Utah State Am: Ponich edges Bunn in battle for quarterfinal seat; Summerhays tests Turner
Former WSU golfer Brendan Thomas advances with upset of No. 1 seed
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- Bonneville alum and Oklahoma State commit Parker Bunn fires off his tee shot on hole No. 5 during the round of 16 at the Utah State Amateur Championship on Thursday, July 11, 2024 at Ogden Golf and Country Club.
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- Weber State’s Brendan Thomas sinks his putt on hole No. 1 during the round of 16 at the Utah State Amateur Championships on Thursday, July 11, 2024.
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- Farmington junior Jack Summerhays lines up his putt on hole No. 12 during the round of 32 at the Utah State Amateur Championships on Thursday, July 11, 2024.
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- Bonneville alum Parker Bunn watches his putt during the round of 64 at the Utah State Amateur Championship on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at Ogden Golf and Country Club.
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- Syracuse and BYU alum Cole Ogden tees off on hole No. 13 during the round of 32 at the Utah State Amateur Championships on Thursday, July 11, 2024.
SOUTH OGDEN — Davis High alum Cole Ponich, the No. 2 seed at the men’s Utah State Amateur Championship at Ogden Golf and Country Club, penciled his name into the quarterfinal round Thursday, but Bonneville High alum and Oklahoma State commit Parker Bunn didn’t make it easy.
The pair of Northern Utah stars clashed in the round of 16 after narrowly scraping through the round of 32: Ponich finished a stroke better than multi-title holder Dan Horner and No. 18 Bunn topped No. 15 Hayden Banz (Weber State) by a single hole after matching his opponent stroke for stroke through the back nine.
In the round of 16, Bunn went 1-up on Ponich following hole No. 2; Ponich snapped right back to enter hole No. 10 2-up on the 5A state co-champion. Ponich later went 3-up on Bunn on hole No. 15 and surrendered just one hole en route to a 2 and 1 victory, and Friday’s quarterfinal round.
“He knows his game very well,” Bunn said of Ponich. “He’s just an all-around solid player. You don’t play for years at BYU and not be a good player.”
Bunn, who reports to campus in Stillwater, Oklahoma, this fall, previously competed with Ponich casually at Oakridge Country Club in Farmington and said Thursday’s battle tested his ability to lock in and peform when the heat’s on.
“I think these players at Oklahoma State know how to play on the big stage and that’s where I think I need to get,” Bunn said. “I obviously haven’t had that experience in the U.S. Amateur, but I’ve got that coming up and hopefully I can put my name out there.”
The upcoming U.S. Amateur in Detroit joins a list of tournaments Bunn’s prepped himself for this summer, as the Bonneville High star has traveled as far as Indiana to up his game.
Farmington native Brendan Thomas (Weber State), the No. 32 seed, knocked out top seed Tyson Shelley (BYU) 2-up to leap into the round of 16 on Friday afternoon. Trailing by one hole after nine, Thomas tied the match on hole No. 13 before pulling away 2-up on hole No. 18 for the win.
Making a quick turnaround, Thomas finished 4-up with two holes remaining against No. 49 Brock Porter (Desert Hills).
Thomas, playing in his fifth state am this week, set a new personal best in joining the quarterfinal club. The Wildcat and Viewmont alum previously played two seasons at Eastern Wyoming College before returning to Utah in 2022.
“I’ve never made it this far,” Thomas said. “Going into the first match, I was just excited to get a chance to play (Shelley) and I was trying to have some fun. I’m super happy that it worked out to get me where I’m at so far.”
Thomas said his concentration this year has been his short game.
“I don’t hit it very far compared to all these other college players, so I’ve always had the better short game,” Thomas said. “I work really hard on that and my dad actually will go out and chip around with me before he goes to work. He’s helped me a ton.”
Late in the day, Syracuse High alum Cole Ogden (BYU) ended his tournament run with a narrow 1-hole loss to No. 5 Cooper Jones through 18 complete holes.
The quarterfinal round is set to tee off at 8 a.m. Friday, with the semifinal round slated for 12:30 p.m. at Ogden Golf and Country Club.
Summerhays impresses in state am debut
The championship’s youngest participant, Jack Summerhays, who returns to Farmington High as a junior this fall, put forth a valiant effort in 4 and 3 defeat to No. 26 Elijah Turner (BYU) in the round of 32 before heading off to Colorado to watch his father, Daniel, compete on the Korn Ferry Tour.
It’s been a busy summer for Summerhays — seeded at No. 58 in his state amateur debut — competing in Utah’s PGA Junior Series after tying for 12th at the 6A state championships during his sophomore season at Farmington.
Clearing stroke-play qualifying and climbing into the round of 32 with Turner, Summerhays stayed within a single stroke of the BYU veteran through the first nine holes. Unable to find the birdie putts he needed, Summerhays exited Thursday’s talented field with his head sky-high.
“It was a lot less stressful because I don’t think anyone had any kind of expectations on me besides me and the people closest to me,” Summerhays said. “I just struggled to find birdie putts and (Turner) capitalized on that. … He’s such a good guy and it gives me hope I’m right there with him.”
Summerhays quickly joined his family after completing his round on Thursday, venturing east to watch his father — the head boys golf coach at Davis High — in action at TPC Colorado in Berthoud.
The younger Summerhays credits his father, Daniel, with raising his game to the milestone of qualifying for his first-ever state amateur.
“He’s really knowledgeable,” Jack Summerhays said. “He knows a lot about my golf swing and he’s helped me with that stuff. … But honestly, just getting out to the course every day, even if I don’t necessarily think it’ll be the most fun thing ever — just getting out there consistently has been really good.”
This year’s championship tested the Farmington student in all facets of his game, including his short game and contact with the ball — two skills he learned can still be elevated after leaving the course Thursday.
“This was the most practicing I’ve ever done in my life and I feel like my game’s at a good spot where I feel like on any given day I can go and beat anyone out there,” Summerhays said.
FRIDAY QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS
• No. 32 Brendan Thomas (Weber State) vs. No. 9 Jackson Rhees (Spanish Fork) – 8 a.m.
• No. 13 Zach Felts (Utah Tech) vs. No. 5 Cooper Jones (BYU) – 8:10 a.m.
• No. 2 Cole Ponich (Davis High/BYU) vs. No. 26 Elijah Turner (BYU) – 8:20 a.m.
• No. 19 Davis Johnson (Utah) vs. No. 59 Aidan Thain/No. 43 Steele Dewald – 8:30 a.m.
The semifinal round follows at 12:30 p.m.
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
