So you figured the local golf season was over now that the Showdown Classic is history.
Not quite.The PGA Tour returns to Utah next month for the inaugural Ben Hogan Utah Classic, Sept. 14-16 at Riverside Country Club in Provo. It will be the 26th stop on the Hogan Tour this year, but more significantly, the fifth-from-the-last for 1990.
"We expect to have the strongest field on the Ben Hogan Tour by far," said tournament director Jeff Beaudry. "We have Mike Reid and Keith Clearwater from the PGA Tour and all the best players from the Hogan Tour will be playing so they can get the highest standing possible on the money list."
Since the Hogan Tour has been set up as a stepping stone for the regular tour, the top five players for the year get exemptions onto next year's PGA Tour. The players No. 6 through 20 are exempt into the qualifying school finals, while Nos. 21 through 50 are exempt through the first round.
Only one other Ben Hogan event has had a prominent tour player. The Utah Classic has two with Reid and Clearwater willing to lend their names and golf games for the week.
Among the Ben Hogan members are ex-BYUers Bobby Clampett and Kent Kluba, and former Weber golfer Greg Whisman.
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THANKS, BYU: When officials of the Utah Section of the PGA met with Ben Hogan Tour officials last year, they made sure they came up with a date that wouldn't conflict with a BYU football game. They knew that it wouldn't be wise competing with the 65,000 throng that takes over the city on Saturday afternoons.
So the Sept. 14-16 weekend was selected, since the Cougars were scheduled to play at Oregon Sept. 15.
Early this year, BYU made three changes on its football schedule, one of which put Washington State at BYU on Sept. 15. Of course by the time changes were made, the Ben Hogan schedule was locked in concrete, much to the chagrin of local officials.
"Of all the little things you'd like to change, that is the one we'd most like to change," said Beaudry, who serves as the Utah Section executive director. "It would make life much easier."
The impact on the gallery is the least of Beaudry's worries. He had planned to use the Cougar Stadium parking lot, which is less than a mile away, to shuttle volunteers, sponsors and fans to the golf course. Instead they're going to have to use local churches and high schools and battle the traffic on University Ave.
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MORE AIRPORT DELAYS: If you were planning to play the back nine at the new Wingpointe Golf Course at the airport this week, don't plan on it.
The front nine opened in late July and the back was scheduled to open Sept. 1. However, it won't be open then and may not even open until next year, according to head pro Ron Branca.
"We should know by the third week of September if we can open by the end of the month or at all," he said. "We won't play if it's not ready because it could even set us back for next spring."
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A PRIVILEGE: After seeing the attitude of many senior golfers regarding autographs (nobody charged money but they weren't always cooperative) last week at Jeremy Ranch, it's interesting to note Arnold Palmer's views on the issue.
"I feel sorry for those who think they have to charge for autographs," Palmer told Golf World. "Without the fans, people wouldn't know who they are. I think it's an insult to charge for autographs. Athletes should consider it a privilege."
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STRAY SHOTS: Lynn Landgren, the head pro at Forest Dale, will take over at Rose Park next year, replacing Ron Branca, who has moved to Wingpointe. The head job at Forest Dale hasn't been filled yet . . . Seventeen local players qualified for the Ben Hogan tournament in a qualifying tourney at Bountiful G.C. The 17 were Bruce Summerhays , Lynn Landgren, Kent Easton (69s), Dave DeSantis, Kent McComb, Jimmy Blair, Steve Schneiter (70s), Tery Outzen , Steve Elliott, Chris Jones, Brad Stone, Roy Christensen, Mike Richards, Mike Bicker, Dick Peacock (72s), Henry White and Craig Sarlo (73s). Milan Swilor and Kim Thompson are already exempt for the tourney . . . Marty Romney shot 75-74 at the U.S. Amateur to get into a 20-player playoff for four spots, but lost out the next morning. Utah's other representative, Ben Maddox, shot 81-80 . . . Defending champion Chris Patton was eliminated in the first round by Chris Zambri, who closed him out 8 and 6 by making a hole-in-one on the 12th hole . . . After winning her first round match at the U.S. Girls Junior in New Jersey, 14-year-old Skyli Yamada of Sandy lost second round match to Kelly Richardson of Macon, Ga. Stephanie Brockbank of Provo lost in the first round.