Out of the Rough: Bank of Utah Championship (2025)

For the second consecutive season and just the second time since 1963, the PGA Tour returns to the state of Utah for this year’s edition of the Bank of Utah Championship.

The FedExCup Fall continues on with the third-of-seven stops along the fall circuit as golfers fight for their chance to secure PGA Tour status for the 2026 season.

This week’s host venue will be the Tom Weiskopf designed Black Desert Resort which was the final design of his storied career prior to his passing.

Golfers and viewers alike will be greeted by the jaw-dropping backdrop this venue offers with the view of the nearby red rock mountains as the course itself is laid amidst a former lava field.

This venue also hosted an LPGA event this year, making it one of only a few courses in America to stage events across both the premier men’s and women’s tours.

The Field

As we have become accustomed to during the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Fall, most of the Tour’s premier talent will remain idle as the unsung players will continue to fight on for both PGA Tour cards and chances to play in Signature Events across the 2026 season.

World No. 17 Alex Noren headlines this week field as World No. 19 Maverick McNealy rounds out members of top 25 of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) teeing it up this week.

Kurt Kitayama (No. 36,) Billy Horschel (No. 38) and Jason Day (No. 42) round out those ranked within the top-50 of the OWGR playing this week as well. 

Matt McCarty comes in as the defending champion, winning in just his second start on the PGA Tour and his first since acquiring his card via top-20 placement on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Recent Korn Ferry Tour graduate Pierceson Coody will look to duplicate what McCarty did a season ago here.

The Course

Black Desert Resort Golf Course in Ivins, Utah is essentially a brand new venue, opening its front nine in 2022 and its back nine in 2023.

As previously mentioned, it was the final design of storied golf course designer Weiskopf who was also the mastermind behind dozens of golf courses across the world, including regular PGA Tour venues Quail Hollow, TPC Craig Ranch and TPC Scottsdale - among others.

The course plays as a Par 71 at 7,371 and sits 3,000 feet above sea level. This will see the field receiving approximately a four-percent distance bump, making this course play approximately 7,100 yards.

The course is laid amidst a former lava field and although the course itself offers very few traditional lines of defense, this course will penalize the big misses off the tee.

The rough this week is set at just 2-inches with very little featured. Water is also in play on just two holes. The fairway bunkers featured this week are essentially non-penal as well.

Although the fairways and corridors are set at slightly below PGA Tour average, off-the-tee, golfers will, for the most part, take driver out of the bag on nearly every par-four and par-five. Golfers will not be penalized for missed fairways this week, outside of the big misses, which is not seen often by the professionals.

Essentially, the golfers who can find that balance of being both long-and-straight off the tee will see the biggest advantage this week.

Around-the-green, there isn’t much to write home about as well as this course is set to play on the easier side compared to PGA Tour standards.

The greens this week average 7,000 square feet and are laid in Bentgrass. They are receptive and soft, seeing them run true. Compared to many other birdie-fests, in which this event will almost certainly be, I don’t see it turning into a putting-content due to this.

The par-threes this week are rather short. One of this venue’s signature holes, the par-three 17th, is Weiskopf’s rendition of Royal Troon’s ‘Postage Stamp’ hole. Weiskopf won The Open Championship at Royal Troon in 1973.

Attacking the par-fives will be crucial this week for any eventual winner. The par-fours play short as well, as at least two will be reachable off-the-tee.

Black Desert Resort Golf Club is just that, a resort golf course. It’s laid out to aid the amateur golfer. However, this course visually looks more intimidating to those outside of the professional golf sector. 

In all, we can expect an easier golf course on the PGA Tour with what will almost certainly come down to a birdie-fest.

The Weather

As of the time of wiring this, there is essentially a zero-percent chance of precipitation for Thursday through Saturday. Sunday is currently calling for a 25-percent chance however. Temperatures will begin at 75-degrees on Thursday before peaking at 76-degrees on Friday. Temperatures will then fall to 73-degrees on Saturday and ultimately settle to 69-degrees come Sunday. Winds will begin at six miles-per-hour on Thursday before reaching seven miles-per-hour on Friday and eight miles-per-hour on Saturday before peaking at 11 miles-per-hour on Sunday.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT)  / Total Driving

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

•  Proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bentgrass (SG: PUTT Bentgrass)

• Par 5 Average Scoring

• Bogey Avoidance

• Scrambling

• Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (SG: TTG)

Betting Card

Thorbjorn Olesen (+3500)

I will open by stating that all of me wanted to bet Michael Thorbjornsen this week but couldn’t back a number under 20/1. If you are willing to do that, all of the power to you. Instead, I’m kicking things off with the Danish veteran. Olesen is currently 18th on Tour in both total driving and SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 24th in par-five average scoring, 36th in bogey avoidance, 40th in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 47th in SG: TTG, 54th in SG: OTT, 62nd in SG: APP, 78th in birdie-or-better percentage and 117th in scrambling. He most recently played the Open de Espana on the DP World Tour where he finished T9th. He most recently played the Sanderson Farms Championship on the PGA Tour where he placed 14th. He missed the cut prior at the Procore Championship but before that placed 62nd at the Wyndham Championship and 14th at the 3M Open. He did not play this event a season ago.

Emiliano Grillo (+3500)

I’m doubling up at this 35/1 price with Emiliano Grillo. Grillo played the Baycurrent Classic two weeks back where he finished 27th. He missed the cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship but prior to that was fourth at the Procore Championship, 50th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, 44th at the Wyndham Championship and 20th at the 3M Open. He is currently 24th on Tour in total driving, 39th in both SG: APP and bogey avoidance, 45th in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 63rd in SG: OTT, 67th in SG: TTG, 72nd in birdie-or-better percentage, 87th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 91st in scrambling and 112th in par-five average scoring. He too did not play this event a season ago. 

Lee Hodges (+6500)

Hodges is the first of those I’m backing to have played this event last year. He finished T8th. He placed 40th last week at the Baycurrent Classic, 38th at the Sanderson Farms Championship and 55th at the Wyndham Championship. Hodges is currently fifth on Tour in bogey avoidance, 16th in par-five average scoring, 20th in scrambling, 21st in total driving, 26th in SG: APP, 34th in SG: TTG, 48th in birdie-or-better percentage, 71st in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 82nd in SG: OTT and 128th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass. 

Kevin Roy (+7500)

Another FedExCup Fall event and another week backing Kevin Roy. It’s the gift that keeps on… taking I guess. The stats tell me a story of Roy winning this event. He is currently fifth on Tour in bogey avoidance, seventh in total driving, 16th in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 31st in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 36th in SG: OTT, 37th in birdie-or-better percentage, 40th in scrambling, 46th in par-five average scoring, 52nd in SG: TTG and 89th in SG: APP. He placed 40th in his last outing at the Baycurrent Classic and also placed 18th at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He did not play this event a season ago. 

Isaiah Salinda (+12500)

Salinda placed 46th in his last outing at the Baycurrent Classic and missed the cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Prior to that however, he placed 13th at the Procore Championship in a much better field than what we’re seeing this week. He also placed 53rd at the 3M Open and 35th at the Barracuda Championship. He is currently ninth on Tour in total driving, 13th in SG: OTT, 29th in birdie-or-better percentage, 66th in par-five average scoring, 76th in SG: TTG, 85th in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 102nd in scrambling, 104th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 137th in bogey avoidance and 146th in SG: APP. He also did not play this event last season.