Crimson Cliffs cruise to golf state title; Bracken nips Markham for individual crown

Crimson Cliffs entered day two of the 4A golf championship with a 16-stroke lead over Desert Hills, thanks to big first rounds from juniors Boston Bracken and Lincoln Markham.

Bracken was the overall leader entering the 2nd day of the tournament after posting a 66 (6-under) with Markham right on heels after a 67 (5-under).

Cody Felts’ team shot a -13 overall on Wednesday.

“It did calm the nerves a little bit,” said Felts. “We certainly didn’t think we had it wrapped up or by any means think that it was a done deal. But it was nice to have a little bit of a cushion coming in. It did seem like the boys in the first tee were a little more relaxed than they were yesterday.”

By the end of Day 2, Crimson Cliffs expanded its lead to 28 strokes and finished -3 as a team, shooting a 573 overall and coasting to a 4A state title on Thursday at Sky Mountain Golf Course in Hurricane.

Bracken entered the day with good momentum following an eagle to close out the first round.

Through five holes on Thursday, Markham had drawn even with Bracken, recording birdies on the first and fifth holes before a Bracken birdie on five pulled him back in front.

Bracken seemed poised to pull away from the pack with a Markham bogey on seven and double-bogey on ten, but a quadruple bogey on 13 shrunk his eight-shot lead to a four-shot lead with five holes to play.

“I actually just birdied the par 3 from 212 and I was pretty confident going into the next hole and just lost the drive,” Bracken said. “Didn’t hit the drive great all day and lost the drive outright and got a little stupid with it and ended up making an eight. I just tried to stay positive and knew I had a lot of golf left and tried to make a few birdies coming down the stretch.”

“I’ve seen this for years with Boston,” Felts said. “He just has this knack for coming back. He was upset with taking that quadruple bogey on that, but he knew he had to make it up and he just has a way to hit big shots when he needs it most.”

Eventually, Markham drew even at -4 with Bracken still having the 18th hole to play.

After a solid drive, Bracken stuck his approach 12 feet from the hole, and sunk an eagle putt to win the individual title.

“I knew I was tied with Lincoln, and I knew I had to make birdie,” said Bracken. “I had 156 yards in, I hit a really good drive, and I hit a pitching wedge a little downwind. Right as I hit it, I knew I hit it good. It landed just short of the hole and spun back.”

“The last few holes I had left every putt three-four inches short right in the jaws. So, I just made sure I got it there and it was exciting. It was good to have everyone that has supported me throughout my golfing career on the 18th.”

Bracken and Markham were the only two golfers to finish under par for the tournament, with Bracken shooting even on Thursday.

In 2021, the Mustangs lost to Ridgeline in a playoff at Birch Creek Country Club.

This year, the Mustangs left no doubt, and had no nerves entering Day 2.

“I’m not going to lie; it did motivate the boys,” Felts said. “It didn’t feel good to lose last year. They certainly felt as though they had a chance to do it and just didn’t pull it off last year and so it was motivating. They came in well-prepared. I was really impressed with how they were prepared and played in the practice rounds and were ready to play this week.”

Crimson Cliffs had five of the top 11 golfers in the tournament.

After Bracken and Markham, Preston Heward placed sixth, Dylan Winona finished tied for seventh, while Jarren Phillips was tied for ninth.

Winona was the only golfer to go under par on Thursday, shooting a -2 on the day.

“All of them fight. All of them working hard every single week and they’re fighting for a position to play,” Felts said. “We do qualify a little differently on our team; we don’t do it the traditional way that most people do. Everything is a qualifier for us: in practice, in par 3 contests, in chipping and putting contests that we do — all of that matters and all of them work so hard and want to be in our lineup.”

Desert Hills’ Brock Porter and Boston Dixon finished third and tied for fourth, respectively, as Region 10 took 14 of the top 15 spots.

More local high school sports: Crimson Cliffs dominates Cedar, claims first region title in program history

Sean Ellertson is a sports reporter for the St. George Spectrum & Daily News. To continue to support his work, please subscribe to The Spectrum. Follow Sean on Twitter @SeanEllertson.

This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Crimson Cliffs leads over Desert Hills in Utah high school golf tournament