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Ogden • Having just hit an approach shot 15 feet from the hole on No. 16 and holding a 1-up lead in his match, Mike Jorgensen liked his chances as he stood in the fairway and watched Kai Ruiz launch a 9-iron shot.
And then Ruiz's ball went into the hole.
The eagle from 165 yards propelled Ruiz to a 1-up victory Wednesday in the Utah State Amateur's round of 64 at the Ogden Golf and Country Club.
With those 32 battles, the first round of match play was bound to deliver some intriguing stuff. The contest between Richfield's Jorgensen, 52, and Ruiz, who will be a senior at Maple Mountain High School, was one of those old-and-young pairings that only a State Am could produce.
And then there was 2009 champion Dan Horner, a popular player in Utah golf circles but a villain in this episode. Horner outlasted Ryan Sarlo, a son of host pro Craig Sarlo, in 20 holes.
The tournament continues Thursday with the rounds of 32 and 16, followed by the quarterfinals and semifinals Friday and the 36-hole final Saturday.
Ruiz was 2 down to Jorgensen through 14 holes, but birdied the par-3 No. 15. After the stunning turn of events on No. 16, Jorgensen bogeyed No. 17 when his ball was buried in a bunker. Ruiz then won the match with a two-putt par from the back fringe at No. 18 — after his tee shot nearly landed in the hole.
"That was stressful all day," Ruiz said. The comeback "was crazy … I didn't think it could happen."
The competition left each contestant impressed with the other's game, as Jorgensen plotted his way around the course and Ruiz showed an ability to work the ball in both directions off the tee. Jorgensen, a former Utah Golf Association board member, also liked the teenager's demeanor.
"I'd love to see a high schooler win it," Jorgensen said. "He's got the game. He's one of the best juniors I've ever played with, and I've played with a lot of them."
The Sarlo-Horner match would have been worth saving for Saturday, when even more club members would have supported the pro's son. With his father caddying for him, the Weber State golfer was 1 up going to the par-3 No. 18, but knocked his tee shot into the front bunker and missed a 12-foot putt.
Horner almost ended things on the first extra hole, but his birdie attempt lipped out. The finish was anticlimactic, as Sarlo missed a short par putt on No. 2.
That was among four matches requiring extra holes. UGA veteran Kirk Siddens was 2 down to David Booth through 15 holes, but made some tough pars to extend the match and eventually win on the 19th hole. "That's match play; sometimes you win with pars and sometimes you tie with birdies," Siddens said.
In the round of 32, Siddens will meet defending champion Cole Ogden.
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Wednesday's highlights
O Nine of the 32 matches go to the 18th or beyond.
• No. 55 Jesse Clark stages the biggest upset based on seeding, defeating No. 10 Eldon Richter 4 and 2.
• Ryan Sarlo, a son of the club's host pro, misses a close-out opportunity on No. 18 and loses to Dan Horner in 20 holes.
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State Am results
Round of 64
Upper Bracket
Cole Ogden def. Bubba Hall, 3 and 2; Kirk Siddens def. David Booth, 1 up (19); Carl Jensen def. Nic Booth, 5 and 3; Austin Banz def. Jonathan Thomas, 2 and 1; Jeffrey Jolley def. Nick Griego, 4 and 3; Jon Wright def. Brandon Hargett, 3 and 2; John Owen def. John Lindsay, 7 and 5; Mike Jurca def. Jason Gates, 3 and 2; Tommy Higham def. Andrew Cottle, 2 and 1; Brady Stanger def. Rhett Rasmussen, 3 and 2; Jason Hargett def. Glen Spencer, 1 up; Colton Dallimore def. JT Timmons, 3 and 2; Tanner Alder def. Cannon Randall, 3 and 2; Shon Woodland def. Luke Crapo, 2 up; Kalin Peterson def. Nick Nelson, 1 up (20); CJ Lee def. Jaece Stokes, 3 and 2.
Lower Bracket
Jacob Holt def. Dylan Chugg, 2 and 1; Dane Nelson def. Christian Jensen, 4 and 3; Kai Ruiz def. Mike Jorgensen, 1 up; Dane Rosa def. Seokwon Jeon, 2 and 1; Mitchell Schow def. Brock Stanger, 1 up (19); Thomas Young def. Reed Nielsen, 1 up; Jesse Clark def. Eldon Richter, 3 and 2; Dan Horner def. Ryan Sarlo, 1 up (20); Devon Purser def. Mark Mortensen, 3 and 1; Preston Richards def. Danny Hafen, 3 and 2; Chris Hermansen def. Justin Shluker, 2 up; Marty Jacks def. Carson Park, 4 and 2; Kurt Owen def. Bob Mitchell, 3 and 2; Aaron Yeates def. Craig Wilson, 2 and 1; David Jennings def. Christopher Carter, 3 and 2; John Harris def. Hayden Christensen, 3 and 2.