 Berlin Long15-year old Berlin Long has been named the Zions Bank Player of the Week for her win of the Hurricane City Am at Sky Mountain GC Jan 25-26 Berlin's one of the top players in the UJGA and a former Utah qualifier of the Drive Chip and Putt National Championship at Augusta National!
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 Darrin Overson Utah Mid-AmateurDarrin Overson was unaware of his position in the UGA Mid-Amateur Championship as he stood over a 15-foot par putt on Alpine Country Club's 18th green. He just knew he wanted to make it.
As it turned out, Overson's smooth stroke just made his four-stroke victory appear a bit more convincing. It also was a nice way to finish a bogey-free final round that gave him satisfaction as he held the traveling trophy on July 10. “It's about time my name gets on this trophy,” he said. The timing of his name's engraving is significant. It comes 20 years after he won the State Amateur, during the tournament's centennial observance. So it would have made a good story if either Overson or runner-up Dan Horner had won the Mid-Am title, considering that 2018 is the 10-year anniversary of Horner's State Am title. Playing aggressively, Horner hit his approach shot long and left on No. 18 and triple-bogeyed the hole. Overson's rounds of 69-71-69 were good for a 7-under-par total, followed by Horner (71-70-72), Kirk Siddens (68-71-75), Blake Murray (66-74-75) and Alpine member Steven Borget (73-72-71).  Zach JonesLone Peak High's Zach Jones earns the @zionsbank Player of the Week honors with St. George Amateur, a @utahga PPR event, win. With 5 birdies in his last 9 holes, Jones was 9-under & T1. On the 2nd playoff hole, the #BYUMGolf commit drained a 30-foot birdie to win.
Siddens’ Aces Underline Coral Canyon AmBy Randy Dodson
Kirk Siddens doesn’t care, all he knows is that he doubled is career hole-in-one total, in a four hole stretch, and won the Senior Flight of the Coral Canyon Amateur, a Utah Golf Association Senior Player Performance Rankings event. Acing both the par-3 3rd and the par-3 6th holes jump started Siddens’ opening round 7-under 65 and provided just enough cushion to edge Randy Hicken (-3) by a stroke after a final round 75, to claim the 36-hole title. “I didn’t see it go in on the first one because of the hole location but on 6 I hit it right over the flag and it sucked back and kept trickling, trickling and then it disappeared,” said Siddens. “Then we went crazy because that doesn’t happen.” Meanwhile, University of Utah Senior golfer Kyler Dunkle continued his winning ways with a 11-under 66-67 – 133 performance to outpace runner-up Zach Jones by five strokes to get the Championship Flight win. Since his runner-up finish in last year’s Utah State Amateur, Dunkle has been crowned champion in the Colorado State Amateur, Low Amateur in the Utah Open, medalist in two of Utah’s fall season tournaments and now the top spot 2019 Coral Canyon Amateur. “I’ve been able to capitalize on some of the better opportunities that I’ve had and haven’t been making too many mistakes. I’ve been able to make a lot of birdies. I hit driver every time I can and try to get down the hole as far as I can. I just need to give myself decent birdie looks,” said Dunkle. Brigham Young University commit Jones shot finished the tournament at 6-under par as runner-up. Jereme Johnson shot a (+2) 73-73 – 146 to claim First Flight honors.  Kirk SiddensKirk Siddens captures the first PLAYER of the WEEK presented by ZIONS BANK recognition of the new season with his Coral Canyon Amateur Senior Division win. An opening round 65, which included TWO holes-in-one in a four-hole stretch, provided just enough cushion after a final round 75, to get the (-4) 140 win.
 Kerstin Fotu Mary Lou BakerBy Beaux Yenchik
In the face of figurative giants, a first-time winner took the podium following the final round of the Mary Lou Baker Open. 19-year old Kerstin Fotu claimed her first-ever Utah Golf Association trophy at Wasatch Mountain Golf Course. A 3-under 69 lead Fotu to a four-shot victory - finishing at 8-under par. While paired with Utah power-house Kelsey Chugg – who took third place at 3-under par – and local pro Haley Dunn (-4), Fotu took the “giants” and the rest of the field to town. “It feels like I can do whatever I set my mind to,” Fotu said. “It feels good. I just told myself to take care of my drives and my putts and just focus on my own game. [Then], everything else will take care of itself and [don’t] really worry about anyone else and how they are playing.”  Sue Nyhus Utah Women's Senior State AmateurBy Beaux Yenchik
The reign of the queen continued as the fighter jets flew above at the Utah Women’s Senior Amateur Championship – becoming the third lady ever to win the event at least four times. Sue Nyhus, along with 45 others, tackled Hubbard Golf Course on Hill Air Force Base for the 26th playing of the senior women’s flagship event for those who are over the age of 50. With the course playing just over 5,000 yards, this northern-Utah gem provided the opportunity for plenty of birdies and low scores. Nyhus – the 2014, 2016-2018 Champion – walked away with the victory by finishing at 5-under par for the tournament. Winning by nine shots over second-place finisher, Roberta Scott (+4), Nyhus appeared to be on cruise control from start to finish – carding six birdies, two eagles and five bogeys over the two days of golf. “I played solid tee to green,” Nyhus said. “I minimized my mistakes … I knew that I had to because the field was so strong.” With the victory, Nyhus tied the great Gwen Adams with four titles. With a possibility to win four years in a row and a potential fifth overall, Nyhus will look to tie Annette Gaiotti’s record in 2019.  Brigham Gibbs Utah Senior State Amateurby Mike Sorensen
Brigham Gibbs, who won his first Utah State Senior Amateur at Glenwild Golf Club in early June, isn’t well-known in local golf circles, even though he was born and raised in the Beehive State. In the Senior State Amateur, Gibbs qualified for match play as the No. 8 seed and dispatched of Oakridge club champion Curtis Cook in the first round 2 and 1. Then he went up against 2015 Senior State Amateur champion Craig Wilson in the second round and also took a 2 and 1 victory. For the quarterfinal round, Gibbs was matched up against No. 1 seed Randy Hicken of Talons Cove GC and Gibbs said later it was his best match of the week as they went to the final hole before Gibbs escaped with a 2 up victory. Then in the semifinals that afternoon, he outlasted Rich Stuart 1 up. By the final match, whether it was exhaustion from three-straight days of playing or what, neither Gibbs nor Sampson was at his best. Gibbs started off with a pair of bogeys to quickly fall two down, but got back to even at No. 6 when Sampson made one of three 6s on the front nine. By hole 11, Gibbs was 3 up before he “threw away” three holes and the match went back to even after 15 when Sampson birdied. Then the match turned at the par-5 16th when Sampson’s drive found the water hazard on the left and Gibbs was able to win the hole with a par. Both players parred No. 17 and when Gibbs lagged a 40-foot putt at 18 to within inches, the match was over. |