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.
I was talking to a friend the other day about golf in the fall, specifically on the PGA Tour and as someone who doesn't follow golf all that closely, he wondered why they play in the fall. After all, the majors are done, the playoffs are done, so why does golf continue on?
The cynic in me would say it's all about the money, which is generally the answer to everything concerning why a company or organization does anything, but there can't be much money in these fall events, so it must be something else.
Is it for the fans? Again, I'm not sure how many fans are tuning in during the fall season. We've got the hardcore people, you know, those who write about golf or read about golf, that's me and you, but I doubt the PGA Tour sets up these events for such a small group.
What I landed on was that the fall season is for the players. Not the big names, but the ones who are trying to make their way on the PGA Tour and don't get me wrong, this isn't to paint the PGA Tour as some benevolent organization towards the guys down the money list, if anything, they've been pretty terrible to the guys not in the top-tier since the advent of LIV golf, structuring nearly everything to appease that small group at the top, but the fall season is certainly for the guys that don't get many opportunities in the spring/summer, and I don't think many people would mind if the PGA Tour did away with the fall season, so in that sense, they are doing a solid for the little guys by continuing to play through November.
There's a benefit to the PGA Tour here as well, these fall events are often used by young players to boost their confidence and get their feet wet on the PGA Tour, so what they are accomplishing here is setting up the future of the tour.
Whether I'm onto something here or not, the fall season isn't going anywhere and like it or not, it does do some good for the overall health of the tour, so whatever the reason they keep this going, I guess it doesn't matter.
The future of the tour this week is in Utah, for the Bank of Utah Championship. We've got limited history here, but at least we're on the same course as last year.
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LAST YEAR
Matt McCarty shot a final-round 67 on his way to a three-stroke victory over Stephan Jaeger.
FAVORITES
All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 3:30 PM ET Tuesday.
Maverick McNealy (16-1)
No big names at the top this week, instead we've got a group of three at the top, with some decent value. This will be McNealy's first time at this event, so no course history in play, but when we last saw him, over a month ago, he was playing pretty well. He's in the midst of his best season on the PGA Tour and I wouldn't be surprised to see him close it out in style with a win at some point in the next few weeks.
Michael Thorbjornsen (16-1)
This is a name we haven't heard from in a while. Thorbjornsen came into the season with a lot of hype, but for the most part, he failed to live up to expectations. He didn't play poorly this season, he just didn't have the high-end finishes that some of us expected. That may be changing already in the fall however as he's already posted a top-3. If he unlocked something at the Baycurrent Classic two weeks ago, he just might find his first win in Utah.
Alex Noren (17-1)
Noren has had quite the resurgence this season and it appears that he's not quite ready to let go of this hot streak. Noren had several good finishes down the stretch on the PGA Tour and he won an event on the DP World Tour in September. He's trying to get everything out of what be his last run on the PGA Tour. At least his last run while still at his peak powers. Noren is also a first-timer this week, but that shouldn't matter much as most players in the field just have a handful of rounds in on this course.
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THE NEXT TIER
Rico Hoey (25-1)
Not a name you'd expect to see in the middle tier, but he's got a lot going for him this week. Hoey finished T4 at the Baycurrent Classic and he played fairly well at this event this past year with a T21. Two of Hoey's best finishes this season have come in the fall and while that's not a great sign for his prospects heading into next year, that works just fine for this week as some guys just find their game in fall.
Matt McCarty (25-1)
McCarty didn't really build upon his win at this event this past year, but he didn't exactly fall into complacency either. He posted a top-5 at the Canadian Open and a top-10 at the Wyndham Championship, but outside of that, it was pretty uneventful. With that said, he's returning to the site of his biggest triumph as a pro and his most recent round was a 60 at the Baycurrent, so he's got a couple things working in his favor right now.
Max Homa (35-1)
I'm not giving up on Homa. He's only two years removed from a $10 million season and yes, he's struggled mightily this year, but you just don't lose your game never to find it again. He'll find his game, maybe not this week, or even this year, but he'll find it at some point and when he does, you're going to get great odds on him to win, just like this week. Do I think he wins this week? Probably not, but he's got more upside that just about anyone in the field.
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LONG SHOTS
Sahith Theegala (45-1)
Speaking of struggling. Theegala's season was worse than Homa's, but there's still time for redemption. Theegala finished inside the top-10 at the end of the 2024 season, but he dropped way off that pace this past year. Again, like Homa, his game doesn't appear to be in the right spot for a win, but also like Homa, he's got a ton of game, he just needs to find it again. This is the longshot section, right? You want guys with long odds that know how win.
Aldrich Potgieter (50-1)
Remember this guy? He's the one who came out of nowhere this past June and won the Rocket Mortgage Classic. What has he done since then? Not much, but it looks like he might be rounding back into form. Potgieter posted an opening-round 77 at the Baycurrent two weeks ago, but he fought back with three solid rounds to close the week. He might just be trending the right direction.
ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES
Highly-Chosen Pick: Alex Noren – Noren has been on a roll for a few months now and I see no reason why that stops this week. As mentioned previously, he's trying to take advantage of this hot streak and he's not going to stop until it's over. Noren has the form to win this week and even if he doesn't he should end up in the top-10.
Moderately-Chosen Pick: Rico Hoey – He's not a big name, so he won't catch a lot of attention, but Hoey has a lot working for him. In addition to his record here and his form, he's got some urgency to make some hay during the fall portion of the schedule. If he's not going to get it done during the regular season, he needs to do everything possible to improve his position during the fall.
Lightly-Chosen Pick: Aldrich Potgieter – Hey, it's a stretch, I'm aware of this, he hasn't done much of anything since his win in June, but guess what? He didn't do much of anything prior to that win in June. Maybe he's just one of those guys that will hit once or twice a season and figuring out when he'll hit will be difficult, but like I said earlier, there appear to be some signs.
Buyer Beware: Jason Day – It's odd to see Day in the field this week, but I guess he probably doesn't want to take off four consecutive months, right? We haven't seen Day since August, so we have no idea of his form entering this week. I can only assume that after such a long layoff, he won't be at his peak, but I guess you never know. He's also a first-timer here, which probably won't help his cause.
FANDUEL PICKS
Upper Range: Alex Noren ($11,800)
Middle Range: Max Homa ($10,000)
Lower Range: Aldrich Potgieter ($8,900)
