Missouri golf legend ‘honored’ to have the statewide junior tour bear his name

FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ)

On Wednesday morning, youth golfers had a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn from one of the most legendary players to come out of the state of Missouri.

Thayer, Missouri's own Stan Utley, a professional golfer turned legendary short game instructor, held a short game clinic at Tanglewood Golf Course in Fulton, on Wednesday. This event came following the news that the statewide junior golf tournament would bear his name.

"The more I've thought about it, the more I'm honored," Utley said.

Back in March, Missouri Golf announced that the Missouri Junior Tour will be renamed the Stan Utley Tour, beginning in this 2026 season. Missouri Golf aimed to not only honor Utley's illustrious career on the links, but also honor how much he's given back to the next generation of golfers, as he holds clinic across the United States.

The Mizzou golf alum and PGA Tour winner said they surprised him with putting his name on the tournament, but he sees it as a great opportunity to honor his greatest mentor: Ken Lanning.

"It's a big responsibility. Like, I feel like I'm carrying the torch of Mr. Lanning. I say, Mr. Lanning, because he was my mentor and there's lots of people like that in Saint Louis and in Kansas City and around the country, but in our part of the world, down in Mid-South-Missouri, he was the guy. He wasn't a professional, like he was just a guy that made a living selling real estate and and gave his time to kids. So, it's very nice of them to put my name on this tour and it's a chance to leave a legacy here."

The Utley legacy already reaches far and wide, though, especially in Missouri. Over the years, he has spent his days passing the game he loves so much on to the next generation, something he feels like he was meant to do.

"I spend more moments than you can imagine thinking about how to get better at coaching. I think about it all the time. I joked, I said, I know enough about golf that I can watch social media now and get better. Like, most people get worse when they watch social media in golf because it's hard to understand what they're talking about. But, I just I love getting better and I feel like I'm still getting better. It's a constant passion. I think it's where God had me, like I was supposed to do this," he said. "Mr. Lanning told me one time, he said, 'you're going to be a fine player, but someday you're going to be a better coach.' Like, he blessed me by speaking into my life and I believe that's how it turned out."

On Wednesday morning, a large group of youth golfers, ranging in ages from five to 18, gathered around the putting green at Tanglewood Golf Course to learn from a legend. He gave them plenty of tips on playing the short game, which is more about the mental battle than anything else.

You can watch the full story on Utley's passion for passing the game down to the next generation on ABC 17 News at six, during sports.