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By Randy Dodson
Willow Creek Country Club has seen its share of memorable championship moments, but for Davis County Director of Golf Dustin Volk, this year’s Utah PGA Senior Match Play Championship added another chapter to a long and successful career in the Section.
After a sun-splashed final day that featured a back-and-forth duel with Todd Tanner, it was Volk who emerged as the last man standing—thanks in part to a stretch of five birdies over his final seven holes, including the clincher on the 19th hole.
“Oh yeah, it was a little entertaining out there,” Volk said. “It was fun because we all know each other so well. It wasn’t like we were out there grinding with our heads down. It was pretty chatty, honestly—but still competitive when it mattered.”
Volk defeated Tanner with a 20-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole, the club’s closing hole, after both players matched pars on the 18th in regulation. The win followed a semifinal victory over longtime friend and fellow trophy hoarder Mark Owen—a player Volk has rarely gotten the best of in match play.
“I was telling Todd after the match, I don’t know if I’ve ever beat Mark in match play,” Volk said. “He knocked me out of the State Am a couple times in the '90s, and I know he got me at Hubbard (home to the Section’s Match Play championship) once too. So this one felt good.”
In typical Volk fashion, he was as gracious in victory as he would have been in defeat. “Honestly, if either of them had beaten me, I’d have gone home fine,” he said. “I told myself all day to just play the course, play my game, and let the results take care of themselves.”
The results went his way, largely due to a hot putter that seemed to light up when it counted most. Against Tanner Volk dropped multiple birdie putts—then again on 18 to close it out in extra holes.
“I rolled in plenty of acreage,” he said, laughing. “I’ve always felt like if I could keep the speed right, I’d give myself a chance. I’m not sure I’d call myself a great putter, but when you hit good speed from distance, anything can happen.”
Volk now joins a select group with wins across multiple Utah PGA major championships: Assistant’s Championship, Section Championship, Match Play Championship—and now Senior Match Play. He’s also the defending champion of the Utah Senior Section Championship, where he’s finished second and first in his only two appearances.
“There might still be a few trophies out there I haven’t won,” he said, only half-joking. “But yeah, I think I’ve got most of them covered now. It’s fun to look at those Section trophies and see your name on them over the years.”
Even as the Director of Golf for Davis County—overseeing Valley View and Davis Park—Volk continues to compete at a high level, often balancing his professional responsibilities with a desire to stay sharp on the course.
“That’s why we got into the business,” he said. “Guys like me, Zach Johnson, and Pete Stone—we all still love to compete. And as long as I can, I’m going to keep showing up.”
The win may just be one piece of a successful season for Volk, but it’s certainly a signature moment. And it adds yet another line to a résumé that keeps growing, even after turning 50.
“These senior events are great,” he said. “You get a second wave of competition, and you’re still playing from the back tees in the regular stuff too. It’s a little more motivating to have both divisions to compete in.”
At Willow Creek, it all came together—competitive golf, longtime friendships, and one more trophy for a guy who just keeps adding to the collection.
Joe Summerhays finally got an up-close look at the trophy for the Utah Section PGA’s Match Play Championship. His eyes went right to the inscription of the 1988 winner: Bruce Summerhays.
Joe’s father, then the PGA Head Professional of Wasatch Mountain Golf Course, claimed his title two years after the Section’s founding. The father-son achievement, 37 years in the making, was completed Wednesday, when Joe Summerhays outlasted Matt Baird in a 1-up victory in the 18-hole final match at Hill Air Force Base’s Hubbard Memorial Golf Course.
The latest Summerhays championship required winning an unprecedented six matches, with this year’s expansion to a 64-golfer bracket. On the way to claiming the $2,500 first prize, the teaching pro from Eagle Lake Golf Course/Oakridge Country Club had to play 25 holes in Tuesday’s quarterfinals vs. Tyler Ott.
And he was happy just to extend that match, thanks to dramatic putts on the last two holes of regulation. “Yeah, that was crazy,” he said. “Once you do that, you kind of feel like maybe it’s meant to be, a little bit.”
Such destiny seemingly was derailed Wednesday, when Summerhays three-putted for a par after two brilliant shots on No. 15 (the sixth hole of the match) and merely tied the hole. But if you know Summerhays, you know he’s not easily fazed.
“I just try to keep playing, try to leave that in the past and just play,” he said. “I knew I was playing well.”
That remained true, especially on the two par-5s of their second nine. Summerhays was in eagle range after two swings on each hole and Baird’s errant shots cost him good birdie opportunities. That’s how Summerhays came from 2 down on that side, and he pulled ahead with a birdie after a wedge shot to within 4 feet on the par-4 No. 8.
“I just made a lot of mistakes coming down the last nine, and Joe’s so consistent,” said Baird, the reigning Section Player of the Year and teaching pro at Riverside Country Club.
“This is a big deal for me,” said the 53-year-old Summerhays, a two-time winner of the Section’s Senior Match Play Championship. “I’ve always wanted to win it, and haven’t been able to do it. … It took awhile, but I got it done.”
The value of experience ultimately became a theme of the tournament, after the emergence of up-and-coming pros looked like a potential story angle. Defending champion Casey Fowles received a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed, before being upset by Josh Leddy in the round of 32. Leddy then lost to Ott, who threatened to eliminate Summerhays.
Youth eventually gave way to the veterans, with the semifinalists’ average age approaching 50. Baird topped Zach Johnson in 21 holes, while Summerhays was a 1-up winner over Tommy Sharp.
And then Summerhays rallied to earn his title as the No. 8 seed. He’ll look to add another Senior Match Play victory this summer, with the final match scheduled July 10 at Willow Creek Country Club. Baird will be among his biggest challengers.
The Utah PGA Four-Ball Championship has seen plenty of talented duos over the years, but none more successful than Bruce and Joe Summerhays. With their third title now in hand, the brothers have etched their names firmly atop the event’s modern era, claiming more championships than any team since 2008.
Their 2-and-1 victory over Jay Don Blake and Bryson Anderson in the championship match at Wohali Golf Club on June 25 wasn’t just a testament to consistency—it was a lesson in resilience. Playing through tricky winds, firm greens, and, in Bruce’s case, an ongoing Achilles tendon injury recovery that had him in a walking boot just weeks prior, the Summerhays brothers defeated both course and competition.
“Playing golf right now is just kind of a bonus,” Bruce said. “Physically, it’s really hard to be on my feet, but I’ve had a good horse in Joe. I just tried to hang in there and contribute.”
The defending champs entered match play with a bye and proceeded to take down a competitive bracket: Adam Jasperson and Tyler Ott in the Round of 32, Justin Gereau and Aidan Tueller 3-and-2 in the Round of 16, and the team of Evan Wartgow and Andrew Davis by the same margin in the quarterfinals. In the semis, they edged out the No. 4 seed duo of Ryan Kartchner and Todd Tanner, 1-up.
But the final wasn’t just a walk in the mountains of Coalville. Blake, the PGA TOUR veteran, showed flashes of brilliance—including two eagles in the semifinal win—and Anderson, just 22 and an assistant pro at Sky Mountain, rolled in putts with a young confidence. Still, it was the back nine at Wohali—especially holes 13 through 16—that tilted the championship in favor of the Summerhays team. Across both semifinal and final rounds, they made seven of their nine birdies on that stretch.
“It felt like a birdie fest in the morning, but in the afternoon the wind and firm greens really changed things,” said Joe. “We just tried to stay patient and take advantage when we could.”
Bruce admitted he wasn’t sure he’d even be able to play. “We weren’t sure I could do it. I almost had to sit out or have Joe find another partner. But that first drive I hit at Davis Park in the first match—I just crushed it—and we thought, ‘Maybe I can do this.’”
More than a win, their third title in nine years was about family. “Joe and I talk about it all the time—this is my favorite tournament of the year,” Bruce said. “To be able to compete with my brother, and to defend the title together, it’s really special.”
Wohali proved to be a fitting host with its elevation changes, dramatic vistas, and strategic green complexes. “It’s a fun golf course,” Joe said. “Some of those holes on the back nine, you’re not going to find them anywhere else but up here. It’s a fun course for match play.”
With a record number of entries in this year’s Four-Ball qualifiers, hosted at Valley View and Bountiful Ridge during the Spring Pro-Pro, the strength of the field only added to the significance of the Summerhays’ achievement.
“Winning is hard,” Joe said. “Anytime you can win is special, especially this championship.”
Thanks to sponsor Charley Carlson, the championship continues to grow in stature and history.
And now, with the Summerhays brothers’ names etched on the trophy for a third time, we can’t help but wonder: is a family dynasty in the making?
