EDEN — The 31 of the 147 golfers teeing off today in the 107th Utah State Amateur golf championship that will qualify for the weekend's match-play rounds will likely be the ones who drive the ball the straightest and keep it below the hole.
Wolf Creek Resort, hosting the state's top amateur golf event for the third time, is in prime but difficult condition.
"We certainly don't want to have this tournament on anything but the best of courses," Utah Golf Association executive director Joe Watts said.
Most noticeably at Wolf Creek is the lush and healthy rough which will place a premium on accuracy, which is exactly how UGA officials want it.
"The rough is thick, and it is punishing," Watts said. "It has changed this golf course. If you wander off the fairway much with your shots you are going to pay the price."
The severely sloping greens at Wolf Creek have always been challenging. With some pin placements, a two-putt from above the hole will be outstanding. Birdies will likely only come from uphill putts. Players will surely give extra thought to club selection.
"It's going to be a good test of golf," said Annie Thurman-Young, Utah's top female golfer who will be among the field for the second straight year. Last year she was given an exemption. This year she qualified.
The first 18 holes of medal play will take place today with threesomes going off both tees in morning and afternoon starts. Players will reverse tee times for Thursday's final 18 holes of medal play — those who tee off in the afternoon today will start in the morning on Thursday.
The low 31 in the medal play will advance to match play and be bracketed according to their score. The other spot in match play goes to defending champion Clark Rustand. He already has the No. 1 seed and will get a first-round match with the final qualifier.
"If these greens get any faster, it's going to be fun out there," Rustand said after playing a practice round last week.
Rustand, even though he's already secured a match-play spot, will be in today's featured pairing. He'll tee off on No. 1 at 7:30 a.m. with three-time champion Doug Bybee. They'll be right in front of college stars Clay Ogden, Nicholas Van Vuuren and Dustin Pimm. Utah Open champion Greg Buckway also tees off at 7:30 a.m., but he'll go off No. 10.
Two-time champion Daniel Summerhays, who returned from an LDS mission last month, was supposed to play with Rustand and Bybee, but had to withdraw after breaking a toe playing volleyball Monday.
Another top player also had to withdraw after a similar injury. Eighteen-year-old Steele DeWald, who made the quarterfinals last year at Jeremy CC, injured his left foot playing basketball Monday and can't play golf.
The first afternoon time, at 12:30 p.m., will have veterans Steve Borget, Todd Barker and Mark Davis — who won the title when the event was held at Wolf Creek in 1984. Junior sensation Tony Finau goes out the back side at 12:30 p.m. with Marty Jacks and Clay Bingham. Thurman-Young is paired with long hitters Carl Jensen and Michael McRae.
Tournament officials have taken steps to ensure there won't be a repeat of last year's final day when Todd Miller bowed out to Rustand after winning his semifinal match. Miller, citing religious reasons, refused to play the final match on Sunday. Entrants this year had to commit to playing on Sunday should they reach the final match.
