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UGA Senior Women’s Players of the Year: Steph Belnap & Kareen Larson
Kareen Larson and Steph Belnap shared the Senior Women’s Player of the Year award, presented by Primo, after arriving at the same point total from different directions, even apart from Larson’s left-handed swing.
Larson labeled her stake of the award “very satisfying,” amid recent injuries. Belnap said, “Kareen’s an amazing player, so it’s an honor to share it with her.”
Kareen Larson won the 2025 Utah Senior Women’s State Amateur at Mountain Dell GC.
Counting the top four events, each posted 155 points in the Player Performance Rankings to 132.5 for 2023 winner Nuny Khamken. Belnap’s haul came via her showing among seniors in full-field tournaments. She was the top 50-over performer in both the Women’s State Amateur qualifying round and the Mary Lou Baker Open, besides finishing No. 2 in the Winterchamps event and No. 3 in the Utah Women’s Open.
A 21-hole quarterfinal loss to Nancy Beck of Texas kept Belnap from adding points in the Senior Women’s State Amateur, while Larson’s victory at Mountain Dell GC pulled her into the tie.
Larson, the 2024 Player of the Year, missed two major tournaments for varying reasons. In addition to winning the Senior Women’s State Am, she finished first among seniors in Winterchamps, third (with partner Jessica Smith) in the Women’s Spring Open and fourth in the Mary Lou Baker Open. In that event, she limped through three rounds at TalonsCove GC, where she’s the General Manager.
The previous week, Larson had broken three toes on her left foot in a shower/tub accident (“the story’s not even good enough to tell,” she joked) and withdrew from the Utah Women’s Open.
“You don’t know how much balance you need with your toes until you don’t have it,” she said.
In July, Larson captained the Utah team in the Girls’ Junior Americas Cup, forcing her to skip the Women’s State Amateur. So maybe the Co-Player of the Year award is a cosmic reward for Larson. The same could be said of Belnap, who has coached the Farmington High School girls golf team for six years.
Steph Belnap’s 20-hole victory in the Round of 32 at this year’s Utah Women’s State Am was motivating, even without Senior PPR credit.
The mother of four (and grandmother of one) works for a financial planner and also helps at Davis Park Golf Course.
Belnap won consecutive Women’s State Am titles in the ‘90s before turning pro. She delivered a first-round win in July at Wasatch Mountain GC, 30 years after her second championship. Belnap’s brother, Bruce Brockbank, became the first UGA Player of the Year in 1983.
Her return to UGA competition in 2024 stemmed from being rejuvenated by the Farmington girls and the prodding of a friend in the Davis Park Ladies League. Maybe because she goes by “Steph” now, some confusion existed about whether she really was the former champion. In any case, she has evoked images of the Stephanie Belnap of old.
Belnap received no senior PPR extra credit, but a 20-hole victory over Lily Shin in the Women’s State Am was validating and motivating. “In match play, you get to challenge a youngster,” she said. “I still can compete with them.”
2025 UGA Player of the Year presented by Primo stories are written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography by Fairways Media/Garrit Johnson and Randy Dodson.