Former Utah golfer Blake Tomlinson captures 2nd Utah Open title in 5 years

PROVO — Four years ago, Blake Tomlinson won the Utah Open title to launch a professional career for the University of Utah golf standout to Canada and the PGA Tour Americas.

After spending the past year playing mostly state opens and Monday qualifiers, he's hopeful a second win might do the same thing.

Tomlinson shot 5-under-par 67 Sunday to finish with a three-day total of 21-under 195 and clinch his second Larry H. Miller Utah Open and the $25,000 winners' check at Riverside Country Club.

Tomlinson is the second two-time Utah Open champion of the past six years, joining Colorado pro Derek Fribbs (2021, 2024) who finished tied for ninth Sunday.

The Salt Lake City native who starred at Skyline High and the Utah junior golf circuit fended off a challenging final day when as many as five golfers took or shared the lead over the final 18 holes.

Former BYU golfers Cole Ponich and Rhett Rasmussen tied for second at 19-under, two shots ahead of former Olympus golfer John Fox.

Tyson Shelley ended his first pro tournament at 16-under, tied for fifth with fellow BYU alum Carson Lundell. That was one stroke better than fellow rookie Simon Kwon, who shot 15-under to tie low amateur Peter Kim ahead of the BYU rising senior's college season.

"Winning once is great, but twice is even better," said Tomlinson in a room surrounded by local media he's known since his youth as well as friends, family and his girlfriend Kate who caddied for him all weekend. "This feels really nice.

"I've had kind of a brutal year with some injuries and Monday qualifiers not going my way. It's really good momentum going into Q-school this fall — and it's always nice to win."

Tomlinson slept on a 36-hole lead, but Lundell, who shared a four-way tie atop the leaderboard after 18 holes, fired three birdies and an eagle to lead by two strokes after eight holes.

Tomlinson eagled the par-5, 558-yard seventh hole to balance two bogeys and a birdie on the front nine for a recovery, then added his fourth birdie on the par-5, 584-yard 15th that he claimed as a key turning point of the round.

"The chip-in on 10 was also very good," he said. "I was off and running from there."

But the challengers weren't done, either.

Ponich, the Davis High alum from Farmington who grew up on the links alongside Tomlinson, roared to nine birdies and an eagle to finish the final round at 10-under 62. His eagle on the par-5, 584-yard 15th hole captured momentum, a birdie on the par-3, 179-yard 17th sustained it, and Ponich again looked to capitalize on an 18th hole that he estimated he's played hundreds of times in practice rounds and qualifiers at BYU.

"I was a little stale with the putter the last two days, and to get some putts to go in today gave me a lot of confidence," Ponich said.

Ponich had a 12-foot uphill putt for birdie on No. 18 that would've tied Tomlinson for the lead down the final stretch. But the Farmington native "slightly toed" the putt before saving par.

"Blake making birdie on No. 18 makes me feel better, though," added Ponich, who collected $13,500 in winnings. "That birdie wouldn't have mattered too much."

Kim shot 7-under 65 to hold off Morgan High rising junior Jace Benson and BYU teammate Jackson Mauss for low amateur honors, carding seven birdies in a bogey-free round that included a chip-in on the par-5, 557-yard 13th hole and a tap-in birdie one hole later.

"My wedges and chipping was working really well, and I made a couple of putts," said Kim, a rising senior from Skyline High who has two years of eligibility remaining under the NCAA's new age-based eligibility model.

"It's nice momentum going into the season, and playing on our home course is fun with a bunch of familiar faces. It was fun to compete against each other, a bunch of teammates and past players; it's a good kickstart to the season."

Spanish Fork's Jackson Rhees won the Utah Section PGA sidebar purse for $1,500 at 14-under, three shots ahead of Sandy's Todd Tanner and former champion Pete Stone.

Larry H. Miller Utah Open

August 16, 2026

Top 10

• 195 — Blake Tomlinson (p)
• 197 — Cole Ponich (p), Rhett Rasmussen (p)
• 199 — John Fox (p)
• 200 — Tyson Shelley (p), Carson Lundell (p)
• 201 — Simon Kwon (p), Peter Kim (a)
• 202 — Jace Benson (a), Jackson Mauss (a), Jackson Rhees (p)

Full leaderboard available at utahpga.com

• Low pro — Blake Tomlinson
• Low amateur — Peter Kim
• Utah Section PGA sidebar winner — Jackson Rhees

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