For most schools, a six-year championship drought is not particularly long, but for a program as dominant as Park City golf, it felt much longer.
The Miners had won 15 state championships prior to this year’s state tournament, 11 of which were won between 2008-2018. Park City had come up short in the years since but took advantage of its slim Day 1 lead to stay on top throughout Day 2 Thursday to take home the title again.
“It’s been a little drought, and these guys didn’t really know how it feels to win state and they haven’t seen other teams that came before them from Park City,” said Miners head coach George Murphy. “They got to experience it for themselves and I’m super happy for them.”
The Miners saw big improvements from Rawson Hardy, Sam Hunt and Forest Summers on Day 2. Summers struggled a bit in the back half on Wednesday with a double bogey on No. 11 and bogeys on Nos. 12, 13 and 15, but he cleaned things up Thursday, recording only one bogey while putting up three birdies to finish in a five-way tie for ninth at 143.
He was joined there by teammate Sam Hunt.
“I’m so proud of the whole team, and of guys like Sam Hunt and Forest Summers,” Murphy said. “They gritted it out and just grinded away. Both of them ended shooting one under and ended in that ninth place tie.”
However, one of the largest highlights of the day for the Miners was watching Hardy sink a put on the 18th hole, which secured the individual first place medal.
Hardy ended the 36-hole tournament at 8-under par 136, one stroke better than Desert Hills’ Brock Porter, who gave Hardy a fight until the final hole.
Porter started Day 2 a bit rough with three consecutive bogeys on holes 3, 4 and 5 but improved greatly on the back nine with six birdies, keeping him neck-and-neck with Hardy.
Porter put pressure on Hardy as the Park City golfer stepped up to the 18th tee box. Hardy had to get a birdie or better to win the individual race, while a bogey or worse would lose.
With the crowd surrounding the green, Hardy sunk his putt to birdie the last hole and cap off the state tournament with both an individual and team championship.
“It feels good,” said Hardy. “I’m happy to do it for coach Murphy, and it was fun three years of high school golf. I’m excited that I got the job done today. We came to play and it worked out for us this week.”
Despite how close the individual race was, Hardy turned down coach Murphy when asked if he’d like to know the standings for the individual race.
“I asked him right before he walked to the green, ‘Do you want to know where you stand?’ and he said no,” Murphy said. “The kid has a great mentality. I say he’s the Man of Steel.
“He’s got the prototype of a of a college golfer already as a junior in high school, and he’s been that way for a year or two. Just a talented and great kid.”
4A State Tournament
At Meadow Brook Golf Course (par 72)
Final team scores
572 – Park City
577 – Desert Hills
586 – Crimson Cliffs
588 – Ridgeline
604 – Cedar
606 – Orem
610 – Uintah
613 - Stansbury
Individual results (Top 20)
136 – Rawson Hardy, Jr., Park City
137 – Brock Porter, Sr., Desert Hills
141 – Maddox Nielsen, Sr., Orem
141 – Mack Herzog, Fr., West Field
141 – Tanner Wade, Jr., Desert Hills
141 – Easton Toone, Sr., Murray
142 – Eastyn Ewell, Jr., Uintah
142 – Sam Ballingham, Sr., Green Canyon
143 – Denver Douglas, Jr., Stansbury
143 – Forest Summers, Sr., Park City
143 – Ammon Allred, Jr., Snow Canyon
143 – Sam Hunt, Sr., Park City
143 – Dallin Anderson, Fr., Ridgeline
144 – Maverick Rhodes, Sr., Crimson Cliffs
144 – Jack Griffith, Sr., Stansbury
145 – Matthew Robb, Sr., Cedar
145 – Jarren Phillips, Sr., Crimson Cliffs
145 – Miles Cromwell, Jr., Sky View
146 – Roman Johansen, Jr., Ridgeline
146 – Carter Terry, Sr., Desert Hills