High school boys golf: Rawson Hardy clinches best individual performance as Park City reclaims its throne with 4A championship

For most schools, a six-year championship drought is not particularly long, but for a program as dominant as Park City golf, it felt much longer.

The Miners had won 15 state championships prior to this year’s state tournament, 11 of which were won between 2008-2018. Park City had come up short in the years since but took advantage of its slim Day 1 lead to stay on top throughout Day 2 Thursday to take home the title again.

“It’s been a little drought, and these guys didn’t really know how it feels to win state and they haven’t seen other teams that came before them from Park City,” said Miners head coach George Murphy. “They got to experience it for themselves and I’m super happy for them.”

The Miners saw big improvements from Rawson Hardy, Sam Hunt and Forest Summers on Day 2. Summers struggled a bit in the back half on Wednesday with a double bogey on No. 11 and bogeys on Nos. 12, 13 and 15, but he cleaned things up Thursday, recording only one bogey while putting up three birdies to finish in a five-way tie for ninth at 143.

He was joined there by teammate Sam Hunt.

“I’m so proud of the whole team, and of guys like Sam Hunt and Forest Summers,” Murphy said. “They gritted it out and just grinded away. Both of them ended shooting one under and ended in that ninth place tie.”

However, one of the largest highlights of the day for the Miners was watching Hardy sink a put on the 18th hole, which secured the individual first place medal.

Hardy ended the 36-hole tournament at 8-under par 136, one stroke better than Desert Hills’ Brock Porter, who gave Hardy a fight until the final hole.

Porter started Day 2 a bit rough with three consecutive bogeys on holes 3, 4 and 5 but improved greatly on the back nine with six birdies, keeping him neck-and-neck with Hardy.

Porter put pressure on Hardy as the Park City golfer stepped up to the 18th tee box. Hardy had to get a birdie or better to win the individual race, while a bogey or worse would lose.

With the crowd surrounding the green, Hardy sunk his putt to birdie the last hole and cap off the state tournament with both an individual and team championship.

“It feels good,” said Hardy. “I’m happy to do it for coach Murphy, and it was fun three years of high school golf. I’m excited that I got the job done today. We came to play and it worked out for us this week.”

Despite how close the individual race was, Hardy turned down coach Murphy when asked if he’d like to know the standings for the individual race.

“I asked him right before he walked to the green, ‘Do you want to know where you stand?’ and he said no,” Murphy said. “The kid has a great mentality. I say he’s the Man of Steel.

“He’s got the prototype of a of a college golfer already as a junior in high school, and he’s been that way for a year or two. Just a talented and great kid.”

4A State Tournament

At Meadow Brook Golf Course (par 72)

Full leaderboard

Final team scores

572 – Park City

577 – Desert Hills

586 – Crimson Cliffs

588 – Ridgeline

604 – Cedar

606 – Orem

610 – Uintah

613 - Stansbury

Individual results (Top 20)

136 – Rawson Hardy, Jr., Park City

137 – Brock Porter, Sr., Desert Hills

141 – Maddox Nielsen, Sr., Orem

141 – Mack Herzog, Fr., West Field

141 – Tanner Wade, Jr., Desert Hills

141 – Easton Toone, Sr., Murray

142 – Eastyn Ewell, Jr., Uintah

142 – Sam Ballingham, Sr., Green Canyon

143 – Denver Douglas, Jr., Stansbury

143 – Forest Summers, Sr., Park City

143 – Ammon Allred, Jr., Snow Canyon

143 – Sam Hunt, Sr., Park City

143 – Dallin Anderson, Fr., Ridgeline

144 – Maverick Rhodes, Sr., Crimson Cliffs

144 – Jack Griffith, Sr., Stansbury

145 – Matthew Robb, Sr., Cedar

145 – Jarren Phillips, Sr., Crimson Cliffs

145 – Miles Cromwell, Jr., Sky View

146 – Roman Johansen, Jr., Ridgeline

146 – Carter Terry, Sr., Desert Hills