The annual University Hospital-Utah Open gets under way bright and early Friday morning when the first of 157 golfers tee off at the Willow Creek Country Club.
As usual it's a crapshoot trying to figure out a winner. The last two years have given us a couple of winners from the southeastern part of the country, North Carolina's Neal Lancaster in 1989 and Virginia's Mark Carnevale last year. Neither was a household name prior to the tournament.Before that there were a few favorites who won, such as Jay Don Blake in 1988, and Mike Reid in 1983 and 1985, while others such as ex-NCAA champion Clark Burroughs in 1986 and part-time PGA player Perry Arthur in 1987, weren't total shocks.
While Blake and Reid are busy at the World Series of Golf this week, there is still a small group of "glamour" golfers who have PGA Tour experience and therefore are the logical favorites for this year's tourney, which runs through Sunday .
Heading this list are Keith Clearwater, the former BYU All-America who makes his home in Orem, Mac O'Grady, a two-time PGA Tour winner, former PGA Tour regular Jim Nelford, and former NCAA champion Jim Carter, who won close to $200,000 on the PGA Tour as recently as 1988.
Clearwater is having one of his best years on the Tour with more than $200,000 in earnings. Just last week he led The International after the first and third rounds. He's often finished high at the Utah Open but never won.
The colorful O'Grady has won more than $1 million on the PGA Tour, but has played sparingly since developing back problems three years ago. He's been playing in a few smaller tournaments lately hoping to eventually land back on the PGA Tour.
Nelford, another former BYU golfer, has never reached the heights he attained on the tour prior to a freak water-skiing accident in 1985. He's played much of this season on the Ben Hogan Tour. Carter, once a promising PGA Tour prospect, lost his exempt status this year and is trying to regain his golf form.
Other golfers to watch include former U.S. Amateur (1988) champion Eric Meeks, former Utah Open (1971) winner and two-time winner on the PGA Tour, Victor Regalado, and out-of-state golfers such as Brian Mogg, Chris Endres, Mike Putnam, David Tentis, Rob McNamara, Bob Laskin and Billy Tuten, all of whom have distinguished themselves in various pro tournaments.
Among the local golfers, Milan Swilor tops the list. Last year, the Mountain View assistant set a course record 63, including a 29 on the front, in the second round before eventually losing to Carnevale in a sudden-death playoff. He's coming off a three-week stint on the Ben Hogan Tour where he had one good finish, a 7th at Wichita.
Other top locals include recent City Parks winner Kim Thompson, 1981 champion Jimmy Blair, 1974 champion Mike Malaska, Henry White, Eric Hogg, Bruce Brockbank, Steve Schneiter, Tom Costello and Bruce Summerhays. Two famous sons to keep an eye on are Bobby Casper and John Miller.
Top amateurs include two-time State Am champion Doug Bybee, BYU golfers Ryan Rhees and Dean Wilson, University of Utah golfers Marty Romney and Ross Marcano and Nevada's Steve Wallock, who won the qualifying Monday with a 68.
Most of the glamour players go off in the morning wave between 8:24 a.m. and 9:18 a.m. Carter tees off at 8:24 a.m. with Scott Geroux, who led for two rounds last year, and Bill Loeffler; Clearwater goes off at 8:33 a.m. with Thompson and Mogg; O'Grady is paired with Carnevale and Summerhays at 8:42 a.m.; Nelford plays with Laskin and Wille Kane at 8:51 a.m.; and Blair, Swilor and Meeks tee off a 9 a.m.
Also playing is Wedgy Winchester, the master trick shot artist, who will hold a clinic at 5:45 p.m. Friday on the Willow Creek range.