SALT LAKE CITY — Kate Walker took a long sigh of relief Wednesday, and not just because the recent Crimson Cliffs graduate and three-time 4A state medalist added to her trophy with the 3rd annual UGA Utah Girls' Junior State Amateur championship at Bonneville Golf Course.
Less than three months ago, Walker was signed to continue her golf career at Utah Tech. But after what she described as personal reasons, the hard-swinging 5-foot-6 golfer will head to BYU in the fall with one of the top honors in Utah junior golf.
But between her final round at the 4A state tournament in May and the UGA's amateur championship, the former Mustangs star had to make one of her hardest decisions.
The decision involved calling Utah Tech coach Lindsey Orth to ask for a release of the national letter of intent she signed in November.
Walker committed to her hometown university well before the early signing period. But personal circumstances changed for her, she said, and the senior asked out of her national letter of intent without an idea of where she'd end up playing her freshman season.
Fast forward to Wednesday, when Walker closed out Farmington rising junior Aspen Taylor, 7 and 6 in the UGA's third edition of the junior state amateur.
"I've had some family stuff going on in St. George, and I chose to leave," Walker said. "I really didn't have a plan; it was just to see what there was — and BYU ended up being the spot.
"I was lucky that there was a spot for me," she added. "I really didn't know where I was going to go ... I'm really excited to play, and hopefully contribute."
After Taylor squared the match winning back-to-back holes on Nos. 10 and 11, the top-10 finisher at last year's 6A state tournament — as a sophomore — played all square through 13 of the 36-hole final.
14 seed Aspen Taylor (photo) will take on 4 seed Kate Walker 8:00 a.m. Wed. at Bonneville GC in the championship match of the 3rd annual @UtahGolfAssn Utah Girls' Jr State Am. Taylor defeated 2 seed Natalie Mclane 4-and-3 in her semifinal match.
— Randy Dodson (@RandyatFairways) June 16, 2026
Scoring: https://t.co/8YrU9mi0h9pic.twitter.com/7JQnUbAcpg
But that was part of a stretch of 15 consecutive holes won by one standout junior golfer or the other; Taylor took five and Walker the other nine holes before clinching, 7 and 6 on the 12th hole.
Not that Walker noticed any of it.
"The thing with me and match play is that I'm not really thinking about where I'm at; I'm just playing golf," she said.
"But I started off really hot on the second 18," Walker added after a lunch that included a sandwich and a Coke Zero.
The St. George native and three-time 4A individual medalist recently de-committed from Utah Tech, where she signed in November. It was one of the hardest things she's had to do, Walker told KSL.com, as she asked out of her national letter of intent without any idea of where she would play next.
Fortunately for her, BYU coach Carrie Roberts had a spot for Walker. She just had to get accepted into school, and that answer came June 9, when the Cougars announced Walker would join the team for the 2026-27 season.
"We are excited to have Kate join us for this upcoming season," Roberts said upon signing Walker. "She's an extremely successful player as well as a person of high character. She will bring an added layer of competition to our squad that will elevate our team tremendously."
Walker was the runner-up of the 2025 Utah Women's State Amateur, won four junior golf events a year ago, and finished as the most recent UGA Women's Player of the Year — the first high school to receive the honor since Sirene Blair in 2012.
Walker joins returning BYU golfers Whitney Banz, the former West High and Westminster two-sport standout, on the 2026-27 season, as well as former Lone Peak stars Berlin and Aadyn Long and rising senior MJ Barragan, who wrapped up her junior season at the NCAA regional in Louisville.
Utah-bound Pedersen holds off Winona for boys' junior am title
In the UGA Utah Junior State Amateur, Olympus grad Will Pedersen went 2 up through 18 and held off Utah Valley commit Dylan Winona from St. George, 4 and 3 in the boys' championship final.
Pedersen went 3 up with back-to-back wins on the 14th and 15th holes before Winona pulled one back.
But the Utah signee who previously won the UJGA junior state amateur title in 2025 (15-18 year old division) shot 32 after a brief lunch break to seal the win with a birdie on the 15th hole.
"The driver was awesome … and the putter kept going all week," Pedersen said. "When those two things are good, I play very well."
The win adds to Pedersen's summer calendar, and frees up a few spots, too. He's already scheduled to play in a U.S. junior amateur qualifier next Monday at Glenmoor Golf Club in South Jordan. But …
"I was going to have a state am qualifier two days after that; I guess I won't be needing that anymore," Pedersen said after earning an exemption to the longest continuously played tournament in world golf. "Then the state am, and one or two AJGA tournaments — and the Utah Open, now."
