MIDWAY — It is somehow fitting that the 36-hole championship match of the 119th Utah State Women’s Amateur will be played on Pioneer Day this coming week.
That’s because defending champion Kelsey Chugg, the six-time winner of this combination stroke-play, match-play event, could be chasing a rare feat if she makes it to the final day.
Only one other woman — eight-time champion Bev Nelson — has won the championship more than seven times.
Chugg, 34, can move past fellow six-time winners Mary Lou Baker, Florence Halloran, Helen Hofmann Bertagnole and Marcia Thayne with another trophy-winning performance at Wasatch Mountain State Park’s Lake Course.
The aforementioned were all considered pioneers of Utah women’s golf in their day and age, and the same could be said of Chugg, who has managed to hold off younger, longer-hitting college golfers more often than not in becoming one of the legends of the game in the Beehive State.
“I am trying not to think about it too much, but it is definitely something I would like to achieve,” Chugg said last week at the media day gathering at the scenic par-72 course above Midway.
“I don’t know if or when it will happen, but it is a pretty cool thing to have dangling there to chase.”
As of last Monday, 71 hopefuls had signed up to play in the most prestigious tournament for amateur women in the state, an unusually high number and the most since a few more than that played in the 117th iteration at Jeremy Ranch.
The only other former champion in the field is former Arizona State golfer Grace Summerhays, who spent her early childhood in Farmington and won the title in 2020 at the other state-owned facility in Wasatch County — Soldier Hollow.
How does Chugg keep churning out championships?
“I don’t know,” she said, humbly. “I just love the game so much. It is a huge part of my life, and what brings me the most joy in my life, usually.
“That’s what keeps me going. It’s just a passion for the game, more than winning. It’s just the love of this silly game.”
Standing in the way of Chugg’s seventh title is Summerhays, who recently graduated from ASU with her brother, Preston, and mother, Barbara Jean, who earned a master’s degree in May.
Other top players in the field include St. George’s Kate Walker, BYU golfers Berlin Long, Aadyn Long and Whitney Banz, Nebraska golfer Arden Louchheim of Park City, Utah Tech golfers Jenna Anderson and Jane Olson, Southern Virginia golfer Sydney Richards and teenager Faith Vui, from Samoa.
“I think Grace Summerhays is one of the big favorites, along with Kelsey,” said Richards, 20, who played high school golf for Farmington. “I am a big fan of hers, obviously.”
Last year, Summerhays lost to teenager Ali Mulhall — who has since turned pro — in 19 holes in one of the semifinals at TalonsCove in Saratoga Springs, while Chugg beat Vui 4 and 3 in the other semifinal.
Chugg then edged Mulhall in the championship match, 1 up.
“There are tons of good players who could win it,” Chugg said. “Faith (Vui) is a great player. She was tough (to beat) in the semis last year. Jane Olson is a good player. There is a deep level of talent now, in this field.”
Olson, 21, made the semifinals two years ago at Jeremy Ranch before losing 4 and 2 to Summerhays in that round, and is heading into her senior year at Utah Tech.
She likes her chances because she believes Wasatch will be “more difficult for the big hitters,” a group of which she does not consider herself a member.
“The course is in great shape, and I think it is a great setup for my game, personally,” she said. “I think it will be great for match play. … I play a little more precise off the tee and rely a lot on my wedges, which I think will be super helpful.”
The tournament begins Monday with 18 holes of stroke-play qualifying for match play. The match play Round of 32 will be held Tuesday morning and the Round of 16 will be played Tuesday afternoon. The quarterfinals and semifinals are Wednesday.
For the first time, the championship match — which will be held Thursday, Pioneer Day, will be 36 holes, just like the men. For the second time, the champion of the Utah Women’s Amateur will receive an exemption into the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
This year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur is August 4-10 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon.
Chugg, whose day job is the associate director of golf for Salt Lake City, said she is a bit rusty, having only played in a couple of tournaments the past six months. She predicts the cut for match play (low 32 golfers) will come around 78 or 79, while Olson and Richards guessed around 82, maybe a tad higher if the wind is blowing.
“I think if you break 80, you got a good shot of moving on,” Olson said.
“Based on the past few years, something like 10 or 12 over should do it,” Richards said.
Last year, Mulhall and Jenna Anderson shot 7-under 65s at TalonsCove to tie for medalist honors. The cut came at 9-over 81, with Whitni Johnson, Annette Gaiotti, Steph Belnap, Susan Tiffner and Amanda Henneman surviving a playoff; Libby Ward and Reimi Bieyl did not survive the playoff.
Richards won two matches and then lost 3 and 2 to Vui in the quarterfinals; Olson won a first round match and then lost 4 and 3 to Mulhall in the Round of 16.
“I would just love to make match play. I love match play. This is one of the few events where match play is part of it. I think it would be really fun to be a part of that again,” Richards said.
“Then if I make match play, I would love to improve upon my quarterfinal finish from last year.”
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