OGDEN, Utah, July 13, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Cole Ponich topped BYU teammate Cooper Jones and scratched an item off his bucket list by winning the 126th Utah State Amateur Championship.
Ponich, a BYU senior and former state champion golfer at Davis High School, defeated Jones 2 and 1 in Saturday afternoon’s 36-hole championship match at the Ogden Golf and Country Club.
“It’s always been on the bucket list,” Ponich said after his victory. “Especially to win it in my final State Am, it means a lot.”
Ponich becomes the 23rd BYU golfer to win the Utah State Amateur.
“Cole is such a great competitor,” said Todd Miller, BYU’s director of golf. “He has the unique ability to elevate his game in pressure situations, which is what match play is all about. This win puts him in an elite group of BYU players who have won this historic event.”
Ponich and Jones, a freshman and former state champion at Lone Peak High School, squared off in the 36-hole, all-BYU championship match.
Ponich birdied two of the first three holes to take a 3-up lead and never trailed in the match. He extended that advantage to 5 up with the birdie on No. 15.
Jones closed the gap to 4 up with a par on No. 16, leaving him with a four-hole deficit to overcome in the afternoon round.
The freshman posted his first career albatross on the par-5 sixth hole, and then won Nos. 8 and 10 to trim Ponich’s lead to 2 up with eight holes to play.
Ponich responded with a birdie on the par-4 14th hole to retake a 3-up lead with four to play. Jones made par on the 502-yard 16th hole to stay alive before Ponich halved No. 17 to close out the match 2 and 1.
“Cole has worked through some injuries this year, so it was rewarding to watch him get this win,” BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. “I’m excited to see him play in the U.S. Amateur next month.”
