The No. 25-ranked Utah men’s golf team opened its season in good fashion, placing third in its season debut in the two-day 54-hole Wohali Tournament, which included 14 teams from across the country. Despite high winds and some tricky weather, the Utes were able to secure a third-place finish. Redshirt senior Davis Johnson took first place individually, and junior Gabriel Palacios finished third overall. These great efforts will hopefully set the tone for the season in which Utah hopes to push its overall rank and compete consistently throughout the season.
Johnson, who was mentioned earlier, had great rounds on both days. On day one, the redshirt senior opened with a 3-under score of 68 and a 1-under score of 70. Johnson backed it up in the last round, scoring a 5-under (66) with a total score of (204). Johnson would take home first place honors and Wohali individual champion, making a tie with Arizona State’s Connor Williams. This is also Johnson’s second individual win.
The final score of 204 marks one of Utah Golf’s lowest scoring 54-hole games in the history of the team. This 54-hole score was last seen by Javier Barcos, who shot a 201 round in the 2023 Pac-12 Championship.
Palacios, who finished third overall individually, also had a good tournament. Palacios started the course with a solid start of a 1-over (72). In the second and third rounds, Palacios put it all together, boasting scores of a 3-under (68) and a 5-under (66) in the last round. Despite Palacios’ slow start, he was able to pick up his pace in the later rounds, lowering his score enough for a podium finish. Palacios tallied an impressive 8-under run in the last 16 holes of the tournament.
Brandon Robison placed eighth in the standings. Robison started with a 3-under (68), then followed this with a 4-over (75). This score pushed him down in the standings on day one. Throughout the second day, Robison showcased his talents, shooting a 4-under (67) and helping secure the top 10 placement.
Sergio Jimenez placed 29th individually. Jimenez shot a 1-under in the first round (70), 3-over in the second (74) and lastly finished with a 4-over in the third (75). This placed him at a total of 6-over (219).
Rounding out the squad for the Utes was Adam Croix. He had overall finishes with a 3-over (74), a 7-over (78) and a 5-over (76). This made his total score (228). Despite his slightly slow start, he still managed to provide steadiness throughout the tournament, rounding out Utah’s five-man lineup. With more consistency in future tournaments, Croix has the potential to help turn those rounds into strong ones.
Utah finished with an overall team score of 839 (278-287-274), which marks the program’s ninth lowest score for a 54-hole competition in history. The Utes placed behind Arizona State and New Mexico by one stroke. Both schools finished with a score of -14 each, one better than Utah’s -13.
The Wohali tournament featured 14 teams, many of them being nationally recognized as great programs. Utah’s ability to compete with these schools shows it can compete, no matter the competition.
Utah’s balanced effort throughout this tournament will allow them to defend their No. 25 ranking with plenty of room for improvement. With great individual showings from Johnson and Palacios, the Utes have proved that they have the firepower to go far. Utah will face its next challenge in the Tindall Invitational from Sept. 22 through Sept. 23 in Washington.
