SANDY -- BYU All-American Rachel Newren continued a family tradition Wednesday, becoming the third Newren sister to win the Utah Women's State Amateur golf tournament. Newren needed to edge out her head coach at BYU, Sue Nyhus, in the final round to claim the title.
At the Hidden Valley Country Club in Sandy, the 20-year-old Newren joined her sisters Nicole and Natalie, both former BYU golfers, as a State Am winner. Nicole is the defending champion and Natalie won in 2001, but neither participated in this year's event. Both sisters were on hand, however, to cheer on the younger Newren and celebrate with her after she sealed the victory on the last hole.
Newren entered the final round with a two-stroke lead over Nyhus, who was the co-leader after the first round. Nyhus fought back and held a brief lead on the back nine, but a Newren birdie on No. 16 shifted the momentum and set up some drama on the final hole. After tapping in a par putt on No. 18, the honorable mention All-America selection watched as her coach's attempt to force extra holes couldn't find the cup, earning Newren the one-stroke victory.
Nyhus was seeking to win the State Am in a third decade, but Newren's composed performance in the final round proved too much to overcome. Nyhus finished first at the event in 1985 and 1999.
During the 2004-05 season at BYU, Newren finished 39th in the final Golfstat Cup rankings and led the Cougars to their first top-25 finish in 20 years.