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Senior Stars Survive The Oaks Test in Senior Stroke Play Championships
The Oaks at Spanish Fork Golf Course does not hand out favors. The winds arrive early out of Spanish Fork Canyon and the greens get fast in a hurry. Then Utah Golf Association Rules Official Keith Hansen adds hole locations that force players to think through every shot. By the end of the 54 hole 2026 Utah Golf Association Senior and Senior Women’s Stroke Play Championships, patience and course knowledge had become just as important as ball striking.
When the final putts dropped Friday afternoon on May 8th, familiar names and experienced champions stood tall again. Darrin Overson captured his first UGA Senior Stroke Play Championship title after a two hole playoff victory over Utah Tech men’s golf coach Brad Sutterfield. Part-time Utah resident Molly Steffes claimed her first solo UGA title in the inaugural Senior Women’s Stroke Play Championship. Veteran senior player Randy Hicken added another Super Senior title to his decorated resume while former UGA President Bill Probst ran away from the field in Legends division by 12 shots.
Darrin Overson added the Utah Senior Stroke Play title to his win list that also includes the 2025 Senior State Amateur.
Overson and Sutterfield finished regulation tied at 3-over par 219 after three demanding days at The Oaks. Overson admitted the closing stretch tested every nerve in his game.
“Man, that was a struggle coming down the stretch,” Overson said. “I know I was nervous for sure.”
Overson battled through late three putts and difficult reads before steadying himself in the playoff. On the second playoff hole, the par 5 10th, he delivered the shot of the championship. After a long drive up the hill, Overson hit a 9 iron from 180 yards to 20 feet below the hole. Two putts later, he had the championship trophy in his hands.
“It feels really good,” Overson said. “It doesn’t feel good to shoot four over in the final round, but just to get it done feels great.”
The victory carried extra meaning after Overson let a similar opportunity slip away last season at Stonebridge Golf Club.
Overson praised the championship setup and the challenge presented by The Oaks.
“You definitely have to be on the right spot on the greens,” Overson said. “Keith definitely got out here early this morning and set some pins. He’s going to make you earn it.”
In the inaugural Senior Women’s Stroke Play Championship, Molly Steffes persevered through both the golf course and her own mental battle to earn her first solo UGA title. Steffes posted rounds of 81, 85 and 79 to finish at 26-over par 245.
TalonsCove GM Kareen Larson pointed the way for Senior Women’s Stroke Play champion Molley Steffes.
Using the phrase “the Y-word”, refusing to utter the word “yips”, Steffes spoke openly afterward about overcoming putting struggles that began during a past USGA Women’s Senior event.
“I battled the Y-word ever since,” Steffes said. “Today was my first round where I didn’t have to deal with that issue.”
Steffes credited friend and fellow competitor Kareen Larson for pushing her back into competition and helping her stay committed to the game.
“She signs me up for everything,” Steffes said with a laugh. “You need people like that.”
The championship also marked an emotional milestone.
What was she most happy with? “Probably persevering the last three years and not quitting golf. “This is kind of my first individual championship ever.”
In the Super Senior division, Randy Hicken once again proved why patience and experience matter in stroke play championship golf. Hicken finished at 2-over par 218 after rounds of 73, 72 and 73.
Hicken leaned heavily on his course knowledge at The Oaks, especially on holes where being above the hole almost guaranteed trouble.
“You have to be in the right position on this golf course,” Hicken said. “If you get above the hole in certain places here, you can’t stop the ball.”
Randy Hicken credited “course knowledge and patience” for his Super Senior win at The Oaks GC.
Hicken repeatedly chose conservative targets throughout the week and avoided the mistakes that caught others late in rounds.
“I think managing the golf course was what I was most proud of,” Hicken said. “Sometimes a good par is a really good score at The Oaks. No one is going to go super deep here”
The longtime Utah golf standout also made it clear how much he values 54-hole stroke play championships.
“I love three straight days of stroke play where you have to show up and play,” Hicken said. “You don’t get a break.”
The Legends division belonged to former UGA President Bill Probst, who finished at 19-over par 235 for a 12 shot victory.
Bill Probst put together a dominant win in the Legends division.
Probst credited improved putting and iron play for the dominant performance as he continues to manage physical challenges, including an upcoming back fusion surgery later this summer.
By the end of championship week at The Oaks, the leaderboard looked exactly like a Utah senior major championship leaderboard should look. Former champions rose to the top. Course management and patience mattered. Experience mattered. And with the UGA senior season now fully underway, the competition in every division already looks as deep and demanding as ever.
2026 Utah Senior Stroke Play championship story and photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson and Garrit Johnson.