Utah Men’s State Amateur: Draper’s Bowen Mauss defeats 2023 champion Simon Kwon for first-ever amateur title
CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner
The Utah Men's State Amateur Trophy rests at the Utah Men's State Amateur on Friday, July 11, 2025, at Logan Country Club in Logan.Surviving foe and family alike, Draper’s Bowen Mauss has his first-ever Utah Men’s State Amateur title.
The Arizona State commit and overall No. 2 seed defeated BYU’s Simon Kwon, the 2023 champion, 5 and 4 during the 36-hole championship conclusion to the 127th State Amateur on Saturday at Logan Country Club.
Mauss defeated his older brother, No. 10 Jackson Mauss (1-up), and No. 3 David Liechty (1-up) to reach the weekend finale with No. 12 Kwon.
Kwon ascended 1-up through the second hole, but Mauss retied the knot by the sixth. Mauss burrowed away to lead Kwon 3-up through the 17th and 2-up through the first round.
Mauss jumped on the offensive in the second set of 18, piling three birdies to lead 5-up through the fifth hole. Kwon answered with back-to-back birdies on holes 6 and 7, but Mauss earned those holes back through the 10th; Mauss stayed even for the win with four holes to spare.
Mauss, who made his PGA Tour debut as a 17-year-old amateur last October at the Black Desert Championship, snapped a potential four-peat for BYU golfers at the State Am, ending a streak of three championships won by former and current Cougars — Cole Ponich (2024), Kwon (2023), and Zac Jones (2022).
However, it’s not the first time the Mauss name has attached itself to the annual tournament. Bowen and Jackson Mauss are “distant relatives” of pro and 1965 champion Jon Mauss, according to Kurt Kragthorpe of Fairways Media.
This year’s State Amateur saw the quarterfinals comprised of all top-15 seeds; No. 1 Noah Schone, Liechty, a former standout at Layton High, No. 11 Jack Summerhays, a Farmington High senior reaching an all-time best in his fourth appearance.
Liechty defeated Summerhays, as well as No. 51 Brendan Thomas, a 2024 semifinalist and Weber State alum, en route to the semifinals against Mauss. Across the table, Kwon topped BYU commit Jackson Shelley (1-up) and Schone (6 and 4) to win a Mauss-Liechty nailbiter coming down to the 18th hole.
It’s the second consecutive tournament where a Northern Utahn has finished one round shy of the championship match, with Liechty and Thomas falling shy of semifinal victories in 2024 and 2025.
Connect with reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.