Smith Wins Second Masingill Cup

Smith and his wife, Amra, hoisting the Scott Masingill Cup at Teton Reserve in Victor, ID. | Kylee Rost

Nate Smith during the final round of the 98th Idaho Men’s Amateur. | Kylee Rost

On Wednesday, the eve of the 98th Idaho Men’s Amateur Championship presented by St. Luke’s Health, Nate Smith said he had a lot on the line. 

An exemption into the 126th U.S. Amateur Championship was at the top of his list. A win would also earn him enough World Amateur Golf Rankings points to skip qualifying for the U.S. Mid-Amateur.  

“This pretty much meant everything for the rest of the summer,” Smith said. “And this keeps my chances for the Walker Cup alive if I’m able to put together some good finishes.”

But the satisfaction of winning at Teton Reserve Golf Course, cheered on by the community that has anchored his return to amateur golf, might have been just as sweet. 

“And thank you to everyone in the community and thank you to everybody who plays golf around here,” he said. “I love you all.”  

Smith rose to the occasion over the next three days, exploding onto the back nine Saturday to pull away from the field and win his second Scott Masingill Cup in just three years. He beat 2024 PNGA Mid-Amateur Champion Andrew Lawson by six strokes.  

First out on Thursday, the former PGA Tour player used an opening 66 to set a pace that nobody could match. Toby Heider briefly held the lead in the afternoon, going out in 31 before leaking some oil on his way in. He found himself alone in second with a four-under 68.  

Ashton McArthur, who finished runner-up in 2024, kept himself in the mix through 36 holes with consecutive rounds of 69. But Bobby Kincaid, Andrew Lawson, and a breakout performance from Mountain View High School’s Kaden Gempler pushed him down to fifth on the leaderboard heading into the final round.  

Kincaid’s 67 in round two featured two eagles on the front nine to overcome a double bogey at the 7th, but stormed home with three birdies in his last seven holes to reach seven-under par.  

Lawson also found fire in the second round, nearly going blemish free with a lone bogey on the ninth. Eight birdies were good enough for 65 and sole possession of third place with one round to play. But the round of the tournament belonged to 16-year-old Gempler, who posted 64 (Teton Reserve’s tournament record) featuring two eagles and six birdies. The round earned him a spot in the final pairing with two of the nation's best mid-amateurs (both more than twice his age). 

“It means a lot,” Gempler said. “It’s cool to be in the same conversation as [Smith].”  

Nate Smith and Kaden Gempler during the final round. | Kylee Rost

Smith hugs Chris Dick, friend and fellow competitor at Teton Reserve | Kylee Rost

Smith rolled into Saturday’s final round with a four-stroke lead, and promptly fired his opening tee shot into the fescue right of the first fairway. A squirrely layup left him an awkward pitch over the bunker, which ran just through the green. Lawson also failed to find a green regulation, and Gempler three putt for par. Somehow, Smith managed to hole his putt from off the green, moving his lead to five.  

For a moment, things got interesting on the front nine when Smith pulled his tee ball on the par-3 sixth into a grove of Aspens. He followed a double bogey there with bogey at the par-4 7th but bounced back with a textbook birdie on the 8th.  

“It’s just a different feeling,” Smith said. “You try to tune it out but obviously you’re nervous — I was for sure.” 

Up ahead, Kincaid was putting together a tidy round. He found himself just three shots back of the lead though the turn before Smith got himself back to even par for the day.  

But Smith was not going to let his lead slip away. He made eagle at the long par-5 10th. Then he birdied the 11th and 12th to reach 17-under par, closing with consecutive bogeys to run away with the title — storming toward a summer full of lofty expectations.  

“I thought about it last night,” Smith said when asked what motivates him. “Why are you doing this? What is it for? Is it so everybody can see you holding the trophy and be able to say you're the best golfer? The short answer was no because it’s really a self-motivation thing. I wanted to show myself that I had what it took to come out here and close it out today — and with all the pressure on the line, be able to know that the work I put in gives me confidence that I’m going to get the job done.”