Utah Championship: Tourney has 4 exemptions

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Utah Championship: Strong field at Willow Creek

By Mike Sorensen

Deseret News
Published: Septmember 3rd, 2008

Twenty-four of the top 25 golfers on the PGA's Nationwide Tour will be teeing it up this week at Willow Creek Country Club for the Utah Championship.

Only Greg Chalmers, who ranks No. 3 on the money list is taking the week off.

Pro-ams will be played this morning and afternoon prior to the start of tomorrow's tournament. The 72-hole tournament runs through Sunday with a cut coming after Friday's round.

Even though the PGA Tour has limited field this week due to its FedEx Cup playoffs, PGA Tour regulars are not allowed to come and compete on the Nationwide Tour. However there will be a few former PGA regulars competing this week including former BYU star Bobby Clampett, who received one of the sponsor exemptions, Garrett Willis, the 2005 champion and Craig Kanada, the 2006 champion. Craig Barlow, another PGA Tour veteran, also received an exemption.

Also in the field are several players with local ties, including Daniel Summerhays, who ranks 34th on the money list with $125,675 in earnings, his older brother Boyd Summerhays, a former PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour player and Clay Ogden, the 2007 Utah Open champion and 2005 U.S. Public Links champion. Both Ogden and Boyd Summerhays were given sponsor's exemptions.

Other local golfers competing this week include Mark Owen, Chris Moody and Tim Hennick, who all qualified through the Utah Section PGA.

Fourteen golfers were added to the 156-player field in qualifying tournaments held Tuesday.

Daniel Arroyo of Oakland, Calif., led a group of seven qualifiers at Glen Eagle GC in Syracuse with a 63. Other qualifiers included James Oh of Los Angeles, Corey Prugh of Spokane, Scott Anderson of Scottsdale, Ariz., Ugyun Kim of Cerritos, Calif., Blake Adams of Swianboro, Ga., and John Rusk. The latter two survived a six-way playoff for two spots.

At Valley View GC, three players led the way with 66s, Andrew Dresser of Caroliton, Texas, Robert Grube of Palo Alto, Calif., and Jeff Wood of Sacramento. Four other players survived a six-way playoff after shooting 67 — Keith Huber of Fresno, Jesse Mueller of Mesa, Ariz., Jared Turner of Hurst, Texas, and Andre Stolz of Australia.

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2008