BYU Women Finish 11th at Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge

PALOS VERDES, Calif. (Feb. 13, 2008) -- After three rounds of play at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, the tournament ended Wednesday with BYU tied for 11th place.

"There were a lot of good things happening out on the course today," said BYU head coach Sue Nyhus. "We just need to put it all together and make better shots."

Junior Natalia Jimenez and sophomore Daphne Vines led the Cougars throughout the tournament, finishing tied for 28th place with a score of 229.

Senior Ashley Childers had a strong third round, shooting a 2-over-par 73, and finishing the tournament tied for 32nd place.

Nyhus looks forward to the golf team improving their play in the next couple of weeks.

"We are capable of playing better, and next tournament we will," she said. "The next few weeks will be a good time to practice and prepare for Arizona."

The Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge consisted of 84 competitors from 15 teams. The overall individual winner was Natalie Sheary of Wake Forest who shot 72-71-72-215. UCLA won the tournament with a team score of 24-over-par.

The Cougars' spring play will continue when they travel to Tucson for the Arizona Wildcat Invitational February 25 and 26.

  Final TEAM LEADERBOARD

Place    School               To Par    Today    Total
1        UCLA                 +24       +5       288-299-289-876
2        Florida              +31       +10      298-291-294-883
3        Southern California  +35       +17      298-288-301-887
4        Arizona State        +37       +7       302-296-291-889
5        Stanford             +48       +10      300-306-294-900
6        Wake Forest          +52       +17      301-302-301-904
7        Oklahoma State       +57       +18      303-304-302-909
T8       Arizona              +62       +13      308-309-297-914
T8       Pepperdine           +62       +26      298-306-310-914
10       Texas A&M            +63       +29      304-298-313-915
T11      TCU                  +73       +25      306-310-309-925
T11      BYU                  +73       +32      298-311-316-925
13       Denver, Univ. of     +78       +27      316-303-311-930
14       Michigan State       +87       +28      312-315-312-939
15       Ohio State           +90       +34      309-315-318-942

Final Individual Leaderboard

Place    Player               To Par    Today    Total
T28      Natalia Jimenez      +16       +12      73-73-83-229
T28      Daphne Vines         +16       +10      73-75-81-229
T32      Ashley Childers      +17       +2       75-82-73-230
T70      Jade Bollinger       +30       +9       82-81-80-243
T70      Juli Erekson         +30       +11      77-84-82-243
  

Wes Butterfus Shoots Remarkable 26 for Nine Holes

A remarkable round was shot earlier this year that has not had the attention it deserves.

Wes Butterfus, a recently reinstated amateur who owns Zions Golf in St. George, was playing in the Coral Canyon Pro-Am and shot an almost unbelievable 26 on the front nine, that’s ten under par.

He was playing from the white tees at a yardage of about 6,000 yards. He was on a team consisting of Nick McKinlay, Blake Bird, and Terry Monsen.

He actually began the round on the tenth hole and he shot one over par on that nine.

He made a ten foot eagle putt on the par five first hole. He had a tap in birdie on the par five second hole.

Things really got good when he aced the par three third hole using a nine iron from 149 yards. That put him five under par after just three holes on the nine.

On the long uphill par four fourth hole his approach shot was 30 feet above the hole with a delicate fast downhill putt. He barely tapped the putt and it trickled into the hole for a birdie.

He drove the green on the short downhill par four fifth hole and amazingly drilled his 35-foot putt for his third eagle on the nine.

On the short par three sixth hole he sank a five foot birdie putt.

On the long par four seventh hole he hit his drive in the fairway bunker, but got a seven iron onto the green and had to settle for a dismal tap in par.

On the short par four eighth hole he drove to the fringe of the green, missed his 30-foot putt and settled for birdie.

On the ninth hole he finished with a ho-hum par after just missing a 15 foot bump and run chip shot.

It is surely one of the most remarkable scores in Utah golf history.

His round consisted of three eagles, four birdies, and two pars.

Combined with his other nine he shot an 18-hole score of 63.

Four Utahns to Receive Distinguished Service Honor

Four Utahns will be commended for their commitment to advancing sports during the Paul Ream Scholarship/Distinguished Awards Banquet being sponsored by the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation.

Being honored for their long years of service to sports are Randy Hollis, sports editor of the Ogden Standard-Examiner; Dale Mildenberger, athletic trainer at Utah State University; Don Norton, president of Far West Bank; and Joe Watts, Executive Director of the Utah Golf Association.

Joe Watts, Executive Director of the Utah Golf Association, to receive Distinguished Service Honor.

Mildenberger, Utah State's athletic trainer for more than 30 years, is a member of three professional halls of fame and part of USU's new training complex at Romney Stadium bears his name.

During his more than 30 years as a sports writer and editor for the Standard Examiner of Ogden, Hollis won several awards and also coached youth softball and involved in community service and humanitarian work

Don Norton has been a major donor and supporter to sports in Utah County, including funding scholarships and youth sports teams.

A former sports editor of newspapers in Logan and Provo, Watts has worked as the Utah Golf Association's executive director for nearly 20 years, a period of remarkable growth for the UGA.

The banquet also honors eight high school students who will receive $2,000 college scholarships donated by Paul Ream. Ream recently passed away and has been giving the scholarships for more than a decade.

The dinner will be held at the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy on Tuesday, February 12th. Horsd’oevres will be served in the reception area at 6:15 pm. The doors to the banquet room will be opened at 7 pm. It is open to the public at the cost of $35 per plate. Reservations can be made by sending a check to
Utah State Sports Hall of Fame Foundation
in care of secretary Scott Mayne,
10182 S. Cornerstone, South Jordan, UT 84095,
or by calling him at 801-253-7361.

Women Finish 11th at Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge

PALOS VERDES, Calif. (Feb. 13, 2008) -- After three rounds of play at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, the tournament ended Wednesday with BYU tied for 11th place.

"There were a lot of good things happening out on the course today," said BYU head coach Sue Nyhus. "We just need to put it all together and make better shots."

Junior Natalia Jimenez and sophomore Daphne Vines led the Cougars throughout the tournament, finishing tied for 28th place with a score of 229.

Senior Ashley Childers had a strong third round, shooting a 2-over-par 73, and finishing the tournament tied for 32nd place.

Nyhus looks forward to the golf team improving their play in the next couple of weeks.

"We are capable of playing better, and next tournament we will," she said. "The next few weeks will be a good time to practice and prepare for Arizona."

The Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge consisted of 84 competitors from 15 teams. The overall individual winner was Natalie Sheary of Wake Forest who shot 72-71-72-215. UCLA won the tournament with a team score of 24-over-par.

The Cougars' spring play will continue when they travel to Tucson for the Arizona Wildcat Invitational February 25 and 26.

  Final TEAM LEADERBOARD

Place    School               To Par    Today    Total
1        UCLA                 +24       +5       288-299-289-876
2        Florida              +31       +10      298-291-294-883
3        Southern California  +35       +17      298-288-301-887
4        Arizona State        +37       +7       302-296-291-889
5        Stanford             +48       +10      300-306-294-900
6        Wake Forest          +52       +17      301-302-301-904
7        Oklahoma State       +57       +18      303-304-302-909
T8       Arizona              +62       +13      308-309-297-914
T8       Pepperdine           +62       +26      298-306-310-914
10       Texas A&M            +63       +29      304-298-313-915
T11      TCU                  +73       +25      306-310-309-925
T11      BYU                  +73       +32      298-311-316-925
13       Denver, Univ. of     +78       +27      316-303-311-930
14       Michigan State       +87       +28      312-315-312-939
15       Ohio State           +90       +34      309-315-318-942

Final Individual Leaderboard

Place    Player               To Par    Today    Total
T28      Natalia Jimenez      +16       +12      73-73-83-229
T28      Daphne Vines         +16       +10      73-75-81-229
T32      Ashley Childers      +17       +2       75-82-73-230
T70      Jade Bollinger       +30       +9       82-81-80-243
T70      Juli Erekson         +30       +11      77-84-82-243
  

Plans Unveiled For New Southern Utah Golf Resort

The developers of Sand Hollow Resort in Hurricane, Utah, have unveiled plans for Southern Utah's newest destination golf resort.

Located 15 minutes from St. George in the state's southwestern corner, Sand Hollow Resort will feature more than 1,700 private residences, vacation villas, 27 holes of golf at Sand Hollow Golf Club, spa and fitness center, pools and water features. A water park, spanning 15 acres, will include a modified lazy river that winds through a series of pools stretching from the top of the park, through the villas, and to the resort entrance. Groundbreaking for the project is scheduled to take place later this year.

The resort was introduced at a news conference at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, site of the Nokia Champions Challenge. Hosted by Johnny Miller, the two-day golf tournament features prominent PGA and LPGA Tour players, including Mike Weir and Annika Sorenstam. Sand Hollow Golf Club will be a "sister course" to Thanksgiving Point, as both golf courses will managed by Vanguard Golf Management Group.

"Today is a significant stepping stone in Sand Hollow Resort's shift from dream to reality," said Thomas R. Seneca, president of Sand Hollow Resort and one of the developers. "We are genuinely excited about what we're going to bring to the Southern Utah region, and invite people to come join us in what will be a wonderful resort experience."

The two golf courses will be designed by John Fought, a noted architect with a number of award-winning layouts on his resume. Fought, a collegiate golf star at Brigham Young University, will design 27 holes for Sand Hollow Golf Club. The club will include the 18-hole Championship Course and a nine-hole walking course (to be called Honourable Links). The layouts will incorporate ridgelines, canyons and various elevations to create a challenging golf experience.

The resort is located near Sand Hollow State Park and Zion National Park. The resort can be accessed via direct flights to St. George from Los Angeles or Salt Lake City, or a 90-minute drive from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

For more information about Sand Hollow Resort, call 435/656-0579 or visit www.sandhollowresort.com.

Utah Golf Takes Sixth In St. George

(UWIRE) SALT LAKE CITY — The first round on Monday of the Pat Hicks Invitational went well for the Puttin’ Utes as they ended the day tied for sixth.

Utah finished the day at two strokes over par, 12 strokes behind the leaders from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. However, the second place spot is three strokes away.

"We knocked off some rust today," said head coach Randall McCracken.

This is the first tournament for Utah since last fall and will serve as a chance to fine-tune their game as they head into the spring season.

Junior Chance Cota led Utah with a 2-under-par 70.

Senior Steve Broker finished day one 1-under-par with a 71, and senior Chris Gresh posted a 73. Senior Nic Larson finished with a 76, and senior Dustin Pimm finished with a 78.

In the individual competition, freshman Derek Adams posted an 80, while freshman Chase Hite finished 10 strokes behind the leader with a 75.

Utah will finish the St. George-based tournament Tuesday.