The love of the game: Highland’s Steven Borget still enjoying state amateur 39 years after winning
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- Steven Borget of Highland watches his drive during the first day of the Utah State Amateur golf tournament at Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden on Monday, July 8, 2024.
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- Darrin Overson of Provo hits a drive during the first day of the Utah State Amateur golf tournament at Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden on Monday, July 8, 2024.
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- Former BYU golfer Cole Ogden watches his drive during the first day of the Utah State Amateur golf tournament at Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden on Monday, July 8, 2024.
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- Randy Hicken of American Fork prepares to hit his drive during the first day of the Utah State Amateur golf tournament at Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden on Monday, July 8, 2024.
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- Former BYU golfer Elijah Turner watches his shot during the first day of the Utah State Amateur golf tournament at Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden on Monday, July 8, 2024.
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- BYU golfer Zac Jones watches his drive during the first day of the Utah State Amateur golf tournament at Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden on Monday, July 8, 2024.
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- BYU golfer Simon Kwon watches his shot during the first day of the Utah State Amateur golf tournament at Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden on Monday, July 8, 2024.
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- BYU golfer Cooper Jones watches his drive during the first day of the Utah State Amateur golf tournament at Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden on Monday, July 8, 2024.
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- BYU commit Lincoln Markham hits a shot during the first day of the Utah State Amateur golf tournament at Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden on Monday, July 8, 2024.
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- Lehi golfer KJ Ofahengaue watches his drive during the first day of the Utah State Amateur golf tournament at Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden on Monday, July 8, 2024.
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- Golfers warm up on the putting green during the first day of the Utah State Amateur golf tournament at Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden on Monday, July 8, 2024.
The age range for the 156-golfer field in the 2024 Utah State Amateur Championship golf tournament covers a 55-year gap, with the youngest competitor checking in at 15-years-old and the oldest having already celebrated his 70th birthday.
There are 25 golfers who are 18 or younger and 12 who are 50 or over.
Golfers on the younger end of the spectrum may generally have the most success, but it’s an event that brings out the competitive spirit in the top amateur golfers regardless of age.
Steven Borget of Highland has plenty of great memories from competing in the annual tournament, something he has done for 40 years now.
“It’s just awesome,” Borget said Monday. “It’s a great tournament to be a part of with great history. The people who run it take it seriously and the people who play in it take it seriously. It’s as close to a US Golf Association event as we’ve got in Utah.”
Borget took a moment to think back to those early days before he teed off for his first round in this year’s competition at Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden.
He recalled the first time he made it to match play back in 1984, when the event was held at Wolf Creek golf course in Eden.
“It was hard,” Borget said. “The course was almost impossible. It was awesome to get in. I won my first match in sudden death and then lost my second match in sudden death. It was the longest day. I was the best man at my best friend’s wedding and missed half of the reception because it took so long to play those sudden-death matches.”
While that may be a memory to laugh about now, it was what happened in 1985 when the state amateur was held at Riverside Country Club in Provo that had the biggest impact on Borget.
“I had won a couple tournaments in the state by then, but then I came out and won it,” Borget said. “It was a surprise to me and everybody who watched me play, but I think I would have beaten anybody with how I played that week.”
He remembered that he had to fight through a four-hole sudden-death battle with Ron Hitchcock, who was the medalist that year. He took on BYU’s Jeff Goettsche in the finals in another tough battle, but held on for the 2-and-1 victory to secure the title.
“I played fantastic and it changed my confidence,” Borget said. “I was Player of the Year the year after the state amateur and won a million tournaments since then. It completely showed me that I could handle it, that I could go out and win. A switch kind of turned on.”
He smiled as he noted that in the years since then, that same switch has switched off a few times but said “it’s been on plenty, so it’s been great.”
Even though he knows he’ll be facing a lot of younger golfers, Borget still has the same fire to see what he can do at the tournament.
“Last year I was in the hospital before so I didn’t play but I still want to play well,” Borget said. “I still get nervous. I still want to get into match play. It’s been a couple years since I’ve made it to match play, so I want to get in there and see what I can do.”
He said he still enjoys the butterflies that come with competing in the big event.
“You’d think it would be hard to get nervous when you’ve played in so many but it’s not hard for me to get nervous,” Borget said. “But if I’m just a little nervous, that usually means I’m going to play better. But sometimes I get a little too nervous and then I don’t play better.”
Borget is one of 11 former Utah State Amateur champions in the field this year, a group that includes Brad Sutterfield (who won in 1992), Darrin Overson (1998), Gregg Oliphant (2002), Nick Nelson (2007), Dan Horner (2008), Jon Wright (2012 and 2014), Cole Ogden (2013), Jordan Rodgers (2015) and the last two winners who are both BYU golfers: Zac Jones (2022) and Simon Kwon (2023).
Kwon and Jones were part of a Cougar blitz on the first day of the event as the top four finishers all play for BYU.
Jones tied Cougar senior Cole Ponich for the clubhouse lead as both shot 65 (5-under-par) in the first of the two-round stroke-play qualifying. Kwon was one stroke back, while BYU junior Tyson Shelley ended up fourth with a 67 (3-under).
Ogden (a former Cougar star) came in with an even-par 70 to be tied for 13th, while Horner was tied for 36th at 72 (2-over) and Rodgers is near the cut line as he is tied for 60th at 74 (4-over).
The other former champions will need to make up some ground on Tuesday, including Wright (5-over), Overson (6-over), Oliphant (7-over) and Borget (9-over).
The top 64 golfers will advance to match play on Wednesday, with ties for the final spots being determined in a playoff on Wednesday morning.
All of the action will take place at the Ogden Golf and Country Club in Ogden, with the second round of stroke play starting Tuesday at 7 a.m.
For the complete leaderboard and information on tee times for the Utah State Amateur Championship, go to http://UGA.org.
