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SALT LAKE CITY — Peter Kim didn't start out Tuesday thinking about winning medalist honors at the 125th Utah state amateur championship.
After shooting 73 after Monday's first round to sit firmly in the middle of the forward pack of contenders, Kim's biggest goal was simply to qualify for match play — an accomplishment he fulfilled with ease Tueday.
The medalist part? Just a bonus.
Kim shot the second-lowest round of the day at 4-under 67 as the BYU incoming freshman edged Utah rising junior Davis Johnson atop the leaderboard of the Utah state amateur championship at The Country Club in Salt Lake City.
Medalist or not, it doesn't matter for Kim. Except, maybe, in one way.
"It gives me confidence to know I can play well out here, and hopefully take the state am," said Kim, who shot 68 at The Country Club at last week's media day in only his second time playing the course. "This course is so great; it's tough, but I think I can play well out here."
Defending champion Zac Jones, a rising junior at BYU, shot even-par 142 to finish third, while Utah's Oscar Maxfield was fourth with a two-day total of 1-over 143.
The top 56 players after stroke play advanced to Wednesday's match-play tournament, with an eight-player playoff to be held Wednesday morning to determine the final two match-play selections.
Utah rising junior Braxton Watts shot the low round of the day at 5-under 66, following up a first-round 80 to finish tied for eighth. Nine players shot under par, compared to just one after Monday's first round.
But Kim was the biggest rise of the day.
The recent Skyline High graduate who signed with BYU in November stroked birdies on two of his first four holes, came in at 33 on the front nine, and hit his approach shots closer to the pin en route to a two-shot lead over Johnson before a bogey on par-4 18th hole gave him the one-stroke win.
"I think I'm just playing well right now," said Kim, who also claimed medalist honors at a local qualifying event for the U.S. Open at Oakridge Country Club. "Whatever course I play, I feel like I can play it well right now. This course is awesome; it's so much fun to play. Just got to hit fairways and greens, minimize mistakes, and try to stay under the hole."
Former Skyline High star Simon Kwon had the other big round of the day, shooting 3-under 68 to tie for fifth.
The rising junior at Cal who is currently in the transfer portal went 4-under on the back nine, including a stretch of 4-under in three holes capped by an eagle on the par-5 ninth. He ended the day with a double bogey at No. 18 that could've made his round even more jarring.
"I just tried to put myself in good position on the par-5s, and I made a couple of putts, which is always nice," Kwon said. "I felt pretty good with my round as I just stayed patient … stayed focused, and stayed committed to my game plan."
Kwon wasn't the only red number. Jones, a rising junior at BYU, shot 1-under 70 to move into second place at even-par 142. Former Utah golfer Oscar Mayfield, who moved to Drexel as a graduate transfer with two seasons of eligibility remaining, also shot 1-under 70 to move into a tie for third.
The three fast risers teed off in the morning, and were clear of the course before an hour-long weather delay for lightning early in the afternoon.
Then there was Johnson, who started at the day well in front at 3-under after playing a speed round Monday morning and being the only golfer under par.
But redshirt sophomore-to-be from Tucson, Arizona had just one birdie en route to 2-over 73 to finish one shot back of Kim for the No. 2 seed in match play.
"I didn't really look at the scores, because it doesn't really matter," Johnson said. "I don't need to win this part of the tournament to win the tournament.
"You want to give yourself the best shot to build off and build your confidence as you go through the tournament," he later added. "It's match day, so anything can happen. I'll just go out there and give it my best go."
125th Utah state amateur championship
The Country Club (Salt Lake City)
Round 2 (stroke play)
Top 10 with ties
- 140 — Peter Kim, Utah PGA Jr. Series
- 141 — Davis Johnson, Bonneville GC
- 142 — Zac Jones, Alpine CC
- 143 — Oscar Maxfield, Mountain Dell GC
- 145 — Simon Kwon, Bonneville GC; Cameron Crawford, Thanksgiving Point GC; Hayden Banz, Bonneville GC
- 146 — Cooper Jones, Youth on Course Utah; Elijah Turner, Alpine CC; Braxton Watts, Davis Park GC
- 147 — Martin Leon, Bonneville GC; Elliot Bond, Youth on Course Utah; Tanner Telford, Oakridge CC; Steele Dewald, Glenwild GC & Spa
- Full results available at uga.org
