Latest news with #ZacBlair
USA Today
6 days ago
- Automotive
- USA Today
PGA Tour pro Zac Blair goes 'undercover' for driver fitting at golf shop ahead of 3M Open
BLAINE, Minn. – PGA Tour pro Zac Blair has the swing speed and spin characteristics of the average 1 handicap. That's according to a Golf Galaxy fitter in the greater Minneapolis area. Blair, 34, got in to the 2025 3M Open field off the alternate list on Wednesday afternoon when Anders Albertson withdrew. But the course and practice facilities were closed early in the afternoon due to a storm that hit TPC Twin Cities. So, Blair did what any diehard golfer would do — he drove to a nearby golf shop and scheduled a driver fitting so he could hit balls on a simulator. He wound up at a Golf Galaxy and had someone video the encounter with a staffer. He played his college golf at BYU and entered the week ranked No. 300 in the Official World Golf Ranking. It hasn't been the best season for Blair, who has just one top-25 finish on Tour and has missed the cut at more than half his starts. He's still winless on Tour, losing in a playoff last July at the Isco Championship. Going to a golf store to hit balls feels very on brand for Blair, who has sought out the best courses in the world during his travels and created The Buck Club, a course he dreamed of building in his native Utah before ultimately teaming with Kye Goalby to build The Tree Farm in South Carolina. But he is way better than a 1 handicap and surely could school the club fitter, who didn't recognize Blair in a T-shirt and sweatpants, and near the end of the video suggests he's the better golfer between the two. You can watch the video here.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Multiple PGA Tour Golfers Withdraw Days Before John Deere Classic
Multiple PGA Tour Golfers Withdraw Days Before John Deere Classic originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The PGA Tour heads to Silvis, Illinois, this week for the John Deere Classic, kicking off July 3 at TPC Deere Run. Known for its welcoming atmosphere and low scores, the tournament will feature a 156-player field aiming to take home the title. Advertisement This comes right after the Rocket Mortgage Classic wrapped up on Sunday, where Aldrich Potgieter clinched his first PGA tour win. But as eyes shift to Deere Run, there have been some key last-minute changes to the field. Three players have withdrawn in the lead-up to the tournament, Norman Xiong, Danny Walker and Aaron Baddeley. All three made their exits over the weekend, shaking up the entry list just days before the opening round. In their place, Zac Blair, Matt NeSmith and James Hahn have been added to the field. Aldrich Potgieter lines up a putt on the 15th green during a playoff in the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf Doster-Imagn Images These players were initially listed as alternates and now have an unexpected chance to compete on one of the PGA Tour's most opportunity-filled stages. Advertisement The current field still features plenty of young stars and emerging talents. Defending champion Davis Thompson is back to protect his title, while college standouts like Luke Clanton, Michael La Sasso, Jackson Koivun, and David Ford are also part of the lineup. Notably, 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter, the youngest South African PGA Tour winner, will also tee it up. The John Deere Classic has often been a launchpad for future stars, and while some familiar names have exited, the new additions could make headlines by week's end. With a mix of experience and youthful firepower, TPC Deere Run promises another thrilling week of golf. Related: PGA Tour Golfer Has Complete Meltdown During Rocket Classic on Friday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
These Utahns qualified to play in next week's U.S. Open on Monday
FILE — Zac Blair hits from the fairway on the 13th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C. | Matt York, Associated Press The state of Utah will be well-represented next week in the 2025 U.S. Open at famed Oakmont Country Club in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. Former BYU golfer Zac Blair qualified for the event June 12-15 by surviving a four-man playoff for one spot at a final U.S. Open qualifying site in Springfield, Ohio. After shooting a 4-under 136 on Monday, the current Orem resident outlasted amateur John Peterson and pros Kurt Kitayama and Dawson Armstrong for the fourth available spot. Advertisement It was the third time Blair has qualified for the U.S. Open in Springfield; He will play in his fourth U.S. Open, having tied for 26th last year at Pinehurst No. 2 course in North Carolina. Meanwhile, former Utahn Preston Summerhays, an Arizona State golfer who grew up in Farmington, was medalist in the Valencia, California, qualifying site, firing a phenomenal 10-under 132 on Monday at Valencia Country Club. Summerhays, the son of former PGA Tour player Boyd Summerhays, shot a final-round 63 to clear the field by three shots. He was the 2018 and 2019 Utah State Amateur champion and competed in the U.S. Open previously in 2020 and 2021. A couple of other Utahns didn't fare as well in California. Korn Ferry Tour regular Daniel Summerhays (Preston's uncle) shot an even-par 142 and tied for 14th, missing the cut for a playoff by four shots. Advertisement Lone Peak High graduate Kihei Akina, one of the top junior golfers in the country and a BYU golf signee, also shot a 142 at Valencia and missed the cut by four shots. Another BYU product who is a PGA Tour golfer and tried to qualify Monday is Patrick Fishburn, an Ogden native. Fishburn got off to a great start with an opening-round 68 at Lambton Golf & Country Club in Ontario, Canada, but posted a 73 in his afternoon round and missed the seven-player cut by seven shots. Salt Lake City's Tony Finau will also play in the U.S. Open, for the 11th straight year. Finau tied for third last year at Pinehurst, shooting 4-under 276 in the event won by Bryson DeChambeau.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former BYU golfer Zac Blair among 3 past Utah State Am champs in U.S. Open field at Oakmont this week
Zac Blair hits off the 12th tee during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday, May 22, 2025. | LM Otero, Associated Press Zac Blair has made a splash at the 125th U.S. Open, and the former BYU golfer hasn't even hit an official shot yet. Playing in a practice round at Oakmont Country Club just outside Pittsburgh on Tuesday with 2024 champion Bryson DeChambeau, the diminutive and ever-creative Blair pulled out a putter from the fairway and came within feet of holing a 'putt' from 122 yards out. Advertisement The incredible shot from the No. 1 fairway was caught on camera and posted to social media by Andy Johnson with The Fried Egg on Tuesday afternoon, and went viral. The 488-yard first hole, a par-4, played as the most difficult hole on the course during the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont, won by big-hitter Dustin Johnson. Oakmont, which will play at 7,372 yards on Thursday when the tournament begins, is widely considered as one of the toughest tests of golf in the world, let alone the United States. Blair's unique shot signaled how extremely fast the greens can be, along with how hard and fast the fairways can be as well. 'There are not a ton of places week-in and week-out that are like, omigosh, this is dead. How do I make bogey from here?' Zac Blair on the difficulty of Oakmont Country Club, site of this year's U.S. Open Then there's the rough, some of the gnarliest in the land. 'It's pretty primed to be in really good shape on Thursday,' Blair told the KSL Sports Zone on Tuesday. Advertisement Meanwhile, Blair's shot earned him a tip of the cap from DeChambeau, one of the most popular golfers on the planet, and a golfer who feels like he has something to prove at Oakmont after fading in the Masters in April and giving way to Rory McIlroy's big win. Golf's second major, the PGA Championship, was easily won by Scottie Scheffler last month in a runaway at Quail Hollow Golf Club in North Carolina. 'He's a generational talent,' Blair said. As for his own shot that was publicized by almost every major golf outlet and publication in the country Tuesday, Blair told Jeremiah Jensen and Alex Kirry that trying the putt was a spur-of-the-moment thing and not the way he plans on attacking massive Oakmont as one of the shortest hitters in the field. Advertisement 'I was out here playing with Bryson, and he hit a drive way down there, and I jokingly said, 'I feel like we could putt it from here,'' Blair said. 'Took the putter out, actually hit a pretty good one down there. It looked like it was going in for a while. Just kinda lucky that it all happened, or whatever. But it was pretty nice.' Maybe the sudden fanfare and last week's performance at the Canadian Open will jumpstart a lackluster season to date for the former Fremont High and BYU golfer, who grew up in Ogden but now calls Orem home. Blair had missed four-straight cuts and six of eight before tying for 52nd outside Toronto and earning $23,114 in prize money. His best finish in 2025 was a T18 in the Dominican Republic. The son of local Utah golf legend Jimmy Blair said the putt from the fairway was 'not like an outrageous play at all' and noted that he might try it again in competition if the conditions are right. 'It was blowing downwind so hard, it was kind of like really tough to stop a ball (on the green),' he said. 'It was more about trying to see how far this would continue to roll. I didn't really hit it that hard. It was a pretty normal, long putt stroke. We all kind of walked down to the green saying, 'I don't think it is that outrageous of a play.'' Advertisement Of course, the U.S. Open is the most 'open' of all the majors because almost anybody has a chance to play in it via local and then sectional qualifying. Blair got in for the second straight year at the sectional in Springfield, Ohio, firing an 8-under 136 and then surviving a 4-for-1 playoff with a brilliant approach shot on the fourth playoff hole. In last year's U.S. Open, the former Utah Open and Utah State Amateur champion tied for 40th at Pinehurst. He also played in the 2019 U.S. Open, missing the cut at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California. Blair told the radio station that he expects 'guys kinda getting their teeth kicked in a little bit out here' at Oakmont this week. Dustin Johnson won with a 4-under 276 in 2016, overcoming a controversial one-stroke penalty to win by three shots. 'There are not a ton of places week-in and week-out that are like, omigosh, this is dead. How do I make bogey from here?' Blair said. 'You are going to see that on every single hole, basically, for four days out here. Advertisement 'I think the guys like it, especially if you are playing really good. You can separate yourself if you do the right stuff, or have a solid week, or have a solid game plan.' Blair goes off No. 10 at 4:45 a.m. MDT on Thursday with Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe and Alistair Docherty of the United States. Other U.S. Open golfers with Utah ties Tony Finau points to the gallery on the first hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. | Ashley Landis, Associated Press The field will feature three golfers who were born in Utah and have won the Utah State Amateur — Blair, Salt Lake City's Tony Finau, and Farmington's Preston Summerhays. Finau, a West High graduate who resides part-time in Lehi, will be playing in his 10th U.S. Open and 37th major. He goes off No. 1 at 11:58 a.m. MDT with Chris Kirk of the United States and Mackenzie Hughes of Canada. Advertisement Finau missed the cut at the 2025 Masters and tied for 19th at the 2025 PGA Championship, fading late on Sunday. He tied for third at the U.S. Open last year at Pinehurst No. 2, rallying late with a 67 on Sunday. Summerhays, 22, recently turned pro after competing collegiately for Arizona State the past four years and is the son of Finau's former swing coach, Boyd Summerhays. Summerhays goes off No. 10 at 10:41 a.m. MDT with amateur Bryan Lee of the U.S. and pro Guido Migliozzi of Vicenza, Italy. The 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur champion will be playing in his third U.S. Open after earning medalist honors at the Valencia (California) Country Club with a 10-under total of 132. Summerhays shot 73-73 (+6) at Los Angeles Country Club to miss the cut in 2023 and 72-77 (+9) at Winged Foot in 2020 to miss the cut.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
U.S. Open golf: Utahns, like almost everybody else, have rough day at ultra-tough Oakmont
Zac Blair hits from the 12th fairway during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) | Charlie Riedel It was not a good day for the three golfers with Utah ties at the 125th U.S. Open on Thursday, but at least PGA Tour stalwart Tony Finau ended it well. Finau made a birdie on No. 17 and then rolled in a 41-foot putt to save par on No. 18 at Oakmont Country club. Advertisement Finau finished at 6-over 76, while former BYU golfer Zac Blair led the Utah contingent with a 4-over 74. Preston Summerhays, who was born in Farmington and twice won the Utah State Amateur, carded a 78 in one of his first tournaments playing as a professional. Blair was tied for 62nd, Finau was tied for 99th and Summerhays was tied for 124th with just a few golfers left on the course. All three will have a difficult time making the cut after Friday's second round, but it is not like anybody is running away with the tournament after the first round. American J.J. Spaun shot Thursday's best round, a 4-under 66, while Thriston Lawrence of South Africa is alone in second place at -3. Playing in his fourth U.S. Open, Blair started well with a birdie on the par-4 10th hole, his first. But the Ogden native who currently lives in Orem mostly struggled from there, picking up only one other birdie in his round. Advertisement He made a 3 on the par-4 2nd hole, which got him to +1 on the day. He made a 17-foot putt for the birdie, two days after his 122-yard putt from the fairway on No. 1 in a practice round went viral. However, he followed that picker-upper with a bogey on No. 3, and finished the long day with bogeys on 8 and 9 to finish at 4-over 74. Blair, who tied for 26th last year at Pinehurst No. 2, is in danger of missing the U.S. Open cut for the first time since 2019 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Finau is playing in his 10th U.S. Open, and is in danger of missing the cut at the national championship for the first time since 2022 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Advertisement Finau made a double bogey on the second hole and a triple bogey on the 10th hole, basically ruining his round, and his tournament, with those two costly holes. He finished well, though, making a birdie on No. 17 after driving into a greenside bunker on the 327-yard par 4. He chipped out nicely and made the 8-footer for the birdie. On No. 18, Finau blasted his shot out of some gnarly greenside rough far from the hole, but drained the long putt to stay within 10 shots of the leader. Like Blair, Summerhays also made a birdie on hole No. 2, but unfortunately for the recent Arizona State graduate that was one of only two birds he made Thursday. He stuck his approach from 75 yards out to 10 feet, and made the putt. Advertisement On the difficult par-3 8th hole, Summerhays made a 2 by sinking a 19-footer. Summerhays struggled on the two par-5s, making a bogey on No. 4 and a double bogey on No. 12, the 618-yard beast that caused a lot of trouble on Thursday. An errant tee shot that found Oakmont's long rough right of the fairway was the original culprit, followed by another tough shot out of deep grass just 79 feet from the hole. Summerhays will tee off from No. 1 at 4:56 a.m. MDT Friday, while Finau will go off No. 10 at 6:13 a.m. MDT. Blair will go off No. 1 at 10:30 a.m. MDT.
