It's often been said that Utah boasts some of the top club professionals in the country, and the proof came last week again when three local club pros were among the 25 golfers who qualified for the PGA Championship in August.
American Fork's Kim Thompson, Ogden's Jimmy Blair and Sandy's Steve Schneiter each qualified for the PGA by finishing among the top 25 in the Club Professional Championship in Kentucky. Thompson and Blair tied for 12th at 289, while Schneiter had to birdie the final two holes to finish in a tie for 21st at 293.
It marked the second time in three years that three Utah club pros have made it to the PGA. In 1999, Milan Swilor joined Schneiter and Thompson at the PGA in Illinois.
The trio of Utahns will get a shot at playing alongside the best players in the world the week of Aug. 15-18 at Hazeltine National in Minnesota. Even through the PGA is the least prominent of the four "majors," it probably has the finest overall field of the majors since the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open have qualification standards that limit their fields. Outside of the 25 club pros in the PGA, the rest of the 156-player field consists of the top players in the world.
Don't be surprised if you see Thompson and Blair playing on the Senior Tour in a few years like another former Utah club pro, Bruce Summerhays. Thompson is 48 and Blair is 47, and both wouldn't mind giving the Senior Tour a shot when they hit 50. The 39-year-old Schneiter has a little longer to wait.
In the meantime the three Utahns will try to catch lightning in a bottle that middle week of August and try to be the golfer to perhaps keep Tiger Woods from completing his Grand Slam.
ARNIE'S BACK: He may not be able to break 80 these days, but Arnold Palmer will give Utah fans one more chance to see him play during the Uniting Fore Care Classic at Park Meadows Country Club in August.
Palmer has played in just three Senior Tour events this year, but he has made a commitment to play in Utah the week of Aug. 19-25 because of his friendship with Bryan Naugle, the tournament director of Utah's longtime Senior PGA Tour event.
After playing in 2000, Palmer had to pull out of his commitment last year, and there's always a chance that could happen again. But Naugle feels that except for a serious health problem, Palmer will be playing here, partly to make up for last year. He also expects it could be the last time for the 72-year-old Palmer, who is giving more indications lately that his playing days are nearing a close.
Sometimes Palmer still shows signs of his former self, such as at last week's U.S. Senior Open when he started with six straight pars. However, he made a quadruple bogey on his seventh hole and quickly went downhill to an 82, followed by an 85.
But as Naugle put it, "Who cares what Arnold shoots. We might be seeing him play for the last time."
HOPING FOR JOHNNY: Naugle is putting together an excellent field with players such as Hale Irwin and Fuzzy Zoeller in addition to Palmer. He would love to add Johnny Miller, who recently moved back to Utah and gave some indications that he would perhaps play in this year's Senior event in Park City if he had no conflicts.
Unfortunately, the Park City tourney is the same week as the U.S. Amateur, a tournament televised by NBC, the station Miller works as a commentator. The question is whether Miller is expected to work that tournament and even if he didn't, whether he would be ready to play that week.
"I'd love for him to play," said Naugle. "Maybe he still can, but I don't know if he can get out of his commitment."
STRAY SHOTS: The new Pete Dye Canyon Golf Course at Promontory near Park City will open nine holes for play beginning Friday with the entire 18 holes set to open on Labor Day weekend. The Ranch Club is a 6,500-acre recreational second-home and private ranch club community. The Pete Dye course is the first of two championship golf courses to be developed at Promontory. The second course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, is scheduled to open in 2006 . . . Dave Carter, a longtime assistant at Glendale Golf Course, has been hired as the head pro there as well as Nibley Park. That's the old assignment of Mike Brimley, who is taking over Mountain Dell for Tom Sorensen, whose last day is today . . . Park City's Julie McMullin won the Mick Riley Memorial with a 69, edging Tenille Howe by a stroke . . . The annual Black Diamond Open will be played Saturday and Sunday at the Carbon Country Club.
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