Utah-connected golfers continue to thrive at KFT’s Utah Championship, as 7 of 9 make the 36-hole cut

Seven of the nine golfers in the field with Utah ties made the cut in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship on Friday at Oakridge Country Club in Farmington.

With the second round in the books, Cristobal Del Solar of Vina del Mar, Chile, leads the PGA Tour-branded event at 15-under after carding a sparkling 8-under 63 on Friday.

Former University of Maryland golfer David Kocher is alone in second at -14.

Farmington’s Daniel Summerhays, a Korn Ferry Tour regular who is currently 41st on the tour’s points list, is tied for 15th at -10 after shooting a 68 in the second round on what he calls his home course.

The cut came at -6, meaning that Utah-connected golfers Cooper Jones (-9), Connor Howe (-7), Kihei Akina (-7), Peter Kuest (-7), Carson Lundell (-6) and Max Brenchley (-6) will play this weekend.

Former Farmington resident Preston Summerhays, who currently plays for Arizona State, came in at -3, missing the cut by three shots. Utah State Amateur champion Cole Ponich, a BYU golfer, rallied back from Thursday’s 72 with a 69 on Friday to finish at -1 and well off the cut line.

Jones, who is playing in his third KFT event of the summer, recently completed his freshman season at BYU and will go on a church mission in September.

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Howe, Akina and Kuest are tied for 49th. Howe is a former Weber High star from Ogden who played collegiately at Georgia Tech and is now a pro.

Akina will be a senior at Highland’s Lone Peak High this fall and has committed to play for BYU. Kuest, 26, was an All-American at BYU and is from Fresno, California, but currently lives in American Fork.

The fifth-year pro had one of the most interesting rounds of the tournament Friday, making a double eagle on the par-5 second hole and an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole, which were his 11th and 16th holes of the day because he started his round on the No. 10 tee.

Kuest, who is 125th on the KFT points list and has played in 14 events this year, birdied the par-5 15th hole and made a par on the difficult 10th hole, a par-4 in the tournament which plays as a par-5 (and the opening hole) for members.

Like Kuest, Lundell is a former Cougar now trying to make it in professional golf. He got under the cut line with a 67 that included birdies on his first three holes.

Brenchley, who recently exhausted his eligibility at BYU, was even more clutch Friday, carding a 65 with a round that included an eagle on the par-5 second hole.