Klein battles through wind to take 2014 Utah State Long Drive title

Written by Andy Griffin
June 15, 2014
Interstate Batteries Utah State Long Drive at Coral Canyon Golf Course, Washington, Utah, Jun. 14, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St, George News

ST. GEORGE — Chad Klein must like even numbers. The St. George native captured his third Utah State Long Drive Championship Saturday — with the others coming in 2010 and 2012 — by defeating Carson Price in the finals of the event on a windy day at Coral Canyon Golf Course.

“The numbers were down a little this year, but we still had a great field in the 10th annual Interstate Batteries Long Drive,” said event organizer and ESPN SportsRadio 106.1 commentator Devin Dixon. “It was a windy weekend, especially in the finals.”

Champion Chad Klein, Interstate Batteries Utah State Long Drive, Washington, Utah, Jun. 14, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St, George News
Champion Chad Klein, Interstate Batteries Utah State Long Drive, Washington, Utah, Jun. 14, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St, George News

Klein hit the second longest drive of the day in qualifying, striking the ball 356 yards. That number was matched by fellow semifinalist Logan Leavitt, but both were topped by Seth Ellsworth, who nailed the longest drive of the day at 358 yards. The fourth semifinalist, Price, made it by ripping the ball 339 yards.

With the wind whipping, Klein defeated Leavitt in the first semifinal by driving 342 yards. Price and Ellsworth followed with Price’s 345-yard drive winning the semi.

Klein then out-distanced Price 346-336 in the championship match.

Mark Lesenburg won the men’s amateur title with a drive of 339 yards. Steve McCurdy was second at 330.

In the men’s 45-plus, Greg Walker hit it 329 to take the gold. Mark Frampton was second.

The men’s 52-plus was won by Greg Walker (338) with Jay Don Blake taking second (333).

Mike Beals (244) took the men’s 60-plus while Katie Perkins was the women’s champ, beating second-place finisher Jamie Bates by a mere 12 inches. Both women drove just over 252 yards. Tregg Pickup was the junior division (17 and under) winner at 314.

Ryan Bolton won the Salisbury Homes Shootout, leaving his shot just eight feet from the hole. Perkins was second at 10 feet and Triston Gardner was third at 14 feet.

Former Pine View star Andrew Shopinski won the Sunrise Tire Putting Contest, with a low total of 14 putts. McCurdy was second at 16.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2014, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andy Griffin has been in sports media since 1989 and has covered BYU, Utah State and the Utah Jazz as well as all sports in southern Utah. A journalism graduate of USU, Andy has carried on a dual career as both a sports writer and a sports broadcaster and has been heard around the country. He has also been published in USA Today, Sport magazine, The Sporting News, Fairways magazine, the Los Angeles Times and locally in the Deseret News, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Spectrum. Andy was “The Voice of Region 9 sports,” for many years. He also hosted a daily sports talk show for three years called AG in the a.m. Andy has been married to his college sweetheart Shelly for 28 years and has five children ages 13 to 25.

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