'My dad's my hero': Zac Blair joins Hall-of-Fame dad Jimmy as Utah Open champion

PROVO — Every time Zac Blair has entered the Siegfried and Jensen Utah Open, either as a pro or an amateur, his father — Utah golf Hall of Famer and former PGA Tour pro Jimmy Blair — would ask him when he was going to win it.

The 1981 tournament champion finally has an answer.

Tour pro Zac Blair held off rising University of Utah senior Javier Barcos on the fourth hole of a playoff after both shot 15-under-par 201 through the three-day event at Riverside Country Club.

With the win, Blair joins his father not only as Utah Open champion, but on an even more prestigious list.

Nine players in Utah golf history have won both the Utah state amateur championship and Utah Open, the most recent being Patrick Fishburn in 2017. The list also includes C.E. Foley, Ed Kingsley, Joe Bernolfo, Billy Johnston, Bruce Summerhays and Eric Hogg, according to Utah golf historian Kurt Kragthorpe and Fairways Media.

And now, for what many believe is a first in U.S. golf, it includes Jimmy Blair (1973, 1981) and his 33-year-old son (2009, 2023).

"It's really cool. My dad's my hero," an emotional Blair said moments after accepting the winner's trophy on the 18th green with his wife, Alicia, and the couple's two sons. "I wish he was here, but it's just really cool."

Recent BYU graduate Carson Lundell carded nine birdies in his final round, including a run of five-straight on the back nine, to finish at 14-under — tied for third with former BYU teammate Rhett Rasmussen, Las Vegas pro Matt Snyder and Phoenix pro Gavin Cohen.

Simon Kwon, the reigning Utah state amateur champion who played two seasons at Cal before transferring home to BYU this summer, finished seventh at 13-under. Former Utah State golfer Braydon Swapp earned Utah Section PGA low pro honors, shooting 11-under to finish tied for eighth with a group that included Lone Peak rising star Kihei Akina, Colorado pro Derek Fribbs and Las Vegas' Zane Thomas.

Indeed, the younger Blair's title means more than just the $22,000 winner's check. Ranked 97th in the Official World Golf Rankings and 93rd on the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup points list, Blair all-but regained his PGA Tour status for next season after a two-year comeback from a pair of shoulder surgeries and the ensuing medical exemption on the Korn Ferry Tour.

The Orem resident, who lives a few miles from Riverside Country Club, has seven starts left on his medical exemption and plans to play at least four of them to finish the season. Any finish in the top 125 — a near-certainty, with his standing — would book his spot for the 2024-25 season.

A current member at Riverside, Blair shot 69-67-65 entering the tournament after next year's status was assured with the sole purpose of winning and scratching a major goal off two Blairs' bucket lists.

Blair's dad caddied for him in Friday's first round before remaining at home resting with a heart condition, he said.

"It's kind of the first time he's seen me (play golf) in a while," he said. "It's obviously really cool, and I'm really proud to have that with him."

The former BYU golfer had to hold off a huge field with scores that got lower and lower in mild conditions Sunday, and forced a birdie on the par-4, 415-yard 18th hole just to get into a playoff with Barcos, who earned low amateur honors with the finish.

Barcos threw a couple of haymakers to advance the playoff through back-to-back tries on the 18th hole before his putter finally wobbled on the ninth green to concede to Blair.

"I was struggling with my golf game at the beginning of the summer; I wasn't hitting my irons very good," said Barcos, who joked he didn't know Blair was a PGA Tour golfer until former Utah teammate (and past Utah Open champion) Blake Tomlinson told him after the playoff. "I was kind of down while playing in Europe, and I got back here knowing I needed to grind my irons. I grinded the last two weeks on them, and I've been hitting my irons really good. That brings so much confidence into my game."

Teeing off one shot off the lead, Blair and Kwon battled through most of the final round as plenty of contenders rose (and a few fell). Blair shot 4-under 32 on the front nine to keep an edge as he made the turn, but Kwon — playing right one group behind him — was hot on his heels.

The former Skyline star carded four birdies on the front nine, and tied Blair atop the leaderboard when the duo stroked dueling birdies on the par-4, 396-yard 10th and par-5, 557-yard 15th holes.

But Kwon bogeyed his final two holes, and Blair made a birdie on No. 18 after hitting the flagstick on No. 17 to force a playoff as Barcos made his late charge.

"Obviously, I'm very glad I birdied the last hole and was able to hit one close. It looked hopeless, honestly," said Blair, whose last win came at the Ellie Mae Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019. "When I was in the fairway, I felt like there were a couple of people at 15, a few at 14 with 3-4 holes and people were making a bunch of birdies on 15 and 17. But I felt like 18 was a birdie hole as well, with a good drive. I just crossed my fingers, hoped it was enough, sat there for what felt like a few minutes — and it ended up being just enough."

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