PROVO — The Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open golf tournament is underway at Riverside Country Club, which means Nathan Lashley must be hovering near the top of the leaderboard.
Ever since the first time he played the Utah Open in 2009, the 32-year-old from Scottsdale, Arizona, has found success in the tournament, winning on his first try and finishing second twice, including last year when he lost in a playoff to winner B.J. Staten.
Lashley is back again this year, and atop the leaderboard after firing a bogey-less 9-under-par 63 in Friday's first round. That puts him a stroke ahead of former BYU golfer Jordan Rodgers and two strokes ahead of St. George’s Nick Killpack, Provo’s Justin Keiley and San Diego pro Chris Riley.
One thing we know about Lashley from his previous appearances in Utah is that he’s a man of few words.
“I just kept it in play and I putted really well,’’ is how Lashley summed up his round that included nine birdies and nine pars.
Lashley started on hole 10 and made birdies at 12, 13, 15 and 17, before adding birdies at 1, 4, 5, 7 and 9, where he drained a 30-footer.
As for his fine play in Utah over the years, he has no real explanation.
“I don’t know,’’ he said. “I built up some confidence from winning here and ever since it seems like I play well here.’’
Lashley, who is a native of Nebraska, still has dreams of playing on the PGA Tour and is making some progress this year by playing PGA Tour LatinoAmerica, where he ranks No. 8 on the money list. If Lashley can finish in the top 10 on that tour, which starts back up in three weeks after taking the summer off, he will earn a spot on next year's Web.com Tour.
Rodgers, who played in the afternoon, called it a “perfect” round, except for one hole, the par-5 15th where his second shot ended in a tough spot on a downhill lie in the rough. He fluffed his next shot just a few yards before taking his only bogey of the day. With a birdie there like most of the leaders, Rodgers would have a one-shot edge.
In fact, after coming out of the scoring tent, Rodgers’ playing partner, Zahkai Brown, said Rodgers should have had a 59 the way he played.
But Rodgers shrugged it off, saying, “it was solid, a good way to start.’’
The 25-year-old Rodgers, who won the Utah State Amateur earlier this summer before recently turning professional, played golf at BYU for five years, so he knows the Riverside layout like the back of his hand.
“I feel comfortable here — I love this place,’’ he said. “This was my home for the last five years. It’s been a pleasure playing here and the course suits my game really well.’’
Four golfers are tied for sixth at 66, including BYU golfer Patrick Fishburn, 2010 Utah Open champion Nick Mason, South Ogden pro Tanner Alder and Martin Trainer of Palo Alto, California. All alone at 67 is 17-year-old amateur Rhett Rasmussen, who has committed to play for BYU next year.
Among the five golfers at 68 are Holladay amateur JT Timmons, Talons Cove pro Milo Lines and Riverside assistant Chris Moody, while veterans Mike Reid and Keith Clearwater head a group of 17 golfers in at 69.
OPEN NOTES: Staten had four birdies and an eagle on his card, but five bogeys and a double bogey left him at 73 . . . With 65 golfers in at par-72 or better, the 36-hole cut is expected to be around even par 144 . . . The total purse is $135,000 with the winner receiving $21,000 . . . The final 18 holes will be played Sunday.