Men's Golf | 3/28/2025 8:00:00 AM
After a three-week break from competition, Utah Tech returns to action this Monday and Tuesday when the Trailblazers travel to "The Evergreen State" to play at the Seattle U Redhawk Invitational.
The two-day, 54-hole event will be held at storied par-72, 7,124-yard Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Park, which hosted the 2015 United States Open.
In addition to the Trailblazers and the host Redhawks, the 18-team tournament field will comprise of fellow WAC member Abilene Christian, along with Creighton, Eastern Kentucky, George Mason, George Washington, Idaho, Lamar, North Idaho, Oregon State, Penn, Sacramento State, Sacred Heart, Saint Thomas (MN), UC Riverside, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara.
The five player lineup for the Trailblazers will feature juniors
Zach Felts and
Tanner Telford, sophomores
Jackson Rhees and
Ashton McArthur, and freshman
Frank Miao. In addition, sophomore
KJ Ofahengaue will play as an individual.
HEAD COACH BRAD SUTTERFIELD: Brad Sutterfield (BYU, 1994) is in his 13th season as head coach of the Utah Tech men's golf program. Last season, Sutterfield led the Trailblazers to six top-15 team finishes in 10 events, highlighted by a sixth-place finish at the 2024 WAC Championships.
In the 2018-19 campaign, Coach Sutterfield and the Trailblazers enjoyed arguably their most successful season in the program's four-year era, posting six top-five team finishes and 11 total top-10 showings in 12 total team events, highlighted by a wire-to-wire victory at the 2019 NCAA Division II Men's Golf South Central/West Regional Championships. Utah Tech also placed ninth-overall at the 2019 NCAA National Championships and recorded a runner-up finish in its debut at the RMAC Championships.
In 2018, Sutterfield led Utah Tech to its third Pacific West Conference team title in four seasons, which earned him his second conference Coach of the Year award. The Trailblazers collected four tournament wins overall that season, along with seven-straight top-three team finishes and nine total top-10s in nine events overall.
Under his direction, the program finished in the top-three overall in the PacWest in six seasons overall, including consecutive PacWest team titles in 2015 and 2016, and a runner-up finish in 2014, for which Sutterfield was named conference Coach of the Year. Prior to his arrival at Utah Tech, Sutterfield, who played collegiately at BYU, played professional golf for 15 years as a member of the PGA Tour, European Tour, the Web.com Tour, Canadian Tour, Asian Tour and European Challenge Tour.
Coach Sutterfield is joined on his staff by former Utah Tech standout player
Spencer Wallace, who returns to the program in his first season as an assistant coach.
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech came away ninth place finish at the Idaho-hosted Bandon Dunes Championships, which was played this past March 9-11, at the Bandon Trails Golf Course in Bandon, Ore.
After opening with a 21-over 305 in frigid conditions, the Trailblazers came roaring back in during their second loop. Utah Tech tied for the third-lowest team score in the 16-team field with a 6-over 290, which vaulted the Blazers from a tie for seventh into solo fifth place on the leaderboard.
Utah Tech then closed with a final round 15-over 299 to finish with a three-day total of plus-42 894.
Telford (74-74-72) and Rhees (74-70-76) paced the Trailblazers as the duo tied for eighth overall at plus-7 220. For Telford it was his third top-10 of the season, while Rhees, who carded Utah Tech's low round of the event with a 1-under 70 in round two, posted his first collegiate top-10 showing.
McArthur (75-76-76) joined five other golfers tied for 40
th at plus-14 227, followed by Felts (83-72-75) in a three-way tie for 56
th at plus-17 230, and Ofahengaue (82-74-79) wound up in a six-way tie for 71
st at plus-22 235.
TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE: Through seven events this season, Miao (two tournaments) leads the team with a 72.00 scoring average, having carded par or better rounds in five of his six total loops.
Telford is second on the team with a 72.17 stroke average with eight par or better rounds, while Rhees is fourth at 72.38 with a team-high 10 par or better rounds.
Felts checks in in fifth at 72.81 with eight par or better rounds, followed by McArthur (eight par/better rounds) in sixth at 73.33, and Ofahengaue (two par/better rounds) in eighth at 74.67.
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will close out the 2024-25 regular season with an appearance at the UC Santa Barbara Gaucho Invitational, which will be played on April 7-8, at Sandpiper Golf Club in Goleta, Calif.
