June 17, 2012

PROVO-- Utah Valley University golfer Mason Casper finished in a tie for second at the Provo Open Sunday with a three-day total of 14-under par at East Bay Golf Course.

He was the low amateur by three shots over BYU's Mike Jurca.

"Mason is a very special player and he continues to amaze me every week," UVU men's golf coach Chris Curran said. "He has another gear and can take it super low when needed."

Casper, who entered the final round, shot a six-under par, but couldn't catch winner Tony Finau, who held a four-shot lead heading into the day and shot seven-under on the final day to win at 20-under par.

Casper tied with Zach Johnson and Chris Moody.

In his recently completed season at UVU, Casper, the America Sky Conference Player of the Year, recorded seven top-10 finishes, including a win at the Battle of the Tetons where he shot a 14-under par.

He was also UVU's first-ever golfer to compete in the NCAA regionals and finished in a tie for 55th at the the Stanford Golf Course.

"He has a lot of national amateur tournaments coming up this summer and I have a feeling this is just the beginning of a very great summer for him," Curran said.