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SALT LAKE CITY — Two years ago, Bingham High product Tess Blair cruised to medalist honors en route to the 2018 Utah State Women’s Amateur championship.
Fresh off a Big Sky women's golfer of the year season as a freshman at Sacramento State, Blair will try to repeat history this week.
Blair carded a pair of rounds in the 60s Monday and Tuesday to clinch medalist honors with a two-day 136 after the 36-hole stroke play portion of the 114th Utah State Women's Amateur at Soldier Hollow Golf Club in Midway.
Blair held off 16-year-old Grace Summerhays by four strokes, who carded a 4-under-par 68 Tuesday to finish second. The current Utah State Junior Amateur champion was followed by Southern Utah’s Chanikan Yongyuan. Four-time champion Kelsey Chugg (144) and reigning Utah Section PGA 5A state champion Lila Galeai (146) rounded out the top-five.
Blair was the only golfer to shoot under par in Monday’s opening round, carding a 5-under 67 to take a commanding lead. Summerhays and Yongyuan both shot even-par 72 in the opener.
The top-16 golfers were seeded into the match-play portion of the tournament, four straight matches of 18 holes apiece, to be conducted over the next 48 hours. Blair will face 16th-seeded Jadan Gonzalez, Summerhays will match up with Launa Wilson and Yongyuan will face defending champion Kerstin Fotu, the BYU golfer who rallied with three birdies on the back nine of bogey-free golf to finish tied for 14th.
The semifinals and finals of the tournament, both 18 holes apiece, will be held Thursday.
With birdies on her final three holes of the day Grace Summerhays, last year's runner-up, cards a -4 68 today at @soldierhollowgc & moves into 2nd place of the 36-hole stroke play qualifying at 114th Utah Women's State Amateur.
— Randy Dodson (@RandyatFairways) July 14, 2020
Live scoring: https://t.co/TkvZlAqtm0#utahgolfpic.twitter.com/DhuJOyAVYq
114th Utah State Women’s Amateur
Tuesday’s stroke-play final at Soldier Hollow GC
Top 16
136 — Tess Blair
140 — Grace Summerhays
141 — Chanikan Yongyuan
144 — Kelsey Chugg
146 — Lila Galeai
148 — Naomi Soifua
150 – Poy Praturswong, Taitum Beck
151 — Carissa Graft
152 — Lauren Gerner, Sunbin Seo, Rachel Lillywhite, Berlin Long
154 — Kerstin Fotu, Launa Wilson
155 — Jadan Gonzalez
Wednesday tee times
8:00 a.m. — Tess Blair vs. Jadan Gonzales
8:10 a.m. — Taitum Beck vs. Carissa Graft
8:20 a.m. — Kelsey Chugg vs. Berlin Long
8:30 a.m. — Lila Galeai vs. Laura Gerner
8:40 a.m. — Grace Summerhays vs. Launa Wilson
8:50 a.m. — Poy Prasurtwong vs. Sunbin Seo
9:00 a.m. — Chanikan Yongyuan vs. Kerstin Fotu
9:10 a.m. — Naomi Soifua vs. Rachel Lillywhite
