Utah Jazz guard Kyle Korver will be among the 157 contestants when the Men's State Amateur golf tournament is played next week at Valley View Golf Course in Layton.

Korver was on hand at the annual media day Wednesday at Valley View, where he shot a 2-over-par 74. The Jazz guard was given one of two exemptions allowed by the host club, along with club champion Shane Cullimore.

Last summer, Korver played in the Utah Open with rounds of 85 and 79, but said Wednesday, "my game is a little stronger than it was."

"He's a great athlete and he played well today," said Valley View pro Matt Lyons, who played with him Wednesday. "He has a legitimate shot to make it to match play."

The 111th State Amateur will be played July 8-12. The low 32 players after Wednesday and today's medal rounds will play in match play beginning Friday through Sunday's 36-hole final.

Defending champion Dan Horner, a 31-year-old from Sandy, also toured Valley View and came away impressed with the layout.

"It's going to be a great test," he said. "You have to hit it in the right spots on these greens. If they speed (the greens) up, it will make it interesting."

The field will include eight former champions, including Horner, Tommy Sharp, Gregg Oliphant, Darrin Overson, Todd Barker, Doug Bybee, Jason Wight and Steve Borget.

Schneiter gets 2nd

For the 10th time in his career, Sandy professional Steve Schneiter will be playing in the PGA Championship in August.

The 45-year-old Schneiter qualified by finishing in a tie for second at the PGA Professional National Championship at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. Wednesday. The top 20 finishers earn spots in the PGA, the last of the four majors every year.

Mike Small, a 43-year-old pro from Aurora, Ill., won the tournament, shooting a final-round 68 for a 277 total. Schneiter had a final-round 71 and tied with third-round leader Mark Sheftic of Hanover, Pa., at 278.

Schneiter had a roller-coaster round that included a pair of 2s as well as a double-bogey 7.

After making the turn at even par for the day, Schneiter made birdies at 11 and 13, sandwiched around his double bogey at No. 12. When he made a birdie-4 at No. 16, he moved into a three-way tie with Small and Sheftic, only to bogey No. 17.

Provo's Chris Moody came up a stroke short in his bid to play in the PGA next month. Moody finished in a tie for 24th place at 283 after a final-round 69

Schneiter has usually done well in this tournament, winning in 1995, and finishing second in 1997 and 2003

The PGA Championship will be played Aug. 13-16 at Hazeltine National Golf Club, near Minneapolis.

E-MAIL: sor@desnews.com