Nathan Utley recorded the lowest score on both nines, turning an early advantage into a six-stroke victory over Mitch Lear.
Nathan Utley established control early at the 2022 Midwest Masters—and never surrendered it.
Utley posted matching nines of 41 for a 10-over-par 82, defeating Mitch Lear by six strokes and completing a round in which he held at least a share of the lead after every hole.
His advantage was built on consistency. Utley was the only player in the field to complete either nine in fewer than 43 strokes, and his two 41s gave him the best score on both sides of the course.
The tournament began with Utley, Lucas Rogers and Kevin Schuh sharing the lead after opening pars. Utley then separated himself at the second, making another par while Rogers and Schuh encountered difficulty.
By the time the field left the third green, Utley had opened a two-stroke advantage over Rogers. He remained two clear through the sixth, having started his round with three pars followed by three consecutive bogeys.
The first major turning point came at the par-5 seventh.
Utley produced his only birdie of the round, recording a 4 to extend his lead over Rogers from two strokes to three. Trouble for the challengers at the eighth then widened the separation considerably.
Utley made bogey at No. 8, but Rogers recorded an 8 and Mitch Lear made 6. Utley walked to the ninth tee six strokes ahead of both players.
His only double bogey of the day came at the ninth, allowing Lear to reduce the deficit with a par. Even so, Utley reached the turn in 41 with a four-stroke advantage.
Lear was his nearest challenger after an opening 45. Rogers and Jonah Laws followed at 46, with Noah Thompson and Nyk Lear another stroke behind.
The back nine began much as the front had ended—with Utley controlling the pace.
A par at the 10th increased his lead over Lear to five. Matching bogeys at Nos. 11 and 12 kept the margin unchanged before Utley added another par at the par-3 13th.
Lear’s bogey there pushed the advantage to six.
Utley followed with a par at the 14th as Lear made another bogey, stretching the lead to seven with four holes remaining. At that point, the championship had become less about whether anyone could catch Utley and more about whether he would offer the field an opening.
He never did.
Lear briefly reduced the margin with a par at the 15th, but Utley responded with a par of his own at the par-5 16th. The lead returned to seven and remained there through the 17th.
A closing bogey gave Utley an inward 41. Lear finished with a par to trim the final margin to six, but the outcome had long since been settled.
Utley’s scorecard included one birdie, seven pars, nine bogeys and only one double bogey. He avoided a triple bogey or worse and was the only player to finish the tournament without multiple scores of double bogey or higher.
Lear earned runner-up honors at 16-over 88. After falling six behind through eight holes, he played the final 10 in 47 strokes and closed with consecutive pars. His back-nine 43 tied Rogers for the second-lowest inward score of the tournament.
Rogers finished one stroke behind Lear in third at 17-over 89. He remained Utley’s closest challenger throughout much of the opening nine, staying within two strokes through the sixth. An 8 at the eighth proved costly, however, and left him six behind. Rogers recovered with a 43 on the back nine but could not regain the ground he had lost.
Laws placed fourth at 19-over 91. After turning in 46, he remained within six strokes of Utley through the 12th before closing in 45.
Noah Thompson and Wyatt Mosson shared fifth place at 23-over 95. Thompson’s round included a birdie 3 at the eighth, while Mosson recorded two birdies—the most of anyone in the field—including a 2 at the par-3 third and a 3 at the 17th.
Nyk Lear finished seventh at 96, one stroke ahead of Brayden Cowling. Cowling recovered from difficult scores at the second and seventh to post a 47 on the back nine.
Tanner Watkins was ninth at 99 after reaching the turn in 46, while Rex Utley completed the top 10 at 104. Kevin Schuh finished 11th at 111, and Jordan Cox completed the standings at 131.
No one, however, was able to apply sustained pressure to the leader.
Utley took sole possession at the second, stretched the advantage with the tournament’s most timely birdie and played the final nine without allowing anyone closer than four strokes.
With the lowest score on both sides of the course and a six-stroke margin at the finish, Nathan Utley was the commanding winner of the 2022 Midwest Masters – his fourth triumph in the Tournament’s history.