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By Kurt Kragthorpe, Fairways Media
The event now known as the Larry H. Miller Utah Open has come a long way since 1926, when five professionals and 15 amateurs competed in a three-day, 90-hole event spread across five golf courses.
As the tournament's centennial is celebrated at Riverside Country Club in Provo, UT, Utah Open history can be divided into five basic eras:
* The founding years, from 1926-36, when the event served as a complement to the historic State Amateur, while golf was just starting to become a true profession.
* The PGA Tour period, from 1937-63. This era was certainly not continuous, with only seven tournaments considered tour stops. Yet these occasional visits were glorious, bringing the biggest names in the sport to Salt Lake City.
* The variety of venues, from 1965-80. Once the PGA Tour stopped coming, the host Utah Golf Association moved the tournament around to various courses, such as Alpine Country Club, Stansbury Park Golf Course and Logan Country Club.
* Willow Creek Country Club's run, from 1981-98. Especially in the '80s, before what's now the Korn Ferry Tour was created, aspiring pros from around the country needed places to play. Willow Creek, and the tournament affiliation with University Hospital, became a premier event for off-tour players.
* The Utah Section PGA era, 2000-present. The tournament nearly dissolved, due to sponsorship issues, before the Section stepped in and rebuilt it into a thriving operation and a rallying point for the Utah golf community.
Over its hundred years, some of Utah golf’s biggest names have earned the Utah Open champion title including Billy Johnston (1954), Mike Malaska (1974), Jimmy Blair (1981), Mike Reid (1983, 1985), Jay Don Blake (1988), Bruce Summerhays (2008), Zac Blair, Jimmy’s son (2023) and most recently Kihei Akina, one of Utah’s most decorated amateurs, took home the trophy from Riverside Country Club last year.
Because one year was skipped (1964), the 2026 event represents both the 100th tournament and the 100-year anniversary. A year-by-year review of the Utah Open's evolution and its champions is available on UtahPGA.com. Here’s a look at the first year of the tournament’s history and last year’s:
THE FIRST
1926: Eddie Morrison, who also won the Utah State Amateur that year, took a nine-hole stroke lead after 54 holes. His 82-81 showing on the final day, split between Fort Douglas Country Club and The Country Club, barely kept him in front. He finished one stroke ahead of Fort Douglas Pro Lewis Crook, who closed with a 71.
LAST YEAR
2025: Shortly before starting his BYU career, Kihei Akina became the second-youngest winner of the Utah Open. Ed Kingsley, the 1934 champion, topped him by 29 days. Akina, a Lone Peak High School graduate and member of the first U,S. National Junior Team, shot 66-65-68 for a 17-under-par total at Riverside Country Club. He finished two strokes ahead of amateur Cole Ogden and Professionals Spencer Wallace and Brady McKinlay, who earned $20,500 each in the first year of the Larry H. Miller Utah Open title sponsorship.
The Utah Open BY THE NUMBERS
Oldest winner: Bruce Summerhays, 64 (2008)
Youngest winners: Ed Kingsley, 19 years, 6 months (1934)
Kihei Akina, 19 years, 7 months (2025)
Mike Brannan, 19 years, 7 months (1975)
Father-son champions: Jimmy Blair (1981), Zac Blair (2023).
18-hole scoring record: 61 -- Ray Arinno, Logan CC (1980); Milan Swilor, Willow Creek CC (1992), Patrick Boyd, Willow Creek CC (1996), Derek Fribbs, Riverside CC (2024).
54-hole tournament scoring record: 26 under par -- Patrick Fishburn, Riverside CC (2017).
72-hole tournament scoring record: 22 under par -- Billy Johnston, Timpanogos GC (1954); Johnston, The Country Club (1960).
Biggest victory margin: 12 strokes -Todd Fischer, Jeremy Ranch G & CC (2000).
Winners of Utah Open as PGA Tour events:
1937 -- Al Zimmerman, Fort Douglas CC.
1938 -- Al Zimmerman, The Country Club.
1947 -- Johnny Palmer, The Country Club.
1948 -- Lloyd Mangrum, Fort Douglas CC.
1958 -- Dow Finsterwald, The Country Club.
1960 -- Billy Johnston, The Country Club.
1963 -- Tommy Jacobs, The Country Club.
Amateur winners:
1926 -- Eddie Morrison
1927 -- C.E. Foley
1934 -- Ed Kingsley
1949 -- Joe Bernolfo
1974 -- Mike Malaska
1975 -- Mike Brannan
2004 -- Greg Buckway
2017 -- Patrick Fishburn
2025 -- Kihei Akina
Longest sudden-death playoff: 4 holes -- Zac Blair def. Javier Barcos (2023). Biggest playoff: 4 players -- Jimmy Blair def. John Godwin, Buddy Allin and Mike Brannan (1981).
