Jeon wins title at Utah Invitational
Utah State sophomore Seokwon Jeon placed first in the Utah Invitational Golf Tournament, becoming the second Aggie in a row to win a tournament outright. Senior Tanner Higham placed first in the Boise State Invitational Sept. 23-24.
“I’ve told Tanner for four years that he will win a tournament,” said Utah State men’s head golf coach Dean Johansen. “Seokwon, we knew right when he was a freshman that he would win tournaments. So it was only a matter of time until he would win one, so doesn’t surprise me that he has won already.”
Jeon shot a 3-under-par during his final round Tuesday and won a two-hole playoff to claim medalist honors at the Utah Invitational.
“When I go in a playoff, it’s against one person, so I’ve got to be a bit more aggressive. I was just trying to see what he does and play my shots off of that instead going off my original game plan,” Jeon said regarding his playoff performance.
Jeon tied his collegiate best with 4-under-par during his first of three rounds on Monday, and then followed it up with an even-par effort in the second round.
Along with the success of Higham and Jeon, the Aggie team itself has seen recent success, placing fifth place at the Boise State Invitational and finishing in second place at the Utah Invitational. The Aggies led through the first two rounds until giving up their lead to eventual champion Boise State.
“We are getting there,” Johansen said. “It’s not a matter of ‘if,’ it is a matter of ‘when,’ because we will win one of these tournaments soon. We need to play three solid rounds. In Boise we played two solid rounds, and at Utah I feel like we played two and a half rounds. We will win though, no question.”
Higham finished the Utah Invitational tied for 11th place with a 2-over final score, and sophomore Brennan Coburn finished tied for 26th place with a 6-over final score, followed by Grahm Schmaltz who finished in 35th place with an 11-over. Freshman Braxton Miller tied for 42nd with a 16-over and Dylan Cramer tied for 52nd with a 21-over.
“In all my years here, I believe that this team is the best I’ve coached,” Johansen said.