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Utah Golf Association names 2025 Players of the Year Presented by Primo

On behalf of the Utah Golf Association Board of Directors, Executive Director Easton Folster announced the 2025 UGA Player of the Year award winners presented by Primo.

Annually, Utah’s top amateur golfers compete across men’s, senior men’s, super-senior men’s, women’s, and senior women’s divisions, aiming to finish at the top of the UGA’s Player Performance Rankings (PPR). The players who rise to the top by season’s end earn one of the UGA’s most prestigious honors—the title of Player of the Year and a lasting place in Utah golf history.

MEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Noah Schone’s 2025 season made him the clear UGA Men’s Player of the Year, finishing with 361.25 points to edge Skyline senior Austin Shelley (338.0) and Utah Tech’s David Liechty (335.25). The 26-year-old Pine View alumnus and Eco Battery co-founder became the third straight St. George-area graduate to win the award, thanks to remarkable consistency and a string of near-wins. Schone’s season highlight came at the State Amateur, where he was stroke-play medalist and advanced to the semifinals after a dramatic 1-up win over Shelley’s brother, Jackson, capped by a viral chip-in eagle on No. 18.

WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Crimson Cliffs High senior Kate Walker became the first high school student in more than a decade to earn the UGA Women’s Player of the Year honor, edging Westminster’s Ashley Lam 111 to 108.5 points. Walker’s runner-up finish in the Women’s State Amateur, highlighted by a semifinal win over Lam, proved decisive, adding to her top-10 finish at Winterchamps and a quarterfinal appearance in the Girls’ Junior State Am. Her season was made more remarkable by her comeback from an April car accident that left her with a broken finger; just weeks later, she finished second in the 4A state high school championship to help Crimson Cliffs capture the team title.

SENIOR WOMEN’S PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

Kareen Larson and Steph Belnap shared the UGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year award, each earning 155 points from different paths to the top. Larson, the 2024 winner and TalonsCove GM, battled through injuries—including three broken toes—to win the Senior Women’s State Amateur, finish first among seniors at Winterchamps, and place well in the Women’s Spring Open and Mary Lou Baker Open.

Belnap, a two-time Women’s State Am champion from the 1990s and Farmington High girls golf coach, earned her points through consistent play in full-field events, finishing as the top senior in the State Am qualifier and Mary Lou Baker Open, plus strong showings at Winterchamps and the Utah Women’s Open. Their tie capped impressive comeback seasons for two players whose experience and perseverance continue to define Utah women’s golf.

SENIOR MEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Playing with purpose after the passing of his father, Don, in March, Provo’s Darrin Overson turned a season of emotion into dominance, earning the UGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year award. His victory at Winterchamps, held just days after his father’s funeral, set the tone for a year that also included five total wins among his eight counting events and a landmark triumph at the Senior State Amateur at Bonneville—making him just the second golfer in Utah history to win the State Am, Mid-Am, and Senior State Am. Overson also qualified for the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

SUPER-SENIOR MEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Retired U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Mark Gardiner delivered a nearly perfect 2025 season, winning all six of his counting events to claim the UGA Super-Senior Player of the Year title with 380 points. Gardiner captured titles at the Senior State Amateur, Senior Stroke Play, Winterchamps, Don and Ron Branca Utah Senior Open, and both the Bloomington and Ledges Amateurs. Known for his steady driving and precision play, Gardiner’s consistency and composure stood out in his second Utah season, highlighted by a 23-hole win in the Senior State Am final and an eagle-filled rally to finish runner-up at the Coral Canyon Senior Amateur.

Each award winner will be recognized at the UGA’s annual awards banquet scheduled for early next year.