by Joe Watts
Joe Watts is the executive director of the Utah Golf Association and a frequent contributor to Fairways

Fall - November - 06
Shootout Crystal Returns Home

The Shootout Crystal is the traveling trophy signifying the winner of the annual Utah-Arizona Shootout and for the previous four years the beautiful crystal trophy has had its home in Arizona. This year Utah returned it home ‘to its proper place.’

We’ve missed this crystal dearly. There’s been an awful vacant place in our Hall of Fame for the past four years.

The crystal has lived up to its name as the ‘traveling’ trophy. During the first eight years of the competition the trophy changed homes every year, with the home team winning each time. Utah broke serve in 2000 and the crystal stayed in Utah for three straight years. Arizona then won four straight, including wins in Utah at Glenwild and Soldier Hollow. It was during that time the crystal got ‘very home sick,’ even depressed, but Utah cured the problem with a 38 ? to 33 ? Prosac win at Laughlin Ranch in Bullhead City, Arizona and the crystal has been returned safely home, and ‘it’s feeling just fine, thank you.’

The Shootout series is now tied at eight wins for Utah and eight wins for Arizona with Utah hosting the event next year.

Bill Probst, one of the Utah captains, said, “The crystal is a lot like Utah golfers. We like Arizona, but not for long periods of time. The trip for the trophy was too long and it is happy to be home.”

Utah jumped off to a big start at Laughlin Ranch by winning the opening foursomes segment by a 12-6 margin and then added two points to the lead in the afternoon four-ball segment 10-8, giving Utah a 22-14 lead at intermission.

In the individual play Arizona cut into the lead with a 19 ? to 16 ? edge, but it was not enough to overcome the big lead Utah had built on the first day.

Herb Lyons was the only Utah player to win all three points in individual action, but Kirk Siddens won 2 ? points in his individual match.

Arizona’s seniors edged Utah’s seniors by one point and Arizona’s women edged Utah’s women by two points, but the Utah at-large group outscored Arizona’s at-large players by eight points.

“Although we were the visiting team we ended up with the home course advantage,” Probst said, “and that was a big factor in our victory.”

The Utah team arrived a day early in an effort to get acquainted with the very difficult course. It was windy and has highly sloped and very fast greens. The Utah team got two practice rounds on the course and learned where not to hit the ball. On the other hand, the Arizona players arrived late and half the team didn’t even get a practice round. Utah won the first day 22-14, and Arizona won the second day, 19 ? to 16 ?.

The Utah teams consisted of Greg Hunt, Clay Bingham, Herb Lyons, Tyson Lund, Andrew Barton, Kirk Siddens, Pat Murphy, Scott Clark, Brent Marriott, Allen Simkins, Terri Hansen and Lynsey Myers. The Utah team was captained by Bill Probst and Allen Simkins.