Who Will Win the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship?
Trust a course that looks forged in a land of extremes to play that way, too. Southern Utah’s dramatic landscape overwhelms the senses with its vivid colors, vast depth, and surreal beauty rarely found so far from the coast. Still, as a resort course, Black Desert isn’t designed to be as punishing as the natural forces that shaped its surroundings. When it hosted the Bank of Utah Championship for the first time last year, Black Desert produced an average score of 69 points, making it the second-easiest par-71 course to host a full field during the 2024 season. In his final design, created in collaboration with architect Phil Smith, Tom Weiskopf crafted a masterpiece set atop a dramatic lava field.
As is often true with new courses, the biggest adjustment comes on the greens. When greens are easier to hit in regulation—as they were last year—putting averages usually trend higher. Even so, these greens, which can roll up to 12 feet on the Stimpmeter, proved challenging at every distance. In fact, among all courses measured in 2024, Black Desert recorded the lowest make rate from 10–15 feet at 25% and 54% percent. It also ranked as the fourth-toughest from four to eight feet and the fifth-hardest overall inside 10 feet. As players gain more experience, those numbers should improve—but ultimately, this is where the tournament will be won or lost.
The top three contenders for this tournament are Rico Hoey, Matt McCarty, and Michael Thorbjornsen. Hoey led the PGA TOUR in driving and ranked second in greens hit, which sets him up in a great position for a birdie or even an eagle. Hoey has finished 21st in this course and has another chance for the bite of the apple. McCarty had a strong finish at the end of last season and is primed to defend his title, where he got back on track on the BayCurrent Classic. Thorbjornsen led the season in green hits and is primed for a breakthrough victory after finishing third at the BayCurrent Classic. For the desert showdown, may the best man win on top to claim the championship.
