Crowned Cougar: Former Davis star Cole Ponich checks Utah State Am off bucket list
Ponich automatically qualifies for U.S. Amateur
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- Davis alum Cole Ponich, left, blue, is presented with the Champion’s Trophy from the Utah Golf Association at the Utah State Amateur Championship on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Ogden Golf and Country Club in South Ogden.
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- Davis alums Cole Ponich, left, and Andrew Sampson, right, share a moment on hole 17 during the 36-hole championship round at the Utah State Amateur Championship on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Ogden Golf and Country Club in South Ogden.
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- Davis alum Cole Ponich chats with reporters after winning his first-ever Utah State Amateur Championship on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Ogden Golf and Country Club in South Ogden.
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- Highland native Cooper Jones (BYU) lines up a putt during the 36-hole championship round at the Utah State Amateur Championship on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Ogden Golf and Country Club in South Ogden.
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- Davis alum Cole Ponich watches his putt roll toward the hole during the 36-hole championship round at the Utah State Amateur Championship on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Ogden Golf and Country Club in South Ogden.
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- Highland native Cooper Jones (BYU) watches his tee shot fly during the 36-hole championship round at the Utah State Amateur Championship on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Ogden Golf and Country Club in South Ogden.
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- Davis alum Cole Ponich spots his tees shot during the 36-hole championship round at the Utah State Amateur Championship on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Ogden Golf and Country Club in South Ogden.
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- Davis alum Cole Ponich poses with the Champion’s Trophy after defeating runner-up Cooper Jones (BYU) at the Utah State Amateur Championship on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Ogden Golf and Country Club in South Ogden.
SOUTH OGDEN -- Cole Ponich could hardly imagine hoisting the men's Utah State Amateur Championship trophy a month ago, driving more than four hours to Hurricane to qualify for his fourth all-time appearance in the event, this time at Ogden Golf and Country Club.
A lower back injury hampered the Davis alum's senior season at BYU -- leaving another year of eligibility left on the table -- but could hardly be noticed as Ponich clawed through 36 holes in arguably his most impressive victory of the season over college teammate Cooper Jones (Highland).
The No. 2 seed scratched a big item off his bucket list by winning five consecutive matches this week.
"It's always been on the bucket list even though I haven't played many of them because, for most of my career, I've been busy with junior golf tournaments," Ponich said.
But it wasn't long ago that Ponich could hardly stomach the game. The BYU standout player has grappled with lingering back pain since his prep career.
"I was out of the competitive golf scene for a while," Ponich said. "I've always dealt with some back stuff, but it slowly got worse and worse to the point where it just wasn't fun for me to practice."
The Farmington native credits his mother, Becky, with carrying a large share of the weight throughout his recovery, which took off in June qualifying for the state am by a single stroke. Ponich quickly raced to his mother after sinking his tournament-winning par putt Saturday on hole 17.
"It's tough to go from being one of the better juniors in the country growing up to having a couple of years of struggling and going through some hard times," Ponich said. "We both know how far I've come in the last couple of months and I think she's just really proud of me."
Ponich teed off his day with an eagle and cruised to an early three-hole lead on the front nine.
Jones, the No. 5 seed, steadied himself and shaved a hole off Ponich's lead heading into the back end. Ponich added another eagle on hole 15 (par-5) en route to a four-hole lead by the end of the first round of the 36-hole title match.
Jones, finishing the back nine with four or fewer strokes per hole, stayed patient and caught the break he needed in the second round, trailing by five holes heading into hole 6. The Lone Peak alum sunk a double eagle from the fairway on the par-5 for a jolt of life, as Ponich conceded the hole after running into the rough south of the fairway.
"I was pumped for him," Ponich said. "It was pretty sweet. ... I just made sure to stay focused and stay in that moment ... If you let that shock you, then that's when your attitude kind of drops and it's hard to bounce back from that."
Jones stayed on the hunt and later capitalized on a Ponich bogey on hole 8 and birdied soon after on hole 10 to cut within just two holes of his teammate. Ponich birdied hole 14 to go 3-up heading into the final stretch.
Birdieing hole 16, Jones fell shy of Ponich on a decisive hole 17, where the two Cougars shared a unique moment celebrating each other's accomplishment on the green.
"Cole putted lights out in that first match and hung on great in the second (17)," Jones said of Ponich's performance. "I don't think I ever thought about losing until that putt came in 3 feet short. It just never crossed my mind, I think that's maybe why I won some matches this year more than in the past."
As champion, Ponich automatically qualifies for the U.S. Amateur Championships in Chaska, Minnesota, from Aug. 12-18 at Chaska Town Course.
Jones, who's preparing for a two-year mission in Peru with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, next competes at the Southern Amateur Championship in Lexington, Kentucky, from July 17-20 at Idle Hour Country Club.
"College golf prepares you for a lot," Jones said when asked about his previous season at Provo before hitting the tourney trail this summer. "You see it even on the PGA Tour now. Guys in college are competing with the best players in the world. ... In my first year, I learned a lot, I struggled a bit at the beginning and got my game towards the end. ... I'm excited for 2027."
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.