The best the locals had to offer in first round play were middle-of-the-pack performances at the Bank of Utah Black Deseret PGA Tour event in Ivins on Thursday.
Ogden natives and former BYU stars Zac Blair and Patrick Fishburn fired 5-under par 66s and joined former Cougar Tyson Shelley in a tie for 26th to lead players with local ties.
They finished four shots behind leader Zach Bauchou, whose first-round card of 9-under 62 was a shot better than nine other players.
Kihei Akina, the BYU sophomore and member of this summer’s USA Walker Cup team in Ireland, shot 4-under 67.
Amateur and Utahn Boston Bracken (Arizona State) shot 2-under par 69 to finish one shot ahead of former BYU players Zac Johnson, Rhett Rasmussen and two-time Utah State Amateur champion Bowen Mauss, who is also now competing at Arizona State.
Finau, the most accomplished local, struggled Thursday. On No. 18, he hit his wedge shot short of the green and it came rolling back toward his feet. He settled for a bogey six and finished T80 with a 1-under par 70 with Johnson.
Former Lone Peak and BYU player Carson Lundell finished even par 70, and former Cougar Rhett Rasmussen shot a +1 72.