Utah's three golfers at the PGA Tournament had varying degrees of success in Thursday's opening round at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
Draper's Mike Weir put himself in good position to make the cut with a 1-under-par 69, Sandy's Steve Schneiter, is on the bubble after an opening 72, while Ogden's Jimmy Blair shot himself out of contention with a 10-over par 80.
However, one former Utahn turned out to be the best in the entire field of 156.
Grant Waite, who fired an opening-round 64, won the Utah Open in 1992 and actually lived in the Sandy area for a nearly two years before moving to Phoenix in 1993. At the time the New Zealand native said he liked the Utah area, but needed better practice facilities in the winter.
Weir, who had made the cut in eight straight majors before missing at last month's British Open, had four birdies on the day, including one at the tough par-4 18th hole, but was hurt by a double-bogey at No. 15.
Schneiter was one-under after back-to-back birdies at 5 and 6, but went over par with a double-bogey at No. 8. On the back nine he bogeyed 13, birdied 17, before finishing with a bogey at 18. Even if he doesn't make the cut, Schneiter can tell his grandchildren he beat Tiger Woods (who had a 73).
Blair, who was in the same threesome as Waite, was doing pretty well, making the turn at 1-over-par, before bogeying three straight holes at 11, 12 and 13. But a horrendous finish, including a quadruple-bogey 7 at the par-3 17th and a double-bogey at No. 18 when he hit it in the water, doomed his chances to make the cut Friday.