Utah Championship golf: Leader fires a record 59; Summerhays makes weekend
BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner
Players and caddies wander a green during the first round of the Utah Championship on Thursday, July 30, 2026, at Ogden Golf & Country Club in South Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)There’s playing well, and there’s being in a zone.
Chris Francoeur of Massachusetts was in the zone Friday during the second round of the PGA Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship at the Ogden Golf & Country Club.
Francoeur played bogey-free, carded six birdies on his front nine, added three more on the back and put a cherry on top: an eagle 2 on the par-4 fourth hole. That was good for a round of 59 and made Francoeur the leader at 17-under.
Francoeur’s 59 is a course record, and he leads by three strokes entering the weekend.
Locals had mixed results.
Daniel Summerhays had the opposite kind of day from most locals. He rallied Thursday just to finish 2-under but began Friday in a groove. He carded five birdies on his front nine and went bogey-free for 14 holes, ultimately shooting 7-under in the second round.
That put the elder Summerhays at 9-under and tied for 25th, the only local to make the cut.
Ogden native Mitchell Show had a disastrous par-4 fourth hole, carding a 9. So even a run on Holes 13-15, including an eagle 3 on the par-5 15th, wasn’t enough to boost him to the weekend, finishing 1-under over the two rounds.
Alpine native Zac Jones played a better 67 Friday but was also 1-under for the tournament.
After a solid 65 (par is 70 this week) on Thursday, Weber High alum Connor Howe had an afternoon start he’d like to have back to open his second round. Starting on the back nine, Howe bogeyed holes 10 and 12 before a double bogey on 14. He answered with birdies on 15 and 16 to start a climb, but couldn’t improve from there, missing the cut at 2-under.
Preston Summerhays, too, started with two bogeys and double-bogeyed the 18th (his ninth hole, starting with the back nine). He turned it on for three birdies and an eagle to start the front nine and was poised to make the cut, but bogeyed Holes 6 and 7.
That meant Preston Summerhays missed the cut by one shot at 5-under.
Daniel Summerhays tees off at 12:25 p.m. Saturday.
Mason Anderson (Arizona) and Kevin Dougherty (California) are three back of Francoeur at 14-under. Julian Suri, who won the 2025 event in Ogden, shot 6-under Friday to make the cut, tied for 33rd.
The Golf Channel has TV coverage daily from 4-7 p.m. MDT.
