'Perfect' ending for Parkinson at State Amateur golf tournament

HIGHLAND — All week long, the par-5 No. 17 hole had been very good to Joe Parkinson. In three matches prior to Sunday's finals match at the State Amateur golf tournament, he had won the hole after going in either tied or one down.

He was tied again Sunday afternoon when he was faced with a 242-yard shot that needed to be threaded between a pond and a bunker. With opponent Stu Gold in trouble in the trees to the left, the smart play would have been to lay up.

That's what Parkinson's father, Dan, who had caddied for him all week and helped with numerous shots, told him. But this time, Joe wasn't listening to his father caddy.

"No, I want this right now," he said.

Parkinson hit his 5-wood shot "perfect," fading it in slightly over the water and it settled 15 feet from the hole.

"As soon as I hit it, I knew it was good," young Parkinson said. "That was definitely the turning point. I knew if he was 1 down, it would put a lot of pressure on him. I knew if I could get a par on the last hole, I could seal the deal."

Parkinson indeed sealed the deal with a par the last hole to take a 2-up victory over Gold in their 36-hole final at Alpine Country Club.

In winning, Parkinson became the second straight 18-year-old, slightly built, BYU-bound golfer to win the State Am, following in the footsteps of 2009 winner Zac Blair.

"This is awesome," said the 5-foot-8, 139-pound Parkinson. "It feels incredible. I've always wanted to win this."

Parkinson nearly didn't even get the chance to play in the State Amateur, which was switched to his home course at Alpine earlier this year when Wolf Creek Country Club had to bow out. He failed to qualify at nearby Fox Hollow Golf Course and only got in by showing up Wednesday morning and waiting for a withdrawal.

He was lucky to get in as an alternate and promptly shot scores of 69 and 72 to grab the No. 9 seed. He disposed of McCoy Willey 6 and 5 in Friday's first round, then came from behind to beat former U.S. Junior Amateur champion Scott Hailes in the second round 1 up.

Then on Saturday he needed extra holes to beat medalist Robert McRae and 1998 champion Darrin Overson. In both matches Parkinson came from behind before winning on the 19th hole.