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Alpine • Craig Smith got mad at himself, then he atoned for what could have been one of the bigger chokes in Utah State Amateur history on Thursday as the tournament field was whittled from 32 to eight at Alpine Country Club.
The 40-year-old dental technician from Draper, who is just getting back into competitive golf after nearly 20 years away from the sport, is perhaps the biggest surprise among the remaining eight golfers chasing the 118th State Am title.
More surprising is how Smith rebounded after missing the hole on a 2-foot putt on the 18th green that would have closed out University of Utah golfer Brandon Kida in a Round of 16 match. Smith made a birdie on the first extra hole to pull off the upset and erase the memory of the improbable miss, walloping his tee shot and sticking a wedge to within 6 feet.
"I guess I just like to keep it exciting for everybody," Smith said. "I had a Dustin Johnson moment there. … I second-guessed it [on No. 18], and it is easy to do out here. The greens are super slick."
En route to the No. 1 tee, Smith's wife, Jennica, told him Kida suddenly had the momentum. Smith, 5-foot-10 and a former Utah Valley State College golfer (1995) whose athletic claim to fame was winning a slam dunk contest at the school, vehemently disagreed with the person he says urged him to get back into competitive golf.
"I said, 'No, I am going to blast it down the middle and hit it tight and I am going to make the putt,' " he said.
That he did — although he could have won with a par because Kida was in with a bogey.
It was the second extra-holes match of the day for Kida, who beat 2008 champion Dan Horner in 23 holes in the morning while Smith was taking a nap after stunning State Am regular John Owen 2 and 1. Horner then caddied for Kida in the afternoon.
Another quarterfinalist who will tee it up Friday is also a surprise — to himself.
Lehi's Carl Jensen said he's "shocked, absolutely shocked" to make it this far because he suffered a nasty break in his wrist playing indoor soccer five months ago and wasn't supposed to be able to play golf for 6-9 months. The 36-year-old CPA defeated BYU golfer Kai Ruiz 3 and 2 to advance at the course where his father has been a member since Jensen was 10 years old.
"It's a bunch of nerds out here," Jensen said after being told that another quarterfinalist, Layton's Reed Nielsen, is also a CPA. Nielsen, who grew up in Morgan, ousted incoming Utah golfer Mitchell Schow Jr. in 19 holes.
Three of the remaining quarterfinalists were college golfers last spring: BYU junior Patrick Fishburn, Weber State junior Kyler Dearden and outgoing Utah senior Jose Pelayo.
Dearden, 22, eliminated the hottest golfer in the tournament, medalist Carson Lundell, 1 up, with a birdie on No. 17 and a par on 18.
"It was definitely an upset," Dearden said. "I was just super-focused today, I will tell you that. I don't think I've been that focused in a long time."
Dearden won despite having just two friendly faces in the gallery, his mother and a close friend. Dozens were there supporting Lundell, a BYU signee who will leave on a mission next week.
"I was like, 'holy cow,' " Dearden said. "It was like three against 50. But my mom kept telling me, 'you deserve this. You deserve this."
Teenager Ryan Barber saved some face for the recent Lone Peak High grads, however, advancing to the quarters with a 3 and 2 win over Davis Evans, a 16-year-old phenom from Phoenix who has committed to play for Arizona State.
Brady Stanger, 34, advanced with a close win over Ben Jorgensen in 19 holes when Jorgensen hit his tee shot out of bounds on the first extra hole.
Fishburn and Pelayo, the Cougar and former Ute, will meet in the semifinals Friday afternoon if Pelayo can get past Barber and Fishburn can get past Jensen. That's clearly the toughest side of the bracket, with Smith, Dearden, Stanger and Nielsen on the other side.
Twitter: @drewjay —
Storylines
R Craig Smith becomes a quarterfinalist after knocking off University of Utah golfer Brandon Kida in 19 holes.
• Weber State golfer Kyler Dearden upsets medalist Carson Lundell, 1 up, to advance to the quarterfinals.
• BYU golfer Patrick Fishburn and Utah golfer Jose Pelayo are the only other college golfers in the final eight.