Preston Summerhays will turn 16 next week, but 60 is the number that really will make this month memorable for him.
The Utah State Amateur champion came within inches of shooting a 59 on Monday, posting a 12-under-par 60 at Soldier Hollow Golf Course in Midway in the second round of a U.S. Amateur qualifying event. Both rounds were played on the Silver Course. Summerhays opened with a 65 and then made 10 birdies and an eagle (on the par-4 No. 14) to break the course record. His third shot from 52 yards on the par-5 No. 18 stopped 5 inches from the hole.
Boyd Summerhays, Preston’s father, was 17 when he shot a 62 at Wingpointe Golf Course in U.S. Amateur qualifying. The former PGA Tour player, now a noted golf instructor, caddied for his son Monday.
Preston Summerhays will be a sophomore at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Ariz. His family spends the summers in Davis County, where his parents grew up and he was born.
With two spots available in a starting field of 68 players, Summerhays finished nine strokes ahead of Drew Kittleson (67-66), who's also from Scottsdale. Kurt Owen (69-65) finished third.
The U.S. Amateur is scheduled Aug. 13-19 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California. BYU golfers Rhett Rasmussen, Peter Kuest and Spencer Dunaway and the University of Utah’s Kyle Dunkle, the State Am runner-up, also have qualified.
