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The most significant amateur golf tournament ever held in Utah required a lengthy bid process, persuading the United States Golf Association to stage the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Soldier Hollow Golf Course.
The latest major amateur event in the state is here because the University of Utah is taking its turn in the rotation.
The 2016 Pac-12 Men's Golf Championships will be played Friday through Sunday at The Country Club of Salt Lake City. Because the Pac-12 offers such a highly competitive golf environment, billing this event as merely a conference tournament is underselling it.
The depth of the 72-player field may not a rival a U.S. Amateur or even a Public Links (which no longer exists), but the presence of certain players makes it a world-class tournament. Arizona State's Jon Rahm, Stanford's Maverick McNealy and Oregon's Aaron Wise are among the top six golfers in the world amateur rankings. In the recent Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Club in California, McNealy shot a tournament record of 16-under-par 194 for three rounds, finishing two strokes ahead of Wise for the 10th victory of his college career.
The event offers free admission to The Country Club, which is welcoming the Pac-12 "with open arms," said Ute golf coach Randall McCracken.
The Country Club was a natural choice as the host venue, with its proximity to the campus, high-level golf course and ability to stage big events, such as recent State Amateur competition for men and women. "We know how great they can get their course for a tournament setting," McCracken said.
The competition includes 72 holes; 36 on Friday and 18 holes each of the next two days. The quality of play will be outstanding. Last spring, McNealy shot an 18-under-par total on Washington State's course, finishing 10 strokes ahead of Wise. McNealy's closing 61 (9 under) helped Stanford win the Pac-12 team title by 14 strokes over Oregon.
In recent Golfweek rankings, Stanford is No. 4, followed by No. 5 USC, No. 16 Arizona State, No. 17 California and No. 26 Oregon.
Clearly, the host team is facing a major challenge. The tournament format of five counting scores in each round among the six players rewards both talent and depth, which the Utes lack in comparison to the Pac-12's powerful programs. Utah finished 12th last year, 56 strokes behind the 11th-place team, Colorado.
In this year's case, people will be paying attention to the Utes, so there's more pressure. Yet there are obvious advantages for them, playing a course they're familiar with and being accustomed to high altitude. Utah's Brandon Kida, a senior from Layton, tied for third in BYU's Cougar Classic earlier this month.
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