IVENS, Utah — For Jay Don Blake, a 65-year-old journeyman, the best chance to make a run at the weekend during his 500th PGA Tour start was sparkling play in and around the greens, and the 18th hole of the opening round of the inaugural Black Desert Championship was the kind of scenario the St. George native needed to take advantage of.
While Blake’s playing partners, Wilson Furr and David Bradshaw, outdrove him on the 587-yard par 5, Blake was crafty in getting to the front edge of the green in two, giving himself a lengthy roll at an eagle that could have been a round changer.
After the home crowd gave him a warm ovation and he circled the green while waving to the galleries, Blake rolled his long attempt 10 feet past the hole and then missed one coming back, blowing an opportunity to keep pace with a number of hotshots rocketing up the leaderboard.
Blake never finished his round, but he’s still one of 5 things to know from the opening day of action.