News

127th Utah State Amateur: Simon Kwon seeks a second title vs. Bowen Mauss 

In a quarterfinal match, David Liechty relied on the wrong information and drove his ball onto the green of Logan Country Club’s par-4 No. 18, while brothers Bowen and Jackson Mauss were preparing to putt and conclude their own match.

That would not be the weirdest thing that happened in Friday’s phase of the 127th Utah State Amateur Championship.

When their semifinal match reached the No. 17 green in the evening, Liechty and Bowen Mauss joined Utah Golf Association rules officials in setting an unofficial tournament record for most huddles on one hole. After the questions were resolved, Mauss was credited with winning the hole and tying the match.

And then he knocked in an 8-foot birdie putt from the fringe on No. 18, winning what he labeled a “crazy” match. Mauss advanced to Saturday’s 36-hole final vs. 2023 champion Simon Kwon, who could complete a remarkable four-year run in the State Am.

Kwon is a BYU golfer; Mauss will play for Arizona State. In another theme of the 2025 bracket, the match pits a Skyline High School alumnus (Kwon) vs. a recent Corner Canyon graduate (Mauss).

They have contrasting personalities, and they arrived in the final match in vastly different ways. Kwon pulled away early on the back nine to take a 6-and-4 semifinal win over No. 1 seed Noah Schone, while Liechty at a similar point seemingly was on his way to doing that to Mauss. But then Liechty wobbled and, even though Mauss missed a tying opportunity on No. 16, things got really interesting.

The short version: After his pitch shot on the short par-4 No. 17 hit a tree, Liechty called a penalty on himself when his caddie caused the ball to move. He ended up conceding the hole after a discussion with rules officials. In the meantime, Mauss worried that he may have committed a violation on his bunker shot by touching the sand on his backswing.

Mauss immediately raised the question, while noting that he’s always conscious of hovering his cub to avoid such a penalty. In match play, the penalty would have resulted in a loss of the hole and Liechty would have won the match. “In the corner of his eye, (Mauss) thought he saw a white speck,” said Colin Clawson, the UGA’s Director, Championships & Golf Operations.

After multiple conversations with Mauss, his brother/caddie (Jackson), rules officials and spectators, Clawson said, “We were not able to establish certainty that he did touch sand.”

So they were tied going to No. 18, where everything worked in Mauss’ favor. His drive sailed to the right, staying in bounds by about 10 feet. “Closer than I wanted it to be,” Mauss said.

His pitch shot went across the green, but stayed on the ledge, thanks to the fringe. “Luckily,” he said.

As for the winning putt, Mauss said, “I hit it a little too hard.” But the ball found the cup, ending a long day that started with this year’s second match between brothers.

In a 1-up quarterfinal victory that was decided by a conceded birdie on No. 18, Bowen Mauss outlasted Jackson Mauss, the older brother who plays for BYU.

Noah Schone chip in

Schone’s 60-foot, chip-in eagle on No. 18 sent him past Tyson Shelley, while Liechty was a 2-up winner over Jack Summerhays and Kwon topped John Fox 3 and 2.

In the afternoon, Kwon continued his trend of not playing beyond No. 16 in any of his five matches. He won the last five holes of the match, starting with a great drive on No. 10 from Logan CC’s practice green. You read that right: turning the green into a tee box created a different angle for the hole. The players seemed to think it was “cool,” as Kwon said.

Kwon himself is known for being “mellow” (his word). So it was rather stunning when, after drilling a birdie putt on the par-3 No. 13, Kwon yelled, “C’mon!”

“Energy kept building up and building up and building and I just kind of let it out,” he said. “Sometimes, you kind of have to. I didn’t even think it was going to happen, and it just happened.”

Mauss is continually emotive, especially when shots don’t meet his standards. “I’m definitely way too hard on myself,” he said, “but it’s, like, part of who I am. … I’m trying to work on controlling emotions. I’m not very good at it. It’s also what helps me play well, because I have extra fire to go and try and play my best.”

His best will be needed against Kwon, a grandson of golf legend Johnny Miller. Kwon is 17-2 in State Am matches in these past four summers. An 18th win would give him two career titles, matching his BYU coach, Bruce Brockbank. And his winning percentage would top Brockbank’s four-year record of 15-2 in the 1980s, which ranks as one of the best periods in State Am history.

Utah State Amateur semifinal recap written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photos by Fairways Media/Garrit Johnson.