consistency can beat heroics. Schantzenbach avoided big mistakes and kept points flowing with a steady string of pars.

Schantzenbach arrived in St. George with momentum after playing and winning a tournament the previous week with his brother in Moab — an experience he believes helped carry positive energy into the opening round. Schantzenbach lived in Moab for over a dozen years before moving north.

“I got to play last week in a tournament with my brother down in Moab,” he said. “It was great weather, and I hit the ball pretty well. I just tried to bring that same feeling here today.”

That laid-back mindset served him well throughout the round, especially since he resisted the urge to check the leaderboard until the day was over.

“I didn’t look at the leaderboard all day,” he said. “When we finished, I checked my phone in the parking lot and was pretty shocked to see I had the lead. I knew I wasn’t playing bad, but I didn’t think I was doing anything great either.”

Steve Maxwell

Despite decades of golf experience, Schantzenbach admits he hasn’t yet claimed a major tournament victory — something that could change if he holds off a deep field Friday.

“My biggest win?” he laughed. “Honestly, it might have been last weekend playing a scramble with my brother.”

Still, he embraces the opportunity.

“I’ve had leads before, but not really in something like this,” he said. “But I’ve played a lot of golf over the last 20 or 25 years, and I think I’m comfortable being uncomfortable. Everybody gets uncomfortable at some point.”

Ron Davis posted 43 Stableford points to take a three-point lead over Mark Gardiner in the Super-Senior division.

In the Legends division, Mike Hacker leads with 45 points, holding a one-point advantage over Bill Probst and Steven Smith heading into the final round.

All divisions will conclude Friday at Copper Rock Golf Club, where Schantzenbach will attempt to protect his narrow lead — on another course he has never played.

“I haven’t played Copper Rock before,” he said. “But honestly, I didn’t really remember SunRiver either, so it’s kind of the same deal.I’m just going to approach it the same way,” he said. “Sometimes it’s great not knowing anything. You just go play.”

Click here for UGA Senior Winterchamps opening round leaderboard.

Story and photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson and Garrit Johnson.