Ask Jon Linnett the secret to winning the Utah Long Drive Contest Wednesday, and he has a simple answer.
"I swing really hard," he said.
The 21-year-old from West Jordan blasted a drive of 375 yards, 18 inches to blow away the competition at Mick Riley's Golf Course.
Lonnie Strasburg of Pleasant Grove finished second with a drive of 357 yards, 31 inches, while Bountiful's Adam Weston was third at 349-30 and Salt Lake's Mike Brown came in fourth at 346-28.
Linnett was a late qualifier in the competition that went for several hours Wednesday. His 363-yard drive in the qualifying was the longest and on his fourth ball (out of six) in the finals, he unleashed his 375-yarder.
"I've been in this before, so I knew I could compete with the other guys," he said.
Although he has the size for a big hitter at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Linnett said one of the keys to his length is his flexibility, which allows him to keep his left arm straight until it is nearly perpendicular to the ground.
Unlike some long drivers who can hit it long, but do little else on the course, Linnett is an excellent golfer with a 2 handicap. He played for the state championship West Jordan High School team three years ago but has really improved his game over the past year. He was low gross in his flight at the Rose Park Open, low net at the Salt Lake County Open and earlier this month finished fourth overall at the Northern Utah Amateur.
When he plays golf, he actually tries not to swing like he did in the long drive contest. "People tell me if I tone down my swing I'll be a better golfer," said Linnett.
Linnett works as a starter at Stonebridge Golf Course and said his goal is to make a college golf team this fall, perhaps at Utah or Utah State.
Nate Erickson won the 21-49 age division with a 347-yard drive and Murray's Joe Kelsey was the junior winner with a drive just under 347 yards. Ogden's Rick Mayer was the senior winner with a 340-yard drive, while Salt Lake's Gary Hansen was the super-senior (60 and over) winner with a 294-yard drive.
Nichole Newren, an 18-year-old who golfs for the BYU women's team, won the women's division with a drive of 281 yards, 30 inches.
Each of the winners received a $100 gift certificate and a plaque. Most of the proceeds from the competition went to Salt Lake County Junior Golf.
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