After a week’s break to accommodate the Presidents Cup, tournament action returns to the PGA Tour on Thursday with the third running of the Bank of Utah Championship.
Michael Brennan heads to the Black Desert Resort as the defending champion, while plenty of eyes will be on 21-year-old Jackson Koivun after he enjoyed an undefeated debut for the USA team at Medinah.
This is a good opportunity for some of the PGA Tour’s lesser lights to make a big impression, and a fast start will be crucial to that, so the race to be first-round leader is likely to be a hot one.
Bank of Utah Championship First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best bet - Doug Ghim each-way @ 30/1
Alternative bet - Benjamin James each-way @ 25/1
Alternative bet - Matt McCarty each-way @ 40/1
Bank of Utah Championship First-Round Leader Prediction
Best Bet: Doug Ghim each-way @ 30/1
Doug Ghim has been used to making fast starts on the PGA Tour this year - he is third in the first-round scoring average - and there looks a decent chance he will fly out of the blocks at the Black Desert Resort this week.
He hit 71 in the opening round at the Biltmore Championship Asheville a fortnight ago, but that was only the second occasion in his last 12 tournaments that he failed to card a Thursday spin in the 60s.
Before that he hit a 65 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a 64 at the Wyndham Championship, and his confidence about a strong performance in Utah this week will have been boosted by the opening 65 he hit on his first visit two years ago.
Ghim stands second in the Tour’s greens-in-regulation stats, which should mean he is well suited to this test and the boost gained from three straight top-20 finishes is likely to ensure he is a force to be reckoned with in what is not the strongest of PGA Tour fields.
Alternative Bet: Benjamin James each-way @ 25/1
Tournament favourite Koivun heads to Utah having flourished on his Presidents Cup debut last week and that should ensure other young players making their way on the Tour will be keen to follow his lead.
Benjamin James is one who has also come up through the collegiate ranks recently and he has already come close to winning with a third-place finish at the Wyndham Championship and second at the Biltmore Championship Asheville last time out, when he found only Jacob Bridgeman too strong.
The sight of Koivun celebrating with some of golf’s biggest names at Medinah should have given him a further boost, so he should be charged for this week’s challenge and a fast start is anticipated.
Alternative Bet: Matt McCarty each-way @ 40/1
The Black Desert Resort has hosted this tournament on just two occasions, but Matt McCarty is one player who has definitely found it to his liking and he can be expected to make a strong start this week.
The winner of the inaugural competition in 2024, McCarty made a spirited defence of his title last year when he finished third behind Michael Brennan and Rico Hoey.
His 68 last year was not a blistering start, but his 62 in his first visit to the Utah track was impressive and he could be geared for a similar performance on Thursday.
McCarty impressed in gaining successive top-10 finishes at the Cadillac Championship and the Truist Championship in May and while he has gone off the boil a little since, this is the first time he has been in action for five weeks, so a rest and a return to his favourite venue could have a galvanising effect.
Key Tournament Stats
This is the third year the Bank of Utah Championship has been a feature of the PGA Tour
Both previous Bank of Utah winners, Michael Brennan and Matt McCarty, celebrated maiden successes on the PGA Tour
Brennan is the highest-ranked player in the field at 33rd in the world
The fairways at the Black Desert Resort are wide, so strong drivers could hold a potential advantage
Canada’s Adam Svensson holds the 18-hole course record with the 60 he fired in the opening round of the 2024 tournament
Thorbjorn Olesen, Jesper Svensson and David Lipsky all shot 65 to take the first-round leader honours 12 months ago
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
