Amateur Kihei Akina to Play in PGA TOUR Black Desert Championship

Utah residents Zac Blair, Patrick Fishburn, Mike Weir, Peter Kuest, Jay Don Blake, and amateur Kihei Akina will compete in the inaugural Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion

St. George, Utah (September 12, 2024) – When the inaugural Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion tees off this October, Utah’s passionate fan base can look forward to seeing several notable local players alongside some of the best golfers in the world. The tournament will feature multiple Utah-based players receiving sponsor exemptions, including Park City resident and 2024 International Presidents Cup captain Mike Weir, former BYU standout Peter Kuest, and rising star Kihei Akina, a senior at Lone Peak High School who is committed to BYU. Additionally, Utah natives and former BYU stars Patrick Fishburn and Zac Blair have also confirmed their participation, while St. George native Jay Don Blake will celebrate his 500^th career PGA TOUR start in his hometown during this inaugural event.

“The Black Desert Championship is truly Utah’s tournament, and we invite the entire state to come out and support their local heroes,” said Patrick Manning, Managing Partner of Black Desert Resort. “We’re excited to offer exemptions to Mike, Peter, and Kihei and are thrilled to have them join our field in October. It’s also an honor to welcome 2024 Presidents Cup International Captain Mike Weir and to highlight the incredible talent of Kihei Akina, recognized as one of the nation’s top junior golfers. Additionally, we’re pleased that former BYU star Peter Kuest, along with standout alumni Patrick Fishburn and Zac Blair, are committed to competing.”

Weir is the 2003 Masters champion and lives in Park City.  Coming out of BYU, he turned pro in 1992 and has won eight times on the PGA TOUR.   Weir received Canada’s highest civilian honor, the Order of Canada, in 2009 and the Order of Ontario in 2004. He was also a 2009 Canadian Golf Hall of Fame inductee.

 Akina, a resident of Alpine and a Lone Peak High School senior is committed to play golf at BYU starting next year.  Golfweek’s top-ranked golfer in the Class of 2024, Akina, 18, was named the 2023 USA Today National Boys High School Golfer of the Year. Akini won medalist honors at the 6A state tournament as a freshman and sophomore at Lone Peak.

Kuest has played 24 PGA TOUR events since turning pro in 2020.  Kuest played at BYU from 2016 to 2020, winning 10 individual titles, including the 2017 West Coast Conference Championship.  Kuest currently resides in American Fork.

Blair was born in Salt Lake City, attended Fremont High School in Plain City and currently lives in St. George. A BYU product, he turned pro in 2014. He posted a season-best T2 finish this year at the ISCO Championship, where he lost in a five-way playoff.  In the 2022-23 season, Blair recorded two top-10s and made 11 cuts in 28 starts.

Fishburn lives in Ogden and played four seasons at BYU.  After turning pro in 2018, he finished No. 19 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, earning his first PGA TOUR card.  Earlier this year, Fishburn held the 54-hole lead with partner Blair at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and went on to finish T4, his first career top-10 on the PGA TOUR.  At BYU, he won twice individually and earned 2017-18 West Coast Conference Player of the Year recognition, as well as consecutive All-WCC First Team honors in 2017 and 2018.

The Black Desert Championship represents a significant moment for golf in Utah, marking the return of PGA TOUR golf to the state for the first time in over 60 years. Set against the backdrop of the stunning new Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course at Black Desert Resort, this event is expected to attract fans from across the region. Tickets for the championship are available now, offering grounds passes and VIP daily tickets at www.BlackDesertEvents.com.

Showcasing world-class talent against the iconic red rocks of Southern Utah, the event schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, October 9: Official Pro-Am presented by Marcella, open to public

Thursday, October 10: Opening Day, full field competition

Friday, October 11: Second round, full field competition

Saturday, October 12: Third round of competition, player field after the cut

Sunday, October 13: Final championship round, trophy presentation

The 2024 Black Desert Championship inaugurates a four-year partnership between Black Desert and the PGA TOUR. As player commitments are secured, further announcements will be made.

About Black Desert Resort

Amid the sprawling, centuries-old canvas of striking black lava beds and burnt-red sandstone cliffs of Greater Zion, a breathtaking experience at Black Desert Resort awaits. Spanning over 600 acres of scenic desert landscape and anchored by an 18-hole Tom Weiskopf-designed championship course, Black Desert Resort will unveil its first phase after it hosts the PGA TOUR’s Black Desert Championship in October 2024. The preview phase will include 447 luxury guestrooms and suites, 45,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting and event space, five diverse restaurant and beverage outlets including a 20th-hole club lounge, heated outdoor pools and hot tubs, plus easy access to 200+ acres of preserved land with 6 miles of hiking trails. Beginning Q1 2025, the resort will debut an additional 344 luxury guestrooms and suites, in addition to an expansive 15,000-square-foot world-class spa. Black Desert Resort will offer an immersive experience that captivates and welcomes a multi-generational audience of guests and residents—from near and far—to a boundless oasis of natural beauty and engaging adventure. Reef Capital Partners is developing Black Desert Resort. To learn more, visit www.BlackDesortResort.com.

Self-proclaimed ‘Nobodies’ Henry Poulton-Brandon Pearson become winners

In the end, after Henry Poulton and Brandon Pearson had won four matches against some of the Utah Golf Association’s biggest names and most famous families, this was the natural question: Who are these guys?

Poulton was quick to answer: “We’re nobodies.”

2024 Utah Four-Ball Champions Henry Poulton and Brandon Pearson.

He said so proudly, fully aware of what the neighbors from Bountiful had done in becoming the winners of the Utah Four-Ball Championship at Gladstan Golf Course in Payson.

Their unlikely odyssey concluded with a 3-and-1 victory over junior golf stars Austin Shelley and Jack Summerhays. It began with a defeat of three-time champions Ryan Brimley-David Jennings, and featured a rally to overtake two-time winners Dan Horner-Darrin Overson in the semifinals. They also beat Danny Hafen-Rand Sargent in 20 holes in the quarterfinals.

“They’re just great players,” Poulton said, summarizing the list of opponents. “They have great reputations, great histories. They’ve won so many times in so many events. We just relied on each other. And the fact we were underdogs in every single match really helped us.”

Technically, that’s not true, after Poulton-Pearson qualified as the No. 7 seeds in the At-Large bracket. Practically speaking, though, that’s accurate. And there’s no discounting the talent and toughness they displayed, especially in coming from 3 down at the turn vs. Horner-Overson and leading from start to finish vs. Shelley-Summerhays.

As Pearson said, “There were points when we just had to grind it out; be gritty.”

At this point, introductions are in order. Pearson is 41, a financial advisor, father of six children and coach of the Woods Cross High School girls golf team. Poulton is 37, has two young children and works for a tech company, after doing management consulting. Encouragement from supportive wives got them back into golf in recent years. Pearson made the field for the 125th State Amateur last year, and the two have played in some team events.

They thrived in their first Utah Four-Ball competition. There’s no minimizing Pearson’s front-nine 31 in the final match, but Poulton certainly did his part over two days, such as birdieing the par-3 No. 17 to tie Horner-Overson in the semifinals.

The winners fit the usual Mid-Amateur profile of Four-Ball winners, considering college players are unavailable in September. Shelley (Skyline) and Summerhays (Farmington) had hoped to become by far the youngest champions as high school juniors. Shelley is the youngest of three brothers who made the 36-hole cut in the recent Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open; Summerhays is the oldest child of touring pro Daniel Summerhays. Their run included a 4-and-3 semifinal win over the Cooper Jones-Tyler Jones brotherly duo, with Cooper making his last UGA appearance prior to a church mission.

Utah Four-Ball runner-up team Jack Summerhays (L) and Austin Shelley.

Shelley-Summerhays lost the first two and last two holes of the final match, winning only No. 9. They faded on the back nine, but deserve credit for staying close all afternoon with performances such as Shelley’s tying eagle on the par-5 No. 8.

SENIORS/SUPER-SENIORS

2024 Utah Senior Four-Ball champions, Jon Wright and Brigham Gibbs.

One thread carried through the age-group competitions. Senior winners Brigham Gibbs-Jon Wright had to play each other in last week’s Senior State Amateur; Super-Senior champions Rick Lloyd-Paul Cannon also met in match play at Hill Air Force Base.

Each pair was clearly happy to be teammates again. Gibbs-Wright outlasted Matthew Lyons-Fred Larsen in 21 holes, while Lloyd-Cannon topped Randy Hicken-Mike Jorgensen 3 and 2.

Wright and Lloyd each earned a rare opportunity to hoist two UGA trophies on consecutive Thursdays. Wright and Gibbs, who won the Senior Stroke Play title in May, both could celebrate a season of multiple titles, while claiming a second victory in the Four-Ball’s Senior division (they also won At-Large championships in 2017 and ‘18).

2024 Utah Super-Senior Four-Ball champions, Paul Cannon and Rick Lloyd.

Gibbs delivered the winners’ most dramatic stroke Thursday, a match-extending, 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 No. 18, with Lyons near the hole. “My whole take is I’m glad Brigham was here, because I did not play well today,” Wright said. “That was a great putt he made on 18. That was everything.”

Lyons had teamed with Shane McMillan for Senior titles each of the past two years. Larsen helped him reach another final match. They never trailed until the 21st hole, but never could quite take command.

Lloyd, 68, has won three straight Super-Senior trophies in the Four-Ball, in 2022 with Karl Avant and twice with Cannon.

“We didn’t make any big mistakes,” Lloyd said after playing 31 holes in two matches. Hicken-Jorgensen had gone 28 holes vs. Steven Borget-Dan Hatch in the semifinals, with the 10 extra holes believed to be a record for a match in any UGA tournament.

Click here for complete bracket scoring of the Utah Four-Ball Championship at Gladstan GC.

Utah Four-Ball Championship recap written by Fairways Media’s Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography provided by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.

Utah Four-Ball Championship: Mike Jorgensen – Randy Hicken win a record 28-hole match

Randy Hicken and Mike Jorgensen won Nos. 14 and 15 to tie Steven Borget and Dan Hatch in a Super-Senior semifinal match of the Utah Four-Ball Championship. They couldn’t have known the contest would stay tied for the next 12 holes at Gladstan Golf Course in Payson.

Only when Jorgensen made a 25-foot birdie putt and Borget and Hatch each missed from inside that distance did the match end on the 28^th hole, the par-4 No. 10. The 10 extra holes is believed to be a Utah Golf Association record, topping Tod Budge’s 27-hole win over Matt Johnson in the 1988 State Amateur’s round of 16 at Oakridge Country Club.

“It was kind of crazy,” Hicken said. “We just kind of matched each other shot for shot the whole front nine.”

In the Super-Senior bracket, match play began with the semis. Defending champions Rick Lloyd-Paul Cannon topped Karl Avant-Todd Kartchner 4 and 3 and will meet Hicken-Jorgensen in a rematch of the 2023 final.

Three of the At-Large division matches also went to extra holes Wednesday. The brother duo of Cooper Jones-Tyler Jones outlasted Thomas Young-Bryce Till in 21 holes in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Henry Poulton-Brandon Pearson beat Danny Hafen-Rand Sargent in 20 holes and two-time winners Dan Horner-Darrin Overson defeated 2022 champions Andrew Cottle-Peyton Hastings in 21 holes.

Two other notable results had spiced the round of 16. Three-time champions David Jennings-Ryan Brimley fell to Poulton-Pearson, 1 up. No. 2-seeded Kenny Palmer-Steele Dewald lost 3 and 2 to Hafen-Sargent.

The Jones brothers will meet high school juniors Jack Summerhays (Farmington) and Austin Shelley (Skyline) in Thursday morning’s semifinals. Cooper Jones, the State Amateur runner-up in July, is playing in his last UGA event prior to a church mission to Peru.

In the Senior division finals, Jon Wright-Brigham Gibbs will face Matthew Lyons-Fred Larsen, who beat Tim Golder-Jeff Jolley in 20 holes of the semis. Wright-Gibbs won At-Large titles in 2017 and ‘18. Lyons teamed with Shane McMillan to win the last two Senior championships.

Click Here for Four-Ball Scoring Brackets

Day 1 tournament recap written by Fairways Media senior writer, Kurt Kragthorpe. Fairways Media file photo by Randy Dodson.

Utah Senior State Am: Jon Wright, Rick Lloyd and Michael Hacker claim titles

The silver trophies for Utah Golf Association championships come in pairs for Jon Wright. With a victory Thursday in the 31st Utah Senior State Amateur, Wright added a second senior award to go with his two State Am titles.

He would be happy with an unmatched set of trophies.

“I want to get some more Senior State Ams,” Wright said after a 5-and-4 defeat of David Booth in the18-hole final match at Hill Air Force Base’s Hubbard Memorial Golf Course.

Two-time Utah Senior State Amateur champion, Jon Wright.

Wright already is in his own class. He’s one shy of the three Senior Am titles of Brigham Gibbs, his friend and Four-Ball partner, but only Wright can claim two State Am victories and two Senior Am championships in these three-plus decades.

Wright’s run of four UGA major trophies has come in 13 seasons, starting fairly soon after he gave up his pro golf pursuits. He’s compiling a record similar to that of the late Arlen Peacock, a lifelong amateur and Utah Golf Hall of Fame member, who won State Am titles at ages 39 and 44 and took the Senior Am championship in 1995 at 62.

As of Wright’s win in 2020, shortly after he turned 50, multiple Senior Am titles seemed likely. The variable is his back issues, which kept him from contending again until this week.

“If my back doesn’t hurt, I can play. … (But) I’m starting to understand how limited my opportunities are,” Wright said. “I just don’t know how many of them I have left.”

The other road block this week was a bracket that forced Wright, as the No. 8 seed, to go through No. 1 John Owen in the quarterfinals and Gibbs (No. 21) in the semifinals. As he said, “How about that draw?”

None of Jon Wright’s five matches went past No. 16 at Hubbard Golf Club.

Even so, “I knew this was a good opportunity,” Wright said. “My iron play is really good right now, and I’ve been driving it good enough.”

Other than an errant drive that led to Wright’s losing the par-5 No. 1, he was in command vs. Booth, who was thrilled to reach this stage. A putting tip from longtime PGA Professional Wayne Fisher aided Wright’s putting, and he was dominant at Hubbard. None of his five matches went past No. 16.

SUPER-SENIORS

Rick Lloyd’s first Super-Senior title in the Senior State Amateur came in 2022, when he was 66. And then the Super-Senior minimum age went from 65 to 60.

The modified age group makes his second win more impressive, capping a week when he shot his age in the stroke-play qualifying round. Lloyd never had to play No. 18 in his four matches, ending with a 3-and-2 win over Randy Hicken, the reigning UGA Super-Senior Player of the Year (and likely repeat winner). Hicken also finished second among Super-Seniors in the Utah Senior Stroke Play Championship in May.

Rick Lloyd has now won the Super Senior title in two of the last three years.

“It’s a big deal,” Lloyd said of adding a second title. “As you get older, your skills diminish and you get a little shorter (off the tee), but I’ve worked hard on flexibility and core exercising. Trying to keep up with these guys is not easy.”

Driving accuracy was Lloyd’s biggest strength at Hubbard, where he made three birdies and no bogeys in 16 holes Thursday.

LEGENDS

Michael Hacker is resisting the aging process, in multiple ways. Not only does he look and play like someone much younger than 73, he had to convince himself to compete in the 70-over division this year.

Michael Hacker has won both the Super Senior title (2017) and now the Legends title.

When he entered the Senior Am, “It took me a long time just to press the (Legends) button,” Hacker said. “I had to think about it. But it’s time.”

Hacker’s 4-and-3 win over Utah Golf Hall of Fame member Todd Barker completed his run through the eight-golfer bracket and added to his 2017 Super-Senior title. The St. George resident took the No. 5 seed into match play and concluded all three duels prior to No. 18.

Barker, who’s battling melanoma at age 70, won tough matches vs. David Fischer and defending champion Doug Marriott to reach the finals. Hacker was just too steady for him, though. “I really hit the driver good today,” Hacker said. “Just kept myself right in play.”

Click here for the complete match play bracket scoring of the 31st Utah Senior State Amateur.

Utah Senior State Amateur championship match recaps written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography provided by Fairways Media/Garrit Johnson.

Utah Senior State Am, Day 3: Defending champion Brigham Gibbs falls to Four-Ball partner Jon Wrigh

Next week, they will be partners. This week, they became rivals.

The semifinals of the 31st Utah Senior State Amateur Championship produced friendly battles in two divisions Wednesday at Hill Air Force Base’s Hubbard Memorial Golf Course.

2020 Senior State Amateur champion, Jon Wright.

Jon Wright topped defending champion Brigham Gibbs 4 and 3 in a Senior match; Randy Hicken defeated Mike Jorgensen 2 up in a Super-Senior duel. Wright-Gibbs and Hicken-Jorgensen will comprise a couple of tough teams in next week’s Utah Four-Ball Championship in Payson, but only one-half of each pair could advance at Hubbard.

Wright, the 2020 winner, will meet David Booth in Thursday’s 18-hole Senior final match. Hicken will oppose Rick Lloyd in the Super-Senior (60-over) division and Todd Barker will play Michael Hacker for the Legends (70-over) title.

Wright was overwhelming Tuesday, winning each of his matches 7 and 5. What he did Wednesday may have been more impressive. He defeated No. 1 seed John Owen 3 and 2 in the quarterfinals, then was in control throughout his match with Gibbs, a three-time champion who’s about to turn 60. Gibbs won the Senior State Am title last August at Alpine Country Club and took the Senior Stroke Play Championship in May at Fox Hollow GC.

David Booth will face Jon Wright in the championship match.

Booth emerged from a good semifinal battle with 2022 winner Darren Kuhn. Booth trailed through 14 holes, but won Nos. 15 and 18 with birdies to earn a 1-up victory.

SUPER-SENIORS

Jorgensen nearly completed a remarkable day, only to have Hicken respond with birdies on two of the last three holes as the reigning UGA Super-Senior Player of the Year took a 2-up win. In the quarterfinals, defending champion and No. 1 seed Craig Wilson birdied No. 17 to tie the match, then Jorgensen birdied the par-5 No. 1 to claim an extra-holes victory.

Rick Lloyd will face Randy Hicken in the Super-Senior (60-over) division.

Lloyd, the No. 2 seed, ended each of his matches prior to No. 18. He downed Richard Parkinson 2 and 1 and took a 4-and-3 win over Steven Borget.

LEGENDS

In his first year of Legends eligibility, Barker has survived two tough matches in this eight-golfer bracket. After going 19 holes vs. David Fischer, the Utah Golf Hall of Fame member lost a 3-up lead over defending champion Doug Marriott, only to win No. 18 with a par in the semifinals.

Hacker, a playoff contestant in the Senior Stroke Play’s Legends competition in May, was tied with Larry Beech through 10 holes of the semifinals, before securing a 2-and-1 victory.

Click here for complete match play scoring.

Day 3 match play recap written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photos provided by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.

Utah Senior State Am, Day 2: Three-time champion Brigham Gibbs rallies to win in round of 16

This is what can happen when a tournament such as the Utah Senior State Amateur Championship uses a one-day, stroke-play seeding format.

Three-time champion Brigham Gibbs posted a 76 in the qualifying round at Hill Air Force Base’s Hubbard Memorial Golf Course, settling for the No. 21 seed in match play. That gave him a difficult path to a fourth title.

Three time Utah Senior State Amateur champion, Brigham Gibbs.

He’s succeeding so far. Gibbs topped No. 12 Eric Yergensen 5 and 4 in Tuesday morning’s round of 32, then won Nos. 16 and 18 in a 1-up victory over No. 28 Jon Morgan in the afternoon. And now, his road presumably gets even tougher, with a rematch against 2023 runner-up Shane McMillan, the No. 4 seed.

Wednesday’s schedule lists the quarterfinals and semifinals in the Senior and Super-Senior divisions and the semifinals in the Legends group. The 18-hole final matches in all categories will be played Thursday morning.

Former champion, Jon Wright.

No. 1 seed John Owen played a total of 30 holes to win two matches Tuesday, while 2020 champion Jon Wright had an even lighter workload of 26 holes.

Morgan competed in the only extra-holes match in the round of 32. He was 3 down vs. Andrew Yeh through 13 holes, but rallied to win in 19. Darren Kuhn, the 2022 champion, was a 1-up winner over Troy Jones in the only other match that went to No. 18. Kuhn then topped Matthew Lyons 2 and 1 in one of the round of 16’s featured matches.

The other Senior quarterfinalists are Brett Christiansen, David Booth and Kevin Campbell.

SUPER-SENIORS

Rick Lloyd and Paul Cannon teamed up to win the Super-Senior division of the 2023 Utah Four-Ball Championship, and they’ll play together again next week in the semifinals at Gladstan Golf Course. As of Tuesday, though, they were rivals. Lloyd took a 5-and-4 victory in the Super-Senior (60-over) round of 16 at Hubbard.

The day’s longest match in any category was John Harris’ 22-hole victory over Mark Gardiner, the Super-Senior winner of the Utah Senior Stroke Play Championship in May. Harris birdied the par-4 No. 4 to win.

2023 Super-Senior champion, Craig Wilson.

Defending champion Craig Wilson, the No. 1 seed, advanced with a 3-and-2 defeat of Scott Benson.

LEGENDS

Utah Golf Hall of Fame member Todd Barker rallied from 2 down through 14 holes to overtake David Fischer in the quarterfinals of the Legends (70-over) competition. Barker birdied No. 18 to extend the match and birdied the par-5 No. 1 to win in 19 holes.

In another extra-holes match, champion Doug Marriott went 21 holes before winning over Rob Bachman.

Larry Beach will face Michael Hacker in Wednesday’s semifinals of the Legends division.

No. 1 seed Larry Beech, meanwhile, played only 13 holes vs. Charlie Davis, winning 6 and 5. In 2021, Beech won the Super-Senior division, then consisting of 65-over players.

Michael Hacker, the Legends runner-up in the Senior Stroke Play, is the other semifinalist.

Click here for Tuesday’s bracket scoring.

Day two recap story written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. All photos provided by Fairways Media/Garrit Johnson.

Utah Senior State Am: John Owen is a medalist; Shane McMillan hustles home to tie for 2nd

Shane McMillan was so worn down by the challenging conditions and travel logistics of the U.S. Senior Amateur in Tennessee that he considered withdrawing from the Utah State Senior Amateur Championship.

He kept his Monday tee time at Hill Air Force Base’s Hubbard Memorial Golf Course, though. And he got better as the stroke-play round went along. McMillan’s 1-under-par 71 was good for a tie for second place in the stroke-play portion of the 31^st annual tournament.

John Owen (photo above), who was a State Amateur semifinalist in 2022 at age 49, birdied two of the last three holes to become the medalist by one stroke over McMillan, Matthew Lyons and Brett Christiansen.

With pre-qualifying required just to get to Hubbard, Monday’s starting fields were reduced only from 48 to 32 (Senior), 24 to 16 (Super-Senior, 60-over) and 12 to eight (Legends, 70-over).

Match play begins Tuesday with two rounds in the Senior division and one each in the other age groups. The final matches in every category are scheduled Thursday morning.

McMillan is the Utah Golf Association’s two-time Senior Men’s Player of the Year and was the runner-up to Brigham Gibbs last August in the Senior State Am. He shot 78-83 in the U.S. Senior Am at The Honors Course in Tennessee, numbers that merit some explanation. McMillan missed the cut to match play but by only four strokes; the score needed to advance was the highest in 24 years.

Due to an afternoon starting time Sunday, McMillan missed his scheduled flight home from Chattanooga. After a two-hour drive, he caught the last flight from Atlanta and arrived home at about 2 a.m.

“I almost called this morning to withdraw because I was physically and mentally exhausted,” McMillan said. “I was pretty disappointed to not make the cut back there, so it felt good to shoot under par today.”

Gibbs, who won the Utah Senior Stroke Play Championship in May, tied for 19th place with a 76. Four players advanced from a five-way playoff at 78: Scott Van Orden, Scott Tye, Jose Valle and Chuck O’Brien.

SUPER-SENIORS

Craig Wilson celebrates on of eight birdies on the day at Hubbard Golf Club.

Defending champion Craig Wilson’s 65, featuring eight birdies on a 6,500-yard setup, gave him medalist honors by three strokes over Rick Lloyd. Mike Holm and Mark Gardiner, the division winner in the Senior Stroke Play, tied for third at 69. Randy Hicken, the reigning Super-Senior Player of the Year, placed fifth at 71.

A 5-for-3 playoff among golfers who shot 77 completed the bracket. John Harris, Paul Cannon and Scott Benson advanced.

LEGENDS

Larry Beech was a runner-up in the Super-Senior division in 2021. Now playing in the Legends division, he posted a 72 for medalist honors by one shot over defending champion Doug Marriott.

David Fischer (74) and Jesse Needles (75) also earned top-four seeds and Utah Golf Hall of Fame member Todd Barker advanced with a 77. A 2-for-1 playoff determined the last spot in the bracket.Charlie Davis grabbed it after posting a 78.

Click here for the Utah Senior State Amateur stroke play qualifying results.

Stroke play qualifying feature written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. All photos by Fairways Media/Garrit Johnson.

Team Utah Rallies for Victory at Mid-Am Team Event

The Utah Golf Association’s Team Utah won the 2024 Mid-Am Team Championship by two strokes over the team from the Northern California Golf Association. Steele DeWald, a member of the Utah team, was the individual champion in the 54-hole championships held Aug. 22-24 on the Wolf Course at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort.

The tournament featured individual and team stroke play competition. In the team portion, three of the four players’ scores were used on each hole over the three rounds. A Mid-Am event features players 25 years of age and older.

Las Vegas’ Kenny Ebalo, who is a tournament committee member and took on the host duties this week, said the event showcased outstanding talent.

“The cool part about this tournament is the camaraderie with the teammates’ interaction,” Ebalo said. “These guys usually spend the year going up against each other and now they are rooting teammates on.”

This was the eighth year of the event and second year in Las Vegas. Ebalo said the tournament being held on the Wolf Course really highlighted the event.

“The Wolf Course is one of the hardest courses in Las Vegas to begin with,” Ebalo said. “Add in 15-20 mile an hour winds with gusts up to 30 miles an hour and these guys really played well. We had everything from disaster holes to a hole-in-one today (Utah’s Kenny Palmer on the 15th hole). It was just a great three days.”

For Dewald, he thinks the event is terrific and hopes it continues to build momentum.

“It was a great event this week and I just hope it continues to grow and we get 50 states in there and just crush it,” Dewald said. “It’s awesome.”

Team Competition

Utah rallied for the victory as they played the final two holes in three-under-par while Northern California played that same stretch at even-par. In the process, they defended their title from 2023, even tough the team was made up entirely of new players.

Team Utah: (L-R) Cameron Crawford, Tate McVay, Kenny Palmer and Steele DeWald.

Three of the Utah players put birdies on the scorecard over those final two holes.

“We played really well as a team today,” DeWald said. “It was brutal out there.”

He said the final two holes showed the poise of the team.

“We had a great finish,” he said of the three birdies over the two holes. “We stayed patient all day. It’s a grind out there but we really finished strong.”

He added the team format was one that brought out the best in players for their teams.

“We’re always rooting for each other,” DeWald said. “We always want to see everyone play well and it was cool to see everyone contribute. It was definitely a team effort especially with all of these good players out here.”

Team Utah’s Kenny Palmer (Glenwild) aced the par 3, 15th island hole during the final round.

Team Utah has now won the Mid-Am Team Championship two years in a row.

Top Three Teams: Utah, 220-215-213—648, Northern California, 219-216-215—650, Nevada, 223-215-215—653

Individual Competition

Steele DeWald had an eagle in each of the first two rounds en route to the individual title beating Mike Perchak, from the Northern California team, by two strokes. DeWald’s teammate Kenny Palmer came earned a third place finish with a 215 total.

“It was a great event,” DeWald said. “This course is awesome and I thought it was in great shape. The greens are pure and I was really impressed by the course. I didn’t know this was out here. It definitely is really well kept and it was a true test..”

He said there were a number of reasons he found success this week.

“You can’t force it out there,” he said. “You have to be patient and that’s not always easy. You’re going to have stuff that happens but you’ve got to stay focused. I also putted really well but they didn’t always fall. I did make a lot of par putts from seven-to-eight feet and that really helped keep the round going in the right direction.”

In the end, he added the tournament was impressive in that it is one that brings players together.

“I’m just meeting some of these guys for the first time,” he said. “And over the three days I played with some great players and some really good guys. To add a ‘W’ in is always nice.”

Top Three Individuals: Steele DeWald, 71-69-71—211, Mike Perchak, 71-72-70—213, Kenny Palmer, 70-72-73—215

Click here for complete results of the 2024 Mid-Am Team Championship.

2024 Mid-Am Team Championship recap feature written for Fairways Media by Bill Bowman of Las Vegas Golf Insider. Photos provided by the Southern Nevada Golf Association.

BYU’s Adeline Wach earns her first UGA title

BYU’s Adeline Wach walked off the 18^th green of Mountain Dell’s Lake Course believing she was headed to a playoff, only to learn moments later that she had won the Utah Women’s Stroke Play Championship.

In the last two weeks BYU’s Adeline Wach has won the Utah Women’s Open and the Utah Women’s Stroke Play Championship.

That sequence of events was among multiple twists and turns in the last hour of the tournament Wednesday, including a double bogey by the defending champion, a lightning delay that affected only the final group and an incident involving bear spray in the Sandwedge Cafe.

Some explanations are required. Skipping to the end, Wach (70-74) won by one shot over Kelsey Chugg(76-69), reversing the outcome of the 2022 Women’s State Amateur final match.

First, there’s the story of how the former Adeline Anderson recovered from a triple bogey on No. 1 in the final round, applying what she and BYU Women’s Golf Coach Carrie Roberts have worked on this summer in “sticking to the process.”

That’s what Wach talked about last week, when that approach helped her pull away to a six-stroke victory in the two-day Siegfried & Jensen Utah Women’s Open in Provo. It worked again Wednesday, when she quickly lost the one-stroke lead over three players that she took into the final round, and again when she wobbled around the turn.

A pulled drive and two penalty strokes added up to that “8” on No. 1, but she was not deterred. Recounting the speech she gave herself, Wach said, “Hey, we’re sticking to the process, no matter what. Like, you’re not done, just keep going.”

Roberts’ sport psychology techniques were validated again on the back nine, by Wach’s making two birdies and one bogey. Playing in the next-to-last group, Chugg produced the low round of the tournament, making four birdies before she double-bogeyed the par-3 No. 17. Wach then bogeyed No. 17 and, according to the unofficial live-scoring updates provided by a player in each group, was tied with Chugg, who had just finished her round.

Kelsey Chugg

Wach’s husband, Cameron, shared that news with her by phone during the weather delay, which came after the last threesome hit their approach shots on No. 18.

That’s also about the time a patron’s canister of bear spray accidentally was discharged in the cafe, affecting the eyes of Weber State golfer Jade Gruher and her parents. Chugg, the ranking Salt Lake City Golf staff member on site, responsibly assisted emergency medical and law enforcement personnel.

The question of whether Chugg would have been in any frame of mind to participate in a playoff became moot after Wach completed a par on No. 18 and her scores were accurately recorded, giving her a 2-over-par total for two rounds.

In any case, the final round was mostly a success for Chugg, who this summer became a six-time winner of the Women’s State Amateur. She bounced back from the opening-round 76 that included five bogeys on the back nine, while overcoming a disappointing showing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur last week in Oklahoma.

Chugg will prepare for next month’s U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in Massachusetts, having reached the final match of that event in three of her six appearances.

Utah Women’s Stroke Play low senior, Kareen Larson.

Wach will play in the Utah Open, beginning Friday at Riverside Country Club in Provo (she’s paired with Roberts’ brothers, Joe and Bruce Summerhays Jr.), and then gear up for her senior year of college golf. “Of course, when you win, it’s a boost of confidence,” she said.

That’s true no matter how, or when, it happens.

Click here for the Utah Women’s Stroke Play Championship final leaderboard.

Utah Women’s Stroke Play Championship recap written by Fairways Media senior writer, Kurt Kragthorpe. All photos provided by Fairways Mediua/Garrit Johnson.

Women’s Stroke Play: BYU’s Adeline Wach takes one-stroke lead into final round

Adeline Wach bogeyed the first two holes she ever played at Mountain Dell Golf Course. The rest of her day got a lot better.

Weber State freshman Braylyn Bayer.

The BYU golfer from Southern California made an eagle, two birdies and one bogey over the last 16 holes Tuesday, posting a 1-under-par 70 on the Lake Courseto begin the Utah Women’s Stroke Play Championship. She will take a one-stroke lead over Weber State’s Braylyn Bayer and Isabel Gutierrez Paillaud and Westminster’s Kyra Sponenburgh into Wednesday’s final round.

Isabel Gutierrez Paillaud

Kyra Sponenburgh

Faith Vui, a semifinalist in last month’s Women’s State Amateur, is fourth at 74. Defending champion Kelsey Chugg is in a group at 76.

Faith Vui

Wach, the winner of last week’s Siegfried & Jensen Utah Women’s Open in Provo, earned an exemption into this week’s Utah Open at Riverside Country Club. She participated in an afternoon pro-am event Monday, when she otherwise may have played a practice round at Mountain Dell,

Wach’s strategy was to play conservatively in the first round, while learning the course. It helps that No. 5 is a straightaway par-5, and she eagled it to get back to even par. She added birdies on Nos. 10 and 11, before bogeying No. 15.

Adeline Wach

The former Adeline Anderson has never won a Utah Golf Association event. She was the runner-up to Chugg in the 2022 Women’s State Amateur.

Bayer, who’s from Idaho and will be a Weber State freshman, made three bogeys on the front nine and three birdies on the back nine in her even-par round. Paillaud, a native of Mexico, also rallied, getting to even par with birdies on Nos. 14 and 18. Sponenburgh, from Wyoming, arrived at 71 from the other direction. She played the front nine in 2 under before making two bogeys.

Bridgette Volk

Kareen Larson is the low senior at 78. Bayer and Sponenburgh are the co-leaders of Championship Flight 2, while Bridgette Volk (78) tops Championship Flight 3. Caroline DeLoach leads the A Flight with an 88.

Click here for online scoring. 

Utah Women’s Stroke Play Championship round one recap written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.