Tomlinson & Watts Earn Pac-12 Honorable Mention Honors
SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced their All-Conference teams this morning as senior Blake Tomlinson was tabbed All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and freshman Braxton Watts was given Honorable Mention honors on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team.
"I'm thrilled for Blake to have been named all-conference in his final year with the team," said head coach Garrett Clegg. "He has been an incredibly consistent player for our program for the past five years. It is a well-earned honor for him and something to be really proud of!"
Tomlinson, the only Ute to be ranked inside the top-250 on Golfstat.com (218), earned the second-highest individual finish in Utah history at the Pac-12 Championships a week ago, turning in a tournament score of 284 (E) to finish T-6th.
His 72-hole score is the third lowest at a conference championship on record at Utah and became just the third Ute to finish in the top-10 at the Pac-12 Championships.
In his senior campaign, Tomlinson has been in the starting five in all 11 tournaments and finished in the top-10 in four of them. Tomlinson saw his highest finish of the year at the Duck Invitational, finishing in a team high fourth-place after shooting 2-under (211). Other tournaments Tomlinson brought home a top-10 finish from include the Mark Simpson Invitational (T-5th), Visit Stockton Invitational (T-7th) and Pac-12 Championships (T-6th).
Tomlinson shot his second-lowest 54-hole scores at both the Visit Stockton Invitational (205, -8) and Mark Simpson Invitational (205, -11). During the second round of the Mark Simpson, Tomlinson tied his personal-best 18-hole individual score shooting 8-under (64).
This is Tomlinson's second conference honor of his career, being named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team in 2018.
In his first season with the Utes, true freshman Watts achieved a feat that many freshmen aren't able to do in their first year of collegiate golf - earning a spot in the starting five of the teams first tournament of the season. Making his collegiate debut at the Maui Jim in Scottsdale, Ariz., Watts shot his best round on the second 18 shooting 1-over (71).
Watts didn't see much action during the rest of the fall season, but started in all six of the tournaments during the spring and finished in the top-25 in three of them.
Watts paced the Utes for most of the Pac-12 Championships, holding the team lead after three rounds with his lowest 54-hole score of his career (213, E). Watts struggled during his final round of play and carded a tournament total of 292 (+8), to place T-28th and give him the highest finish by a freshman in program history at the Pac-12 Championship.
In his second career start at the John A. Burns, Watts finished in a tie for 20th with a tournament score of 1-under (215). Watts shot his lowest 18-hole individual score in the opening round of the Lake Las Vegas, starting red hot shooting 4-under (68).
Watts captured his highest finish at the Duck Invite, finishing T-9th after shooting 2-over (215) and excelled in round two climbing the leaderboard six spots carding a 2-under (69).
"Braxton has come on this spring and has been incredibly consistent for us," said Clegg. "Has has had fantastic tournaments and to be recognized as one of the top freshmen in the league is an amazing honor for Braxton."
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