Laramie, Wyo. (July 16, 2018) -- What a summer it has been for University of Wyoming golfer John Murdock.  On Sunday, Murdock capped off his great summer by winning the 62nd Wyoming State Open with a 15-under-par total of 195.  Murdock won the event as an amateur and held off a challenge by professional Geoff Keffer, who finished one stroke back at 14-under, 196.  It marked only the second time in the history of the Wyoming Open that an amateur won the event.
     
The win by Murdock adds to what has been an outstanding summer of golf by the Laramie native, who will be a senior on the University of Wyoming golf team this coming fall.  Murdock finished second and earned the First Alternate spot in the U.S. Amateur Qualifier held at the Glenn "Red" Jacoby Golf Course in Laramie earlier this month.  He also finished third in this summer's Wyoming State Amateur, which earned him a spot on the Wyoming team that will play in the Pacific Coast Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco on July 24-27.     
     
"John is certainly in a groove now," said University of Wyoming Director of Golf Joe Jensen.  "I've coached John hard, and he has responded well, but he has to maintain his focus and continue to improve his consistency for the long term.  The way he played at the U.S. Amateur qualifier and the Wyoming Open showed how good of a player he is. 
     
"I loved the way he played at the U.S. Amateur qualifier on his home course against a top field.  I think that gave him a lot of confidence going into the Wyoming Open.  It rained hard on Sunday in Cheyenne at the Wyoming Open, and he dealt with the adversity very well to win that tournament.  What I've seen from him lately is that he is becoming a more mature player. 
     
"I want him to have the attitude that he is one of the top college players in the country.  I am also pushing him to be a leader on next year's team.  This summer, I've been impressed by his process.  He is working out regularly.  He is going to summer school, and he is preparing well for tournaments.  John just needs to build off his success this summer as he heads into his senior season." 
     
Jensen added that he thought one of Murdock's most impressive performances of the summer was in the Wyoming State Amateur in Evanston, when he had to post a top three finish to earn a spot on the Pacific Coast Amateur team.
     
"In the Wyoming State Amateur, John pushed through when he wasn't feeling that confident about his game at the time," said Jensen.  "He didn't win that tournament, but he played well when the pressure was on him to earn a spot in the Pacific Coast Amateur field.  He knew he had to finish in the top three and he did it."
     
In the Pacific Coast Amateur, the three Wyoming representatives will compete as individuals, but they will also compete as a team for the Morse Cup.  Joining Murdock on this year's team will be his Cowboy teammate Dan Starzinski, who won the Wyoming Match Play Championship in Powell this past June, and Jordan Costello, who won the Wyoming State Amateur Championship.  The Pacific Coast Amateur is in its 52nd year and includes players from state golf associations across the western United States and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.