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Will Pedersen Finds the Formula at Bonneville

Will Pedersen made the winning formula sound simple in the 3rd UGA Utah Junior State Amateur Championship at Bonneville Golf Course.

The Olympus High School graduate cited his driving and putting for carrying him through the 32-golfer bracket, topped by a 4-and-3 win over Dylan Winona in Wednesday’s 36-hole championship match.

“Happy the game came together this week,” said Pedersen, who has signed with the University of Utah and will enroll in 2028 after a church mission. Winona, the Class 4A state tournament medalist from Crimson Cliffs in Washington, Utah, will play for Utah Valley University.

Will Pedersen’s combination of power off the tee and confidence on the greens proved to be the winning formula as he captured the 3rd UGA Utah Junior State Amateur championship at Bonneville Golf Course.

Pedersen added, “I would say the driver was awesome this week. I hit it amazing. I hit some drives that were some of the farthest I’ve ever hit. And the putter just kept going all week. When those two things are good, I play very well.”

True story. Just ask Winona, who said, “Will Pedersen, wow. He’s a heck of a player.”

In 2025, Pedersen claimed the Boys 15-18 title in the Utah Junior Golf Association’s Utah State Junior Amateur, winning six matches. As the No. 6 seed last week, he was upset in that tournament’s round of 32. Pedersen also lost in the round of 32 in the UGA Junior State Am last summer at Glenmoor Golf Club. But this week at Bonneville was a different story, as he improved his two-year, four-event match record to 12-2.

Pedersen birdied No. 18 in the quarterfinals to edge Tyse Boman, 1 up. He then played spectacularly in the semifinals vs. future Ute teammate Jaxon Erickson. Pedersen took a 6-and-4 victory, playing those 14 holes in 6 under par with two eagles. This, after Erickson’s 9-and-8 quarterfinal rout Tuesday morning was possibly the most dominant, 18-hole match-play performance in UGA history. Erickson was the 2025 runner-up in the UGA Junior State Am at Glenmoor.

Kanyon DeRyke made the semifinals again, after having lost to Erickson at Glenmoor last June. The Box Elder graduate was 1 up through 15 holes this time, but Winona won No. 16 with a birdie and No. 18 with a par to earn his second 1-up win of the day.

Utah Valley University signee Dylan Winona capped an impressive week with a runner-up finish against one of Utah’s strongest junior golf fields.

Winona’s birdie on the par-5 No. 16 ultimately made the difference vs. Daniel Holmberg in the quarterfinals. As the No. 1 seed in the UJGA event last week, Winona was eliminated in the round of 16.

So both finalists understand the vagaries of match play. “It can go either way,” said Pedersen, who loves the format. “The putter,” he said, “is what wins matches.”

That was true for Pedersen in the end, with help from some spectacular chipping. As they started the afternoon round, Pedersen eagled the short par-5 No. 1 to go 3 up, before Winona’s two birdies made it 1 up. “That’s kind of where it felt like, ‘OK, I can do this, I got it.’ “ Winona said.

Utah Valley University signee Dylan Winona capped an impressive week with a runner-up finish against one of Utah’s strongest junior golf fields.

But Pedersen steadied himself, later going 4 up with a chip-in birdie on the par-4 No. 13. He lost the next hole, and Winona was in better position after each player missed the green on the long par-3 No. 15. Pedersen’s lofted, downhill pitch gave him about the same 5-foot par attempt as his opponent. Pedersen made his putt and Winona missed to end the match, proving Pedersen’s point about what wins these things.

Click here to see complete bracket scoring.

3rd UGA Utah Junior State Amateur tournament feature written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography by Fairways Media/Garrit Johnson.