Two Ogden natives receive Utah Championship sponsor exemptions
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- Weber High alum Connor Howe tees off on the 10th hole during the Korn Ferry Tour Utah Championship on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at Ogden Golf and Country Club in South Ogden.
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- Ogden native Mitchell Schow strikes a putt during the Korn Ferry Tour Utah Championship on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at Ogden Golf and Country Club in South Ogden.
SOUTH OGDEN – Two local pros, Connor Howe and Mitchell Schow, will tee off in the 35th Utah Championship as the Korn Ferry Tour makes its sophomore stop July 30-Aug. 2 at Ogden Golf and Country Club.
Howe, a 26-year-old Ogden native and Weber High School alum, returns home with another exemption after making the cut in 2024 and 2025. The five-year Georgia Tech standout tied for 37th last year, carding 11-under in his homecoming.
Last year, Howe joined fellow Ogdenite and pro Preston Summerhays in the field. Summerhays finished seventh at last year’s event with 15-under.
Finding success in recent trips, Howe finished in the top 10 at the Bank of Utah Championship last October, fourth at the Diners Club Peru Open in May, and tied for seventh at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open just last month.
“I am super excited to receive a sponsor exemption into this year’s Utah Championship,” Howe said in a release. “To have the Korn Ferry Tour in my hometown, competing at the course I grew up and learned the game at, is a dream come true, and I am honored and excited to be a part of it.”
Also making the cut last year, Mitchell Schow, a 29-year-old Ogden native who spent his college career at Utah before turning pro in 2023, is looking to improve with his third Utah Championship appearance. Schow tied for 54th last year at 8-under after making the cut at last year’s tournament.
Schow was a three-time 3A state champion at Park City High School and later played 36 career events as a Ute before capturing the 2020 Utah Men’s State Amateur in 2020 and the Salt Lake City Open in 2023. Schow tied for 17th in his PGA Tour debut at the 2024 Barracuda Championship in Truckee, California.
“Having the opportunity to play in Ogden in front of friends and family is something I hold very special,” Schow said. “The Ogden community has always supported me, and I’m very excited to represent them in the Korn Ferry Tour event!”
Founded in 1990, the Korn Ferry Tour – then known as the Ben Hogan Tour – made one of its signature stops in Utah with the Utah Championship.
The developmental tour has ushered several pros to the PGA Tour, including John Daly and Salt Lake City native Tony Finau, among others. The first seven Utah events were played in Provo from 1990 to 1996. It was played in Sandy from 1999 to 2014, Lehi from 2015 to 2016, Farmington from 2017 to 2024, and Ogden since 2025.
Last year’s champion, Julian Suri, claimed a winner’s check of $180,000 with his individual victory at last year’s Utah Championship.
Connect with Standard-Examiner sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.
