By BRADY BINGHAM
Standard-Examiner staff

On Monday, I had the distinct pleasure of playing golf with former BYU and NBA basketball star Shawn Bradley.

If you have met me, you know that I am just a little guy … 5-foot-6, a buck-30 (in wet clothes).

More of you are likely to know Bradley, the 7-foot-6 monster who played for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets and Dallas Mavericks after playing his freshman season at BYU.

I will give you a moment to visualize what the two of us looked like standing on the tee box, or sitting next to each other in the golf cart. …. ( Continued… )

Smith, Green ready to represent Utah / Logan CC to host

By BRADY BINGHAM
Standard-Examiner staff

LOGAN — They only get this chance once every 18 years.

So for two Top of Utah golfers — along with two more Utah junior players — earning a spot in next week’s Girls Junior America’s Cup is a tremendous honor.

The annual event, in which 18 teams from multiple western states, Canada and Mexico form four-person squads to compete in a 54-hole team tournament, will be held at Logan Golf and Country Club, July 28-30. It is only the second time in the 32-year history of the event that the tournament will be held in Utah. ( Continued… )

By BRADY BINGHAM
Standard-Examiner staff

LAYTON — At the prestigious Utah State Amateur, Zac Blair has a 2-up lead over Alex Sutton after the first 18 holes of the 36-hole championship match Sunday at Valley View Golf Course.

Blair, a former Fremont High School star, is the son of longtime Ogden golf professional Jimmy Blair, who won the State Am in 1973. If Blair were to win , it would be the second time the son of the former champion puts his name on the trophy.

Sutton, a former Northridge High school star, played last season for Weber State and his father owns a home on the 12th tee box at Valley View.

The second 18 holes are scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. The tee time was moved ahead slightly due to dangerous weather forecasts.

By BRADY BINGHAM
Standard-Examiner staff

LAYTON — The quarterfinals of the Utah State Amateur are in the books.
Former Fremont High School star and BYU freshman Zac Blair, along with Weber State freshman Alex Sutton had advanced to the semifinals.
Their opponents will be Andrew Barton and Todd Francis.
The day also featured a proposal. On the No. 7 tee box — on the front tees — Carson Niederhauser proposed to his girlfriend Natalie, using white chalk in giant letter to say, “Nat, will you marry me?”

Saturday quarterfinals
At Valley View Golf Course
Zach Blair def. Robbie Fillmore, 2 and 1
Alex Sutton def. Dan Horner, 3 and 1
Andrew Barton def. Greg Stimpson, 3 and 2
Todd Francis def. Jeff Jolley, 2 and 1

By BRADY BINGHAM
Standard-Examiner staff

LAYTON — Friday morning’s matches at the Utah State Amateur are complete.
The winners were:
Dan Horner def. Tyler Weight, 19 holes
Darrin Overson def. Jared Overton, 19 holes
Alex Sutton def. Jed Wright, 2-up
Jeff Evans def. John Owen, 1-up
Andrew Barton def. Cameron Crawford, 3 & 1
Scot Hailes def. Doug Bybee, 2 & 1
Greg Stimpson def. Nick Despain, 4 & 3
Cameron Young def. Garrett Foto, 5 & 4
Robbie Fillmore defeated Rocky Schutjer, 6 & 5
Kurt Owen def. Gregg Oliphant, 1-up
Zac Blair def. Conner Jones, 2 & 1
Devon Purser def. Stuart Gold, 19 holes
Ben Schilleman def. Kevin Peterson, 1-up
Jeff Jolley def. Tommy Sharp, 2-up
McCoy Willey def. Alexander Theodore, 4 & 3
Todd Francis def. Tyson Lund, 1-up.

The afternoon matches began at approximately 1:35.

By BRADY BINGHAM
Standard-Examiner staff

LAYTON — Five former champions advanced to match play at the Utah State Amateur and were on hand at the champions breakfast Friday morning at Valley View Golf Course.

Former Utah Golf Association executive director Mark Passey, currently on staff with the United States Golf Association offered words of encourage for the golfers prior to their start to match play competition. The former champions on hand were Dan Horner, Tommy Sharp, Darrin Overson, Gregg Oliphant and Doug Bybee.

“I’m very honored for the opportunity to be here this morning,” said Passey. “This day belongs to you. This is your stage. This is your opportunity.”

Passey, a former Logan native and member at Logan Country Club as well as a supermarket manager at Smith’s Food King, who has worked over 112 U.S. National Championships, including 20 U.S. Opens and soon to be 20 U.S. Amateurs and numerous other competitions.

“If not for golf, I’d still be bagging groceries,” Passey said, not at all to make light or brag about his achievements, but instead to show his gratitude for his “opportunity” to work in golf.

“It was my opportunity to work with the Utah Golf Association and this championship, that made all of these things possible,” Passey said. “My life changed because of my involvement with the people in this room.”

Passe also honored BYU’s Robbie Fillmore, the No. 2 seed in the Utah State Amateur, for winning medalist honors at last year’s U.S. Amateur. He presented Fillmore with his scoring card, which was displayed at Pinehurst golf club during the championship a year ago.

The morning matches began at 9 a.m.

By BRADY BINGHAM
Standard-Examiner staff

LAYTON — “It’s playing harder today.”
That was the general theme after Thursday’s morning session of the second round of stroke play at the Utah State Amateur golf championship at Valley View Golf Course.
However, it didn’t seem to be the case for a pair of Top of Utah golfers.
Zac Blair, the Fremont High School product headed to BYU in the fall, shot a 3-under-par 69; so too did Weber State University sophomore-to-be Alex Sutton. Blair and Sutton both stand at 3-under-par for the tournament.
Both players secured a spot into Friday’s first round of match play, where defending champion Dan Horner begins as the No. 1 seed.
After the morning session Thursday, the cut was projected to be at 1-over-par 145. The top 31 golfers from Wednesday’s and Thursday’s stroke play earn a spot in match play.
First round co-leader Robbie Fillmore shot a 2-under-par 70 on Thursday and sits at 8-under-par. He was the clubhouse leader when the afternoon wave took the course.

By BRADY BINGHAM
Standard-Examiner staff

LAYTON — There was no report of a swarm of bees invading Valley View Golf Course. But the buzz Thursday morning at the Utah State Amateur was loud and clear.
Chatter continued about the way the challenging track at Valley View had surrendered a pair of 6-under-par 66s — to Ben Schilleman and Robbie Fillmore — during Wednesday’s opening round of the tournament. For years, the winning score at the Valley View Am has been no better than 67.
“Believe me, if we wanted to, we could have set this course up to be impossible,” said Valley View assistant pro Dave Loughton, hinting that their goal was to set up the course to showcase good golf and good players.
That was the result Wednesday. While Fillmore and Schilleman were brilliant, only eight players posted rounds in the 60s. Only 20 golfers in the 156-man field broke par.
“It was fair out there on Wednesday, and it will be again today,” Loughton said. “It will get tougher as the tournament goes on.”
Utah Golf Association’s Ronnie Newren added, “We had a pace of play issue to consider also. We can’t make conditions so tough that it slows down play.”
Newren and Loughton agreed that could have happened the first days at Valley View.