Farmington's Boyd Summerhays, who turned 17 two weeks ago, made a rare appearance in Utah last week to compete in the qualifying tournament for the U.S. Junior Amateur.
He made it, of course, for the fourth straight year, beating out 78 other junior golfers. The U.S. Junior Am has always been high on Summerhays' list and this will be his last chance to win it. Last year, he lost the last two holes to fellow Utahn Scott Hailes, who went on to win the prestigious tournament.The Boyd Tour picks up again next week at the American Junior Golf Classic in Las Vegas. After that he'll play in tournaments in Scottsdale, Ariz., San Diego, Dallas, Wyoming and Indianapolis. He hopes to finish off his summer by playing in the U.S. Amateur in Oregon, if he can qualify next month.
The only downside to Summerhays' summer schedule is that he won't be in town to compete for the Utah State Amateur title July 10-14, because it conflicts with the American Junior Golf Association Tournament of Champions. Summerhays, who has already finished first, second and third this summer, is vying for national player of the year honors on the AJCA circuit and needs to play most tournaments to accomplish that.
LARGE GOLF: Former NBA star Jerry Lucas is a big man at 6-foot-9, with some of the largest hands you'll ever want to shake.
He is a full foot taller than the average human being, so it only makes sense that he would have golf clubs nearly a foot larger than standard size.
Lucas has been in town the past few days playing in Hot Rod Hundley's Celebrity Challenge golf tournament, where he came in first, by the way, with a two-day 6-under-par total at Riverbend GC.
His clubs are something to behold. Not only is each club a full 10 inches longer than a standard club (his pitching wedge is four inches longer than an average driver!), his grips are absolutely huge. An average person can barely fit his hands around them.
The 56-year-old Lucas has only been playing golf for four years, but already is a 4 handicap, despite never having a lesson. How did he do it besides getting those humongous clubs?
"I've studied and analyzed every aspect of golf," said Lucas, who plays on the Celebrity Golf Association circuit. "I just love the game."
MASTER PRO: Mick Riley assistant pro Jeff Waters recently became the 187th professional golfer to achieve the elite status of PGA Master Professional. The 50-year-old Waters, a former head professional at Nibley Park for a decade and most recently was golf director for Salt Lake County is the first professional from Utah to achieve Master status, which requires service, participation and education.
Waters' 85-page thesis was entitled "A Research Study to Determine the Role of PGA Certified Golf Professionals in a Municipal Golf Course Setting."
3 CONTINENTS, 1 DAY: If you'd like to participate in a world record-setting golf tournament by playing golf on three continents in one day, here's your chance.
The tournament sponsored by ASA Aerospace, will take place on courses in Morocco, Ireland and the United States Aug. 3. Participants will fly on a Concorde SST jetliner between the three sites to make the feat possible.
Here's the deal for you rich folks who might want to compete in the 60-player field. Have a handicap of 24 or less and a bankroll of $9,500 which will cover course fees, lodging and meals as well as the Concorde flights.
STRAY SHOTS: Thursday and Friday are two of only four days this summer when no local professional, amateur, women's or junior tournaments will be played (the other dates are June 4 and Aug. 20) . . . The Men's State Amateur golf tournament, being played at a real public course for the first time in 23 years, is on tap for Hobble Creek GC July 10-14 . . . After getting fewer big-name celebrities each year since the initial 1992 event, the Hot Rod Hundley Celebrity Golf tournament is planning a move to September next year in an effort to lure some bigger names . . . The recent Utah long-drive championships lacked some of the drama of past events, but it was nice to see a variety of normal, everyday local golfers competing in various divisions, instead of the "professional" out-of-state long hitters with their specialized 55-inch drivers.