BYU signee David Liechty and Kaysville native Cooper Cannon will compete alongside a handful of Northern Utah names challenging defending champion Bowen Mauss, now at Arizona State, beginning Monday with stroke play at Soldier Hollow Golf Course. Live scoring and daily results for the 128th Utah Men’s State Amateur Championship are available via GolfGenuis.com.

Liechty, who transferred from Utah Tech to BYU earlier this summer, was none other than Cannon’s caddy in May, when the latter shot 4-under to win the Eagle Mountain qualifier in Brigham City. It’s a course the pair played often as teammates at Layton High, and now is a regular backdrop for their respective amateur careers.

It was rough off the tee at first, Cannon recalled, but his irons seemed to forgive all sins in the face of heavy winds and two bogeys after taking the lead earlier in the round. A 25-footer on the ninth hole successfully staved off fellow a Kaysville local and Utah Tech signee, Max Landon.

“It was cool to see him can that putt,” Liechty said. “One of our buddies was at 3-under and (Cooper) was like, ‘Let’s make this putt to beat Max.’ Then he just canned it – it was pretty sick.”

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

That trio of Cannon, Landon and Liechty all played Eagle Mountain regularly as high school competitors. But even that familiarity didn’t lend Cannon an inch as he chased down his qualifier victory to participate in the State Am again this week.

“I was kind of spraying it all over that course,” Cannon said.

“I didn’t do much on the front nine, then I think I made eight straight putts or something like that… We’ve played (Eagle Mountain) a lot in high school, a couple events up there. It’s one of my favorite courses in Utah, to be honest.”

It’ll be Cannon’s third time competing in the State Am; Liechty was a semifinalist last year in Logan ahead of his collegiate debut at Utah Tech, where he pulled a 71.67 average and two individual victories as the first multimedalist in school history.

Four years ago, Cannon and Liechty led Layton to a fourth-place finish at the Class 6A state championship in Kaysville. It’s a marker the program hasn’t topped since the pair graduated in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and took two different career paths.

Photo supplied, Cooper Cannon

Opting to stay home, Cannon took a job at nearby Valley View in Layton. A conversation with a former pro at Hubbard Golf Course at Hill Air Force Base led the recent graduate into sales with Callaway, the company outfitting PGA Tour stars Xander Schauffele, Sam Burns, Min Woo Lee and major champions like Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm.

“I’ve just been working for them for about a year and a half now,” Cannon said. “It obviously limits the golf that I play, but we try to go play once or twice a week after work if we can, though. It just depends on the course that we’re working at. I probably play 15 amateur events a year.”

It’s demanding work, and his travel with Callaway takes Cannon throughout the Mountain West to neighboring Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming. Sales is a hungry business, and because it’s golf, Cannon has a little extra passion for his work, too.

Through it all, though, he gets out on the course with his grandmother, who lives with him in Kaysville, at least once a week.

“I try and play with my grandma quite a bit,” Cannon said. “We try and get out if we can once a week… I’m playing every Tuesday in the men’s league just for fun and I try and practice when I can, either wake up early, get some practice or after work I’ll go hit some balls, chip and putt and just make sure the game’s sharp.”

Beginning Monday, two days of stroke play thin the field to 64 players, which battle it out throughout the remaining four days of the tournament to decide the final playoff. It’s a tournament Liechty feels he’s suited to win now four years removed from his first State Am at Solider Hollow in 2022, when BYU and Lone Peak High School alum won the event.

“I don’t think my perspective on the tournament has changed too much over the last couple of years,” Liechty said.

“Ever since taking second (in 2023), it’s been my goal and my desire to win this golf tournament, and that hasn’t changed. I think my game has improved getting to a point where it’s feasible for me to be lifting that trophy. I’m really exciting to be starting up this week. It’s going to be a lot of fun (and) I’ve got a lot of friends up there, so we’ll be cheering them on as well.”

The big board includes Ryan Liechty, gearing up for his senior year at Layton High and making his State Am debut this week. He’ll be in the mix with the likes of his older brother, Mauss, and Parker Bunn, who just signed with BYU after his freshman year at Oklahoma State

“That’s (Ryan)’s first State Am and I’m excited to watch him go out and play,” Liechty said.

It’s the field, not the course, that excites Cannon the most. He’s familiar with Soldier Hollow from his prep days, and his father lives just 31 minutes south in Orem, but the talented cast of Utahns itching for match play – that’s the juice, he said.

“My favorite thing is going up in match play,” Cannon said.

“I think match play is the best game you could play. I think going 1-v-1 against another guy, that’s probably the most fun part about it… You go up against a Parker Bunn, a David Liechty, a Bowen Mauss, a Brandon Robinson, those guys, that makes it a little more intimidating but it kind of makes you want to go beat them and get your name out there.”

Connect with Standard-Examiner sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.