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Alpine • As expected, BYU golfer Patrick Fishburn, everyone's favorite before the golf tournament began, cruised into the championship match of the 118th Utah State Amateur on Friday with a pair of 3 and 2 wins over Utah County residents Carl Jensen and Ryan Barber.

But Fishburn's opponent in Saturday's 36-hole tournament finale at Alpine Country Club has not been determined yet.

That's because Aaron Smith, a 40-year-old father of four from Draper, could not finish his semifinal match against Weber State golfer Kyler Dearden on Friday afternoon.

Smith collapsed near the No. 11 green with back spasms, cramping in his legs, and other heat exhaustion-like symptoms and was taken to a nearby hospital.

Smith had just made a par on No. 11 to go 1-up in the match around 3:40 p.m. and was walking gingerly off the green when he fell to the ground, breathing heavily and writhing in pain. An ambulance was summoned and the dental technician who is just getting back into competitive golf after 20 years away from it was treated by emergency medical technicians.

The UGA announced four hours later that Smith was feeling better and would like to continue the match on Saturday morning. It will resume on the 12th hole at 7 a.m., and the championship match pitting the winner against Fishburn will tentatively begin at 9:30 a.m.

Bill Walker, executive director of the Utah Golf Association, said Smith returned to Alpine around 6 p.m. and had been given permission by his doctor to resume playing.

It was 93 degrees when Smith collapsed. He had just completed his 30th hole of the day, having defeated Reed Nielsen of Layton in 19 holes earlier Friday. His wife, Jennica, walked the course with him and was nearby when he went down.

Shortly after the incident, Jake Miller, director of rules and competition for the UGA, said UGA officials gave Dearden the option to win the match by default or allow Smith to try and resume playing in the morning, and Dearden chose the latter.

"The UGA is saying if by some miracle he is better tonight, we will finish it in the morning, if he wants to," Dearden said at the time. "That's OK with me. It is up to him. … I am just going to prepare myself as if he will get better, and we are going to start here on hole 12."

Dearden said he talked to Smith between rounds, and Smith seemed fine. But Smith's condition worsened after he hit some practice shots before the afternoon match began.

"He was letting go of the club [after swings] and stuff, so I knew something was wrong," Dearden said. "It looked like it was back pain. He was like, 'yeah, I got back spasms, but I am going to keep playing.' "

Since 2013, State Am match play quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists have been forced to walk — rather than ride in golf carts — in an attempt to make it more in line with what is required in USGA events.

Fishburn was wrapping up his 3 and 2 semifinal win over Barber at about the same time Smith collapsed. Barber, who will play for Utah Valley University after a church mission to Iowa, hung with the longer-hitting Fishburn for most of the match, and was just two holes down after Fishburn hit two tee shots out of bounds on the par-5 14th hole and conceded it to the teenager.

But on No. 15, Barber returned the favor, slicing his tee shot into some trees and losing the hole to Fishburn's par, and Fishburn went from there to take a 3 and 2 win. Barber got to the semis with a 3 and 2 win over outgoing University of Utah golfer Jose Pelayo on Friday morning.

drew@sltrib.com Twitter: @drewjay —

118th Utah State Amateur

Friday's Results

Quarterfinal Matches

Kyler Dearden def. Brady Stanger, 3 and 1

Aaron Smith def. Reed Nielsen, 19 holes

Ryan Barber def. Jose Pelayo, 3 and 2

Patrick Fishburn def. Carl Jensen, 3 and 2

Semifinal Matches

Fishburn def. Barber, 3 and 2

Smith leads Dearden, 1 up, through 11 holes (match suspended due to Smith's health)