Preston Summerhays was destined to go into the family business — the golf business.
By the time Summerhays was 3 years old, he wielded a cut-down driver and putter, and his father would bring a loaf of bread and let him ride around with him on the cart as he practiced all day.
“Ever since I was 10, I wanted to play professional golf,” he said.
Summerhays, 23, is playing this week on a sponsor exemption at the PGA Tour’s Bank of Utah Championship at Black Desert Resort in Ivins, Utah, as he makes his way in the pro ranks. Golf is a way of life for the Summerhays family, who are Utah golf royalty. His father, Boyd, played 11 years as a professional, including making it all the way to the PGA Tour in 2003. Injuries sidetracked his career, but he became a swing coach and worked for several years with tour pros such as Tony Finau, Wyndham Clark and Talor Gooch.
Preston’s great-grandfather, Pres, was head coach at the University of Utah and his great-grandmother, Lynn, was president of the Utah Junior Golf Association. His great uncle, Bruce, won three times on the PGA Tour Champions and was named coach of the year in the Pac-12 during a stint at Stanford. His uncle, Daniel, won on the Korn Ferry Tour as an amateur and played on and off on the PGA Tour since 2011, while his cousin, Carrie, played on the LPGA Tour and is the head women’s golf coach at Brigham Young University, and another cousin, Joe, won the Utah Section PGA Professional Championship and a host of state tournaments and played in a couple PGA Championships.
Preston is carrying on the family legacy in the Beehive state. Raised in Farmington, Utah, he twice won the Utah Amateur, including at age 15 to become the youngest champion in tournament history. He also won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2019, was named a first-team All-American at Arizona State University and represented the United States at the Junior Presidents Cup, Arnold Palmer Cup and Walker Cup. He finished seventh in the PGA Tour University ranking, which earned him status on the Korn Ferry Tour when he turned pro in June and extends through the 2026 season.
“It’s been a great learning opportunity for me to get those starts and have somewhere to play and just learn more about myself and more about the game week to week,” he said.
Five months into making his dream a reality, Summerhays was asked what he’s learned so far. “I learned that I love it a lot more than I thought,” he answered. “I love every single aspect of it. I love the travel. I love the prep for tournaments. I love the practice rounds. I love hanging out with my buddies on the road.”
The biggest surprise so far from being in the play-for-pay ranks.
“How much free time I have. It’s so great. I mean, I don’t have homework. I don’t have, you know, mandatory workouts. It’s nice,” he said. “I’m able to set my own schedule, practice when I want, able to recover how I want. You know, yeah, just really be able to take charge of my own career.”
Summerhays made 11 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour this summer, registering two T-7 finishes, including at the Utah Championship. His caddies have included former teammates, sister Grace, younger brother Cam and his dad, who will be on the bag this week.
“If there’s any week to play well,” Preston said, “it’s the week of a sponsor’s exemption on the PGA Tour.”
