Bank of Utah Championship
Black Desert Resort Golf Course
Ivins, UT
The PGA Tour heads to Utah for another edition of the Bank of Utah Championship.
Another mini-break comes to an end as the PGA Tour is back in action this week. Before we get to that, some words on the Presidents Cup.
This year's version of the Presidents Cup was certainly entertaining, something we haven't always been able to say. The reason was the drama heading into Sunday. The US Team put themselves in a troubling spot entering Sunday and though they were able to work through it, there are certainly more questions than answers at this point.
We'll start with the best golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler. Though he ended the week with a winning record, he didn't play the part of the alpha dog on the US Team. For whatever reason, Scheffler continues to struggle while playing with a partner. That's something that the US Team needs to figure out before next year's Ryder Cup.
Speaking of figuring it out before the Ryder Cup and the team struggles, the US needs to figure out the team struggles before the next Ryder Cup! It's no secret that the Europeans have figured out the team concept while the US just can't get it right. Singles, well, that's a different story and it played out exactly like that this past weekend. At this point, I don't think there is anything the leaders on the US team can do, it's on the players to figure this out and that's if they want to put the time in to figure this out, which I'm not sure they do.
On a positive note, it seems like the younger guys on the US team have more fire than their elders, the elders in this scenario being Scheffler, Schauffele, Cantlay, etc… Maybe that's the scenario that get the US past their troubles during team competition. Again, it's going to take a desire to figure this out, not just talking about it and wondering about it, but really figuring out how to turn this around. Will that happen before next year, I doubt it. Next year is going to be a task, no matter who they bring to Ireland.
On another positive note, Jackson Koivun looks ready for whatever team competition lies ahead. Not only did he play well, but he did so while showing some flair. It may seem like something small, but showing some swagger in a competition like that can have an effect on your teammates. The US team often seems awkward when celebrating success, but that was not an issue for Koivun.
To wrap this up I'll state that yes, it was an impressive Sunday for the US team, but no, it did not inspire confidence that they can win in Ireland next year. We don't know how the team will shake out next year, but if a majority of these same guys are back next year, I feel like we'll have to wait for 2029 to get back on the right side of the Ryder Cup.
Okay, back to the grind, we have a fairly new events on the schedule, but there is some course history, which will be very useful this week as we haven't seen a lot of golf from most of these guys lately.
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FAVORITES
All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 5:00 PM ET Wednesday.
Jackson Koivun (12-1)
We're two events into the fall season and Koivun has been favored in both. Koivun did not win in his previous start as the favorite, but he played pretty well, eventually landing in the top-5. There are a couple ways Koivun could go this week and in my mind, they are both tied to the Presidents Cup this past week. The first path is a continuation of his success this past week. Bolstered by even more confidence from his play last week, Koivun becomes a wrecking ball in the fall and he dominate the lesser fields. The other path is that of Koivun coming back down from the high of last week. It was Koivun's first Presidents Cup and you know he had to be excited to play. If there is a hangover, things might not go well this week. Considering everything we've seen from Koivun, I think the former is more likely.
Ben James (15-1)
Like Koivun, James is a young golfer that has been pushed up the odds chart in a quick manner. It took James a little time to find some traction after turning pro in June of this year, but he seems to have figured it out as we head into the heart of the fall season. James picked up a top-5 at the Corales Puntacana Championship in July, but didn't get much playing time after that. He got a start in early August at the Wyndham however and turned that into another top-5, this time it was a top-3 as well. In his most recent start, he finished runner-up at the Biltmore Championship. Unlike Koivun, James doesn't have the distraction of the Presidents Cup, so there are no worries about a hangover.
Michael Brennan (16-1)
Do you see a pattern here? Another young golfer atop the odds chart. Brennan, however, has much more experience than Koivun or James. In addition to experience, Brennan also has something the other two don't and that's a win on the PGA Tour. In fact, Brennan's has two wins now, the first came at this very event last year and the second came just over a month ago at the Wyndham Championship. Brennan certainly has a lot of boxes checked this week, current form and course history among them, but the one thing we don't know about him is how he'll handle being the defending champ. Some guys don't let the extra attention bother them at all, some guys don't handle it well. We'll have to wait and see on Brennan.
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THE NEXT TIER
Maverick McNealy (22-1)
If this event were held a few months ago, McNealy probably would have been the favorite, but the youngsters have really upped their game in recent months. McNealy was coming off a career season in 2025 and while he played well, he certainly did not come anywhere near the heights of 2025. McNealy's earnings number in 2026 is actually higher than any other year outside of 2025, so in that sense, it's not a total letdown, but it's fair to say that more was expected of him this season. Perhaps he can make a run in the fall this season and make his numbers look a little better come December. He is coming off his best finish of the season, a T7 at the BMW, but that was over a month ago and we have no idea what his form looks like. Still, he's got a lot more experience than the favorites, so maybe he finds it again this week.
Marco Penge (25-1)
I had Penge in this spot two weeks ago prior to the Biltmore Championship and while he didn't win, he did play well as he ended up in the top-10. Penge seems to be trending the right way and remember, there was a lot of steam on Penge heading into the season, which doesn't always mean much, but it means at least that he has potential. The fall portion of the season is often where underachievers thrive. I should note that Penge's odds for the Biltmore were 35-1, so I'm not the only one that thinks he has a chance this week.
Jordan Smith (33-1)
There's not much to like in the middle tier this week, I'd rather play the favorites or some longshots, but Smith is an interesting case. 2026 was his first full season on the PGA Tour and any way you cut it, you'd have to call it a success. No, he didn't win, in fact, he only had one top-10, but he managed to play well enough in several spots to land inside the top-75 at the end of the season. Now he gets his first crack at the fall season as a PGA Tour member. He might find that top-10s come easier in the fall and maybe, just maybe, he gets in contention once or twice in the coming weeks.
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LONG SHOTS
Matt McCarty (40-1)
Now we get to the course history portion of the picks. After two starts at this event, it's safe to say that McCarty has a feel for this course. He won the first Bank of Utah Championship in 2024 and backed that up with a T3 this past year. McCarty started the 2026 strong, but faded as the season wore on. He did however, manage to stay in the top-50 at season's end, which means he'll be eligible for the signature events to start next season, but that's next season, we're still focused on this season. McCarty will likely want to finish strong considering he hasn't played his best golf for a few months now. This would be the place to jump start his fall season though.
Stephan Jaeger (60-1)
Jaeger hasn't accomplished much since his breakthrough win in 2024, but he's still managed to stay at a level where he'll have access to a lot of tournaments. It would help his cause if he could pick up a win in the fall however and considering his track record here, he might have a shot this week. Jaeger finished runner-up here in 2024 and came back with a T11 this past year. He hasn't had a great season, but we know the upside is there.
ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES
Highly-Chosen Pick: Ben James – James is definitely trending in the right direction as we enter the heart of the fall season and unlike the favorite this week, there are no worries about a hangover from the Presidents Cup. James will likely have a lot of value down the road this fall, but I can't imagine a better spot for him than this week. No course history here, but that's true of a lot of favorites this week and no one has more than two years of play here anyway.
Moderately-Chosen Pick: Marco Penge – I mentioned earlier that Penge underperformed this season, but that doesn't mean he'll do the same in the fall. It's amazing what a weaker field can do for a golfer's confidence and Penge seems to be trending in the right direction, so I do expect from production in the next couple months. Whether or not he wins is another story, but I think he's got enough game right now to post a top-10 this week and maybe better.
Lightly-Chosen Pick: Matt McCarty – McCarty might catch some ownership this week simply because of his track record, but I think most OAD players will be drawn to the flashy objects at the top of the odds chart. That could be a mistake though as no one of the field can claim the level of success here than McCarty can. He's played well enough this season for me to think he can do some damage this fall and if he's going to do it anywhere, it's going to be here.
Buyer Beware: Jackson Koivun – This might be the last time I will ever have a chance to fade Koivun, no seriously, but I think there's good reason to be wary of him this week. This has nothing to do with his game or his attitude or his head, nothing personal at all, it's just that he has to somehow come down from the high of the Presidents Cup and get ready for this event in Utah. No shade on Utah either, it's just that he's coming from a very electric atmosphere, where a lot of golf fans are paying attention, to one where only hardcore fans are watching. It might be a tough adjustment.
View the PGA earnings report to find total winnings and winnings per entry via our fantasy golf stats pages.
FANDUEL PICKS
Upper Range: Ben James ($11,400)
Middle Range: Matt McCarty ($10,500)
Lower Range: Max McGreevy ($8,700)
