Written by David W. Smith
After three years of planning, the Utah Junior Golf Association and the Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association kicked off the first annual Border War-Jay Don Blake Cup, a junior golf tournament featuring the top junior golfers in both states in a Ryder Cup-format team tournament which ran Thursday, May 14, through Saturday, May 16.
After an emotionally and physically demanding Utah State Girls Golf Championships on Wednesday and Thursday, four girls—two from St. George and two from the Salt Lake region—joined eight boys to represent Utah in the inaugural team challenge between Nevada and Utah. Kyla Smith from Desert Hills High School paired up with Gracie Richens of Dixie High School in the unique and challenging tournament. They joined Utah’s UJGA 2014 Player of the Year, Jessica Sloot, and Kirsten Fotu, both from Salt Lake City, in representing Utah.
All four girls had just competed in their two-day State Championships. Sloot helped her 5-A high school team, Davis, win their second straight state title, while Smith’s Desert Hills 3-A team captured their sixth consecutive state championship, edging out Park City. All four girls finished in the top five individually, with Sloot beating Fotu by a stroke and Richins and Smith finishing third and fourth in their 3-A tournament.
When all was said and done, the girls ended up playing 81 total holes in four days, starting with 36 holes in their high school state tournament—the first time the Utah State Championships featured two 18-hole rounds to determine state champions. Then the Border War tournament started on Friday, with each girl playing 27 holes of team play, (9 holes of alternate shot and 18 holes of Best Ball). Saturday culminated the tournament with 18 holes of singles match-play.
The Friday morning matches for Border Wars were held at Sand Hollow on the Links Course. Despite rain and wind, Smith and Richens took on Nevada players Heidi Moser and Rebecca Certel, with the Utah girls winning 5 – 4. In the afternoon session, all matches moved to Coral Canyon Golf Club for “Foursomes” which is a team “best ball” format. The four girls went back and forth, with both teams garnering two-point leads only to have the other team make incredible shots or putts to even the score. After 18 holes, the two teams ended dead even at nine points each.
Saturday, the same four girls paired up again in singles match play. Smith took on Moser in the first match of the day, and Richens took on Certel in match two. Again, all four players found themselves one or two points down only to change the momentum. Smith, who started two down after the first two holes pulled ahead on the back nine. She ended up defeating Moser 10-8 and Richens beat Certel 10 ½ to 7 ½ with a strong finish on her last six holes.
While team Utah had to default one of the other girls’ matches when Fotu came up ill on the second day—forfeiting all 18 points—they still dominated the Border War tournament, defeating Nevada 200 points to 187, thanks to the strong play of the entire team of boys and girls.
The Border War event was sponsored by Jay Don Blake, Fairways Magazine, and the Red Rock Golf Trail and kicks off the summer golf season for junior golfers in both Utah and Nevada.
