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Garrett Clegg peered down the roster shortly after he was hired last year and wondered: How exactly would Gentry Hicks work out?

Hicks just had gotten his sixth year of eligibility, one of the few returners on a team that didn't bring back much experience. Clegg figured it could go one of two ways.

"I figured he could be gung-ho all the way or be sort of not bought in," Clegg said. "I was probably most concerned with Gentry over anyone."

Fast-forward through Clegg's first season at the helm of the Utes golf program, and Hicks is a team captain and perhaps the team's steadiest golfer. He acknowledges that he recently has played the best golf of his career, finishing under par or even in three of his last four outings.

Hicks has earned Clegg's trust and vice versa.

"Right off the bat, you could see he was happy to be here, to coach us and this program," Hicks said. "It's been really fun. It's been ultra competitive."

The Utes kick off the Pac-12 championship tourney Friday in Boulder, Colo., with some renewed optimism. While their last outing at the Hawkeye Invitational was less successful than they hoped, the Utes finished third in tournaments in Eugene, Ore., and Provo in the weeks before, starting to click on a level that they've wanted to find all season.

At the front of it is Clegg, a Utah alum who returned to the program last year to try to make it competitive. The Utes have finished last in every Pac-12 championship they've played in, and Clegg, who came from Washington State, aims to change that.

One of the first things he did, Hicks said, was enter his roster into a 10-round tournament that would decide the traveling team. Hicks called it "brutal" but acknowledged it was a necessary jolt.

"We needed to establish that we were going to compete like that, and that we were going to work exceptionally hard," Clegg said. "This is the Pac-12. Working hard is just the baseline. Honestly, a lot of guys embraced it."

The team has established a steady top four of Hicks, Kyler Dunkle, Jordan Costello and Mitchell Schow. Finding a consistent fifth and sixth golfer has been harder. But when the performances have come together, like they did at Oregon and BYU, the Utes have done well.

"They're starting to see what that's like," Clegg said.

There's probably still more to go before Utah can swing with the top programs (or even the middle) of the Pac-12. Clegg would like to see more facilities dedicated to golf in the coming years, and he's hoping recruiting classes coming in can build up the talent.

If the Utes drive well this weekend, Clegg said, that would be a good start to improving on a last-place finish. Either way, Utah feels good about the way things have gone recently.

"I think the program is headed in the right direction," Hicks said. "I think we've proven that we can compete."

kgoon@sltrib.com Twitter: @kylegoon —

Pac-12 golf championships

When • April 28 to 30

Where • Boulder Country Club, Boulder, Colo.