Sometimes it’s all about the luck of the draw in match-play golf tournaments such as the Utah Men’s State Amateur.
Following first-round matches Wednesday at Logan Country Club, we were left with a couple of intriguing second-round matchups that could very well be worthy of a finals match later in the week.
One will feature teenage brothers, Jackson and Austin Shelley, while the other will be a match between two former State Am champions, Dan Horner and Martin Leon.
Those golfers are among the 32 still alive from the original field of 156, which began play Monday with two rounds of stroke play. By Friday evening, just two golfers will survive to play a 36-hole final beginning Saturday morning.
Jackson Shelley, who had to go 19 holes to defeat Hunter Nelson, graduated from Skyline High a little over a month ago after claiming medalist honors in leading the Eagles to the 5A state championship. He’s putting college golf on hold as he’ll leave on an LDS mission to South Korea on Monday.
His younger brother, Austin, will be a senior at Skyline and he has committed to play for BYU, where his older brother, Tyson, has played for four years. Austin needed a birdie on the final hole to edge Cameron Crawford 1 up.
With Tyson also winning his match Wednesday, it is believed to be the first time in State Am history that three brothers have won matches on the same day.
Horner, who is one of the oldest players in the tournament at age 47, won the State Amateur back in 2008 and he has won 35 matches, just shy of Bill Korns’ record of 37. He beat Emery Thomas 4 & 3 and will face a challenge in Leon, the former University of Utah golfer who captured the 2021 State Am title with a win over U. teammate Blake Tomlinson. Leon, a native of Chile, had to go 19 holes to defeat Tyler Ewell.
Other winners Wednesday included medalist Noah Schone, who defeated BYU golfer Angus Klintworth 4 & 3, 2023 champion Simon Kwon, who beat John Owen 5 & 4, No. 2 seed Bowen Mauss, who defeated Braylon Bingham 3 & 2, 2023 runner-up David Liechty, who beat Nicholas Taggart 7 & 6, Tyson Shelley, who defeated Augmon 4 & 2 and Jackson Mauss who beat 1992 champion Brad Sutterfield 5 & 4.
In the longest match of the opening round, Utah Tech golfer K.J. Ofahengaue beat Tyler Herzog on the 20th hole.
Two rounds will be played Thursday, leaving eight golfers for quarterfinals Friday morning. Semifinals will be played that afternoon with the finals set for Saturday at 9 a.m. MDT.
First-round results
- Noah Schone def. Angus Klintworth 4 & 3
- Calvin Lillywhite def. Andrew Cottle 4 & 2
- Tyse Bomas def. Chase Goetschel 6 & 4
- Devin Andrews def. Kenny Palmer 3 & 1
- Daniel Griffiths def. John Cook, 19 holes
- Sean Lam def. Nic Jensen 3 & 2
- Jackson Shelley def. Hunter Nelson, 19 holes
- Austin Shelley def. Cameron Crawford 1 up
- Martin Leon def. Tyler Ewell, 19 holes
- Dan Horner def. Emery Thomas 4 & 3
- John Fox def. Cooper Cannon 1 up
- Jacob Marx def. Dallin Wheatley 1 up
- Tyson Shelley def. Augmon Jolley 4 & 2
- K.J. Ofahengaue def. Tyler Herzog, 20 holes
- Simon Kwon def. John Owen 5 & 4
- Daren Johnson def. Stockton Penman 5 & 3
- Bowen Mauss def. Braylon Bingham 3 & 2
- Zach Helts def. Maddox Nielsen 4 & 3
- Jared McCleary def. Joshua Savage 2 & 1
- Jacob Randall def. Cormack Goecke 2& 1
- Gavin Dosch def. Will Pedersen, 19 holes
- Will Pizza def. Christopher Romney 4 & 2
- Jackson Mauss def. Brad Sutterfield 5 & 4
- Ty Anderson def. Elliot Bond 4 & 2
- David Liechty def. Nicolas Taggart 7 & 6
- Noah Moody def. Cameron Summerhays 6 & 5
- Brendan Thomas def. Cole Ogden 3 & 2
- Maddox Vincent def. David Timmins 2 up
- Denny Hafen def. Tylan Birchell 5 & 4
- Lucas Schone def. Darrin Overson 5 & 4
- Jack Summerhays def. Ryan Barber 2 & 1
- J.J. Tomsick def. Dyson Lish 6 & 5