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Three Champions Crowned at UGA Invitational
By Kelsey Chugg, Membership Director
Three champions were crowned earlier this week at the end of the 2018 UGA Invitational hosted by Jeremy Ranch Golf and Country Club. The championship signifies the end of the UGA Championship season and offers any player who has won a tournament at the club level, national level, qualified for a USGA Championship, or won a UGA Championship the opportunity to compete.
Conditions at the Park City club were brutal as a storm rolled through the Wasatch Front and wreaked havoc on the already difficult golf course. Two rain delays created even more anxiety for players competing for the coveted championship plate in each division.
With a par on the 36th hole to close out a two-under-par round of 70, Darrin Overson, the reigning Utah Mid-Amateur Champion, squeaked by first round leader in the men’s division, Mitchell Schow, by one shot. Schow, who was coming off of a win at the Valley View Mountainland Open and a second-place finish in the amateur division at the Utah Open, seemed like the player to beat, but Overson remained steady all day. The well-liked mid-amateur also finished on top of a leaderboard packed with talented players, many listed within the top-10 of the UGA Player Performance Rankings.
After the round, Overson remarked, “The golf course is in rather good shape. Greens are really good, they were really fast. Just dealing with weather was a little bit of a trial, but everything else was great.”
“I played well. I hit it well. Greens were tough. They were fast, but a little bumpier than I like. There were tough conditions. Two rain delays, a lot of wind, but I’m happy.” Those were the comments of 2018 Utah Senior State Amateur Champion, and defending UGA Invitational champion, Brigham Gibbs, who started the day with a two-shot lead, and held on wire-to-wire in the Senior division. Standout senior Randy Hicken, finished one-shot back, with a 1-over par total.
Facing the toughest conditions and finishing the final hole of the day in near-darkness, the Women’s division title was claimed by all-star senior, Annette Gaiotti, on her home track. Commenting on the day she said, “I played pretty good, but I had some advantages. It’s my home course so I know where to hit the ball and I know the greens are really hard and fast. So that was the biggest advantage for me, was the putting and knowing where to hit the ball.”
Complete results for the UGA Invitational can be found HERE