Former University of Utah golfer Blake Tomlinson, a two-time runner-up in the State Amateur, broke through against fellow pros on Sunday to win the Utah Championship, thanks in large part to three eagles.
A two-time runner-up in the State Amateur, he breaks through against professionals and collects $20,000.
The former University of Utah star, a two-time runner-up in the State Amateur in this decade, pitched in twice from just inside of 50 yards on par-4 holes and made a 35-foot putt for another eagle Sunday’s final round at Riverside Country Club. That explains why after autographing the pin flags from each hole, Tomlinson grabbed the ones from Nos. 1, 7 and 16 and carried them out of the clubhouse, along with the oversized check for $20,000.
A graduate of Skyline High School , Tomlinson lost to Ute teammates Mitchell Schow and Martin Leon in the State Am final matches in 2020 and ‘21. He also has delivered some impressive victories in Utah, winning the Salt Lake City Open as a teenager and making a hole-in-one on a par-4 at Bonneville GC in taking the SLC Amateur in 2020.
The final round began with a leaderboard that only a state open could produce, a year after Colorado pro Derek Fribbs’ double eagle on the par-5 No. 15 lifted him to a three-shot win. The co-leaders at 11 under Tomlinson, whose conditional status gave him only two starts as a rookie this summer on PGA Tour Canada, and Farmington’s Clay Ogden, a two-time Utah Open winner who only dabbles in tournament golf in his mid 30s.
Blair left Riverside feeling satisfied with his six-tournament preparation for the 2022-23 season that starts in mid-September in Napa, Calif. His goal this summer was to “get some tournament reps, see if I could golf still, see if you could ‘em when they count,” he said. “I feel like I definitely did that.”