Watts going out on top at State Am
Dick Harmon
This week he'll preside over his final Utah State Amateur Championship after 40 years covering it as a sports writer, and most recently, directing it front and center as the executive director of the Utah Golf Association for almost two decades.
He first watched this tournament, the longest continually contested golf tournament in the world, as a sports editor for the Logan Herald Journal. And his love for this weeklong, grueling affair continued when he took a similar job at the Provo Herald.
I sat down with Watts and simply asked him why he was so hooked on this event. He retires from his post at the end of the year.
Of course, this was like inviting a Labrador retriever to a tennis match.
Watts spoke of the drama, battles, frayed nerves through qualifying, making of cuts, huge match play victories that went down to the wire or into extra holes. He named some of the golfers who'd gone on to great college or PGA Tour careers or are sprinkled around the West working as club professionals.
"He was the greatest amateur player of his time in this state and I'd bet he'd be equally up to the challenge if he'd lived and played in this era," said Watts.
Watts spoke of the 1967 semifinal between twin brothers, Craig and Kean Ridd, and how they'd made their way through the 36-hole qualifying into match play and ended up playing one another for one spot in the finals. The twins took it into extra holes as their parents watched, rooting for both but knowing only one would stand. It would be Craig. Kean is the current director of golf at East Bay in Provo.
He spoke of the match play final two years ago at Soldier Hollow when long-hitting teen Tony Finau, the finest Tongan golfer alive, held off Nationwide-bound Daniel Summerhays, himself a former champion and teen phenom in this event who'd go on to win a nationwide event in Columbus, Ohio, later that summer.
The state am that year provided Soldier Hollow, a 36-hole layout on the foothills south of Midway, a new course record when Michael McCrae fired a 67 on the gold course and a 62 on the silver.
Watts could go on and on.
And did.
Speaking of this event, his eyes are focused and a smile stretches across his face. He starts picking off dates, names and plays as if they were part of strokes on a canvas by Rembrandt.
Recent comments
Joe has been good in just about everything he has undertaken. Has...
kaumatua hanihana | July 9, 2008 at 5:21 a.m.
