Teen amateur Cooper Jones wins Southern Utah Open

November 15, 2021 | by Utah Golf Association

Photo courtesy of Fairways Photo Journal

Cooper Jones, 17, finishes first in a field full of professionals at the Southern Utah Open

In a year where Cooper Jones' trophy case must have added another shelf, making room for the Utah Golf Association's Player of the Year award, the 17-year-old amateur added more hardware from the Southern Utah Open over the weekend at SunRiver Golf Club in St. George.

Jones, a junior at Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah, finished at 10-under 132 (66-66) to win the event by three-strokes over St. George resident and first-round leader Caden Hamill (photo below), who finished 7-under 135 for low-pro honors and the $1,800 first-place pro check.

"The putter felt really good this week," said Jones. "I haven’t had a tournament for a while so I was excited to come down here. Feels good to play well.”

Jones carded 11 birdies and only one bogey for the event.

Jones won the Salt Lake City Amateur in July at Bonneville Golf Course with an eagle on the first playoff hole to become the youngest winner of the historic event in at least a half-century.

At the age of 17, he is also the youngest player ever to win the Utah Golf Association's Player of the Year Award. He also picked up Utah's Junior Golf Association Player of the Year Award.

Southern Utah Open Top 10

Of his play low professional Caden Hamill said, "It was fun! I’ve been practicing a lot and sharpening up my game. I played well, driver was great and my short game was really solid. I think I only made like three bogeys and that was kind of my strategy, just play smart and make it easy."

Rounding out the tournament’s championship division top 10: junior Boston Bracken finished in third place at (-6) 136, professionals Tommy Sharp and Jayne Backos T4 (-4) 138, Taft Lewis (a) and professionals Casey Fowels and Zach Johnson finishing T6 (-3) 139. Amateurs Davis Heslington, Joshua Pehrson, Tyler Jones and last week’s Arctic Circle High School Invitational playoff champion Kihei Akina carded T9s at (-2) 140.

Senior amateur Randy Hicken’s (-5) 137 won the senior division with low senior pro honors going to Joe Summerhays at (-2) 140. Amateur Michael Hacker (-3) 139 won the super senior division with the recently inducted Utah Sports Hall of Fame member Jay Don Blake taking low super senior pro honors at (-2) 140.

In the regular flight (handicap indexes of scratch and up) Corner Canyon’s Bowen Mauss, runner-up to Akina in the Arctic Circle event, took the top spot at (+1) 71-72 - 143.

by Fairways Media

About the Southern Utah Open

Teen amateur Cooper Jones wins Southern Utah Open

36-hole stroke play championship for professionals and amateurs, with Championship, Senior and Super Senior Divisions

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