Provo • Organizers of the Utah Women’s Open had a modest goal of attracting 40-player field in the golf tournament’s first year, and they came close to achieving it.
The breakdown between pros and amateurs is not quite how they pictured it, though. A partial overlap with the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament apparently has kept some out-of-state pros from coming to East Bay Golf Course for the 36-hole event, scheduled Saturday and Sunday.
A field of 11 pros, including some recent collegians and members of the Utah Section PGA, will join 28 amateurs. “We’ve got to start somewhere,” said Devin Dehlin, the section’s executive director.
The pros will play for a first prize of $3,000, with Siegfried & Jensen as the title sponsor and Fairways Media as the presenting sponsor.
Utah Women’s Open<br>Saturday-Sunday<br>At East Bay Golf Course, Provo
The law firm and the Utah Section PGA are the driving forces of the Utah Open, which has been staged since 1926. The Utah Women’s Open winner will receive an exemption into that event, which starts next Friday at Provo’s Riverside Country Club — following four days of pro-am tournaments.
Organizers wanted to tie the new women’s event to the Utah Open as closely as possible, explaining the choice of dates. That created a conflict with LPGA qualifying in southern California, where practice rounds will begin Monday and a weekend tournament is being staged to give players incentive to arrive early.
Sirene Blair, however, will play in the Utah Women’s Open before going to California. The former Bingham High School star, who recently turned pro after completing her San Diego State career, is paired with her sister Tess in Saturday’s opening round.
Kelsey Chugg, who won her fourth Women’s State Amateur title in early August, leads an amateur field that includes several BYU golfers.