A couple of golfers had to work overtime Thursday - well past sunset, in fact - to earn the right to play another day at the Men's State Amateur golf tournament.
Brandon Hargett and John Owen needed to survive a 10-man playoff to advance to Friday's match play at Hobble Creek Golf Course along with 30 others.Their reward? First-round matches against defending champion Jason Wight and newly crowned medalist Scott Hailes. But neither golfer seemed to mind their daunting tasks of 12 hours later.
"I'm excited," said the 24-year-old Hargett, who took up golf just four years ago. "But I couldn't even tell you who Jason Wight is. I just want to keep playing."
"Now it's time to have fun," said Owen, a University of Utah junior who will face Hailes. "The kid's a great golfer, but in match play, it's anybody's tournament."
The 18-year-old Hailes shot an even-par 71 Thursday to finish at 139, one shot ahead of three golfers - Will Huish, Doug Bybee and Todd Tanner - and earn the gold watch that goes to the medalist.
While winning medalist honors at the State Am would be a lifetime highlight for most golfers, it wasn't a huge deal to Hailes. After all, it was just last summer that he won the prestigious U.S. Junior Amateur for which he received national publicity.
"You always like to play your best," he said. "The main thing today was to get into match play. But I thought, `If I get (medalist), I'll take it.' "
Hailes' goal was to beat his first-round score of 68, but every time he'd make a run at an under-par score, he'd fall back.A birdie at No. 3 was followed by a 3-putt bogey at No. 4. A birdie at 8 was followed by a bogey at No. 10. Then after making back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14, the latter with a 30-foot putt, he followed with back-to-back bogeys at 15 and 16.
Now Hailes would like to finally win a match at the State Am after losing in the first two rounds the past two years. He hasn't felt like he's played that great, even though he ended up the medalist, so look out if he gets going.
"(My game) is not that sharp right now. I'm not doing anything special," he said.
While the race for medalist was close, it lacked the drama of the 10-way playoff, because each of the medal contenders was playing in a different group.
Thirty players shot 146 or better, but 10 players finished with 147 totals, which necessitated a playoff for the final two spots. When the playoff began at 7:15, the sun had already disappeared behind the walls of Hobble Creek Canyon.
On the first playoff hole, the par-4 11th, some of the veteran match-play performers such as Todd Barker, Rich Rawdin, Steve Brinton and Jeff Hale were eliminated with bogeys, along with B.J. Stanley.
At the par-4 12th, Justin Bateman was next to exit with a bogey, while Owen qualified with a birdie after hitting his wedge shot within four feet. That left three golfers.
SUU golfer Corey Monsen was next to go after only managing a par at the par-5 13th. That left Hargett and Jon Morgan, who was the top player on the University of Utah golf team this past year.
They went to the par-5 No. 18 hole where Hargett gained the upper hand with a huge drive after Morgan hit into a pine tree. However Morgan grabbed the advantage with a brilliant three-wood shot that rolled right past the hole and just over the green while Hargett pushed his 7-iron from 170 yards right of the green Hargett's chip from above the hole was much tougher and he fluffed it just a few feet, leaving himself still short of the green. But Morgan failed to take control as he bladed his chip shot clear across the green. Hargett ended the playoff by sinking a par putt from four feet after Morgan couldn't sink his from 10 feet.
"I'm relieved," said Hargett, who had struggled to a 78 after a first-round 69. "I didn't think I had a chance. I'm thinking `10 guys' . . . I thought three or four would birdie the first hole."
Other match-play qualifiers were Jeff Anderson, Jon Hadfield, Noah Backman and Neil Martin at 142; Ken Cromwell, Bryan Dalton, Tom Johnson, Chris Myrick and first-round leader Jon Fister Jr. at 143; Doug Oldroyd, Kevin Haslam and Chris Moody at 144; Ryan Oldroyd, Robert Shunn, Lody Hale, Ed Ingram, Mark Davis and Mike Huey at 145; and Chris Dahlberg, Todd Mullen, John Tagge, Shane Flowers, Dustin Volk, Doug Baxter and Jim Jensen at 146.
Besides those eliminated in the playoff, several other prominent golfers didn't qualify for match play.
BYU golfer Joseph Summerhays, a finalist two years ago, finished at 148, while Orem's Scott Fairbanks and perennial match-play participant Ron Hitchcock both came in at 149. Salt Lake City Am champion Steve Campbell followed a 71 with an 81, while reigning Mid-Am champ David Cannon also came in at 152.
Two-time champion Arlen Peacock finished at 155, while former champ Steve Borget was at 158. Mark Domm, a semifinalist in 1993 and 1994, finished way back at 156.
By Friday evening just eight golfers will be left. The field will then be reduced to two with quarterfinal and semifinal matches Saturday. A 36-hole finale is set for Sunday at 8 a.m.