Only 2 locals teeing off in the U.S. Open

SALT LAKE CITY — When the 110th U.S. Open tees off today at Pebble Beach in Monterey, Calif., only two golfers with Utah ties will be playing, a far cry from 2000 the last time it was played there when five locals played in the tournament.

Utah resident and former Masters champion Mike Weir will be playing in his 12th U.S. Open, while Farmington native Daniel Summerhays, a regular on the Nationwide Tour, will be making his first-ever U.S. Open appearance.

Weir, a former BYU golfer, who gained international fame with his Masters victory in 2003, will be playing in his 45th straight major championship, which is the second-longest active streak behind Vijay Singh at 64.

Weir, who tees off at 8:44 a.m. MT with Tim Clark and K.J. Choi, acknowledges he's been in a bit of a slump lately, but believes he has a chance to do well this week.

"I haven't been playing very well, but I got a lot of good work done last week with (swing coach) Mike (Wilson) and I'm seeing progress," he told the Montreal Gazette. "As long as I can get the ball going somewhat straight, the rest of my game is good."

Weir, who turned 40 last month, hasn't missed any of the majors since playing in the U.S. Open in 1999. Although he can play in the Masters for life, he may not be eligible for next year's U.S. Open unless he finishes in the Top 15 or improves his current World ranking of 68.

Summerhays graduated from BYU in 2007 and has played on the Nationwide Tour for the past three years. He qualified for the U.S. Open at Rockville, Md, tying for third with scores of 70 and 68. This year he ranks 24th on the Nationwide Tour and if he stays in the top 25, he'll earn his PGA Tour playing card for next year.

He tees off at 3:20 MT today with Matthew Richardson and amateur Scott Langley and at 9:50 a.m. MT on Friday.

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