Doing it all: TalonsCove general manager Kareen Larson juggles hosting and playing Utah Women’s State Amateur
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- TalonsCove general manager Kareen Larson watches her putt during the 2024 Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship at TalonsCove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
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- TalonsCove general manager Kareen Larson (right) hugs Grace Summerhays after their match during the 2024 Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship at TalonsCove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
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- Former UVU golfer Leighton Shosted hits her ball out of the sand during the 2024 Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship at TalonsCove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
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- TalonsCove general manager Kareen Larson hits her drive during the 2024 Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship at TalonsCove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
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- Faith Vui of Saratoga Springs watches her drive during the 2024 Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship at TalonsCove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
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- TalonsCove general manager Kareen Larson (left) lines up her putt during the 2024 Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship at TalonsCove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
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- Former UVU golfer Leighton Shosted watches her putt during the 2024 Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship at TalonsCove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
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- Lone Peak’s Saydie Wagner prepares to tee off during the 2024 Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship at TalonsCove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
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- TalonsCove general manager Kareen Larson hits her drive during the 2024 Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship at TalonsCove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
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- Former UVU golfer Leighton Shosted hits a tee shot during the 2024 Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship at TalonsCove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
Golfers at the 2024 Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship might see losing in the round of 16 in different ways.
Some might be disappointed, feeling that they wanted to go farther.
Kareen Larson, however, called it a huge success.
“To me, making it to the round of 16 feels like I won,” Larson said.
Knowing a little bit about Larson’s story makes that feat even more impressive.
On the golf course, Larson was the low senior in the stroke-play qualifying round on Wednesday, finishing with a 78 (6-over-par) to get the No. 21 seed in match play.
But she also had another very important role in making sure things ran smoothly at the event.
Larson is the general manager at the gorgeous TalonsCove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs, which is the host for the tournament. That meant she not only was trying to play her best but was also paying attention to all the details that go into such a competition.
“I was here at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, then I was buying Roma tomatoes at 5:30 a.m. this morning to bring them in,” Larson said with a smile. “I’m not going to lie. It’s been brutal.”
She was quick to credit her staff at TalonsCove, saying without their support it wouldn’t have been possible for her to compete.
“Everyone who knows me knows I’m the biggest headcase,” Larson said. “I was even thinking that I wasn’t going to play because there was so much going on. But somehow I was able to leave it there at the clubhouse. That was due to my staff and the volunteers. I couldn’t do it without them.”
Larson also said she benefitted from having tremendous support during the stroke-play portion to help her make it to match play.
“Yesterday I had this whole entourage that kind of just pushed me through,” she said.
Larson rode that momentum through her first match on Thursday morning as she defeated Kyra Sponenburgh, 2-and-1, then started strong against two-time champ Grace Summerhays in the afternoon round.
Summerhays — who plays for Arizona State — only led by one heading into the fifth hole, a fact Larson was very proud of.
“It will be great to say she was only one up on me,” Larson said. “I was actually down at Arizona State last year and Grace came up and said hi to me. It’s just so much fun.”
Larson said that things started to come unraveled and that she ran out of gas a little bit, while Summerhays kept rolling and eventually defeated Larson, 7-and-5, to advance to the quarterfinals.
But Larson loves seeing the talented young golfers compete and succeed.
“It’s absolutely awesome,” Larson said. “They are just so gracious and humble. It’s an honor to play them and watch them and see them grow up.”
She also said that despite the challenges, she loves having the tournament come to Saratoga Springs.
“It’s just an honor to hold it here and to also be able to give them this product,” Larson said. “We worked hard to have it ready. We were laying sod at the 11th hour and everything to have it be set. It is an honor.”
And as much as she loves competing, she admitted the there is a silver lining to having her run at the event come to an end.
“I’m actually glad that I can actually now go watch,” Larson said with a laugh.
A couple of other golfers with Utah Valley ties joined Summerhays in the quarterfinals, although it wasn’t easy.
Faith Vui (who is from Samoa but spends her summers in Saratoga Springs) saw her two-hole lead over Mia Cesarek from St. George evaporate early on the back nine, but rallied to win holes No. 14 and 16 to eventually secured the 2-and-1 victory.
It was even harder for former UVU golfer Leighton Shosted, who had a lead going into the final hole but saw Herriman’s Natalie McLane rally to force a playoff. On Hole 1, however, Shosted got the shots she needed to advance.
UVU golfer Pati Uluave and Lone Peak golfer Saydie Wagner both lost in the Round of 16, while Wolverine golfer Lily Shin, Orem’s Kaylee Westfall, Lone Peak’s Morgan Thomas Lehi’s Tacee Hess and Amanda Henneman all came up short in the Round of 32.
The quarterfinals of the 2024 Utah Women’s State Amateur Championship at TalonsCove Golf Club are scheduled to start on Friday at 8 a.m. with the winners advancing to the semifinals in the afternoon.
For complete details and scores, go to http://UGA.org.
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