BYU golfer Cole Ponich wins Utah State Am

OGDEN, Utah (ABC4 Sports) – It was a battle of BYU teammates at the 126th Utah State Amateur at a blistering hot Ogden Country Club, as Cole Ponich and Cooper Jones battled in the 36-hole championship match.

After Ponich, a Davis High grad, birdied the first two holes and took a 4-up lead after 18, he then closed out the match on the second to last hole to win the match 2 & 1.

“I was in a good mindset all week, stayed positive,” said Ponich, who redshirted this past season at BYU to rehab a back injury. “I think it’s the best mindset have been in a long time. I think in the past, I’ve had not very good luck at match play. I’ve gotten a little bit down when I’ve gotten behind or late in matches, but this week I just made sure to go into it with a really positive mindset, and I think it helped me a lot.”

Jones, who just concluded his freshman season at BYU and is a former Lone Peak High School golfer, had a double eagle on the par-5 6th hole in the afternoon, the 24th hole of the match, helping him stay in the match.

But Ponich never trailed, and finished the match off on the 35th hole for the victory, securing an automatic bid to the U.S. Amateur Championship.

“When I hit those bad shots, I just kept reminding myself hey, just stay positive,” Ponich said about Jones’ comeback. “Whatever happens, happens. You’ve still had a great week. Just keep focus on one shot at a time. I made a promise to myself to work hard every day and that’s exactly what I’ve done and paid off.”

This was the first time that two current BYU players matched up for the Utah State Am title.

Ponich came into match play as the #2 overall seed, while Jones was the 5th seed. Ponich defeated Caleb Norton, Dan Horner, Parker Bunn, Elijah Turner and Davis Johnson to reach the championship match.

Jones’ older brother Zac Jones won the 2022 Utah State Am.

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