No Dirt Thursday: Bank of Utah Championship at Black Desert Resort
Welcome [back] to No Dirt Thursday!
Each week we give you every-thing-you-need-to-know about the next PGA TOUR stop: what changed, who won lately, what the course asks of players, and a few only-here nuggets you can drop as fact.
This week, the spotlight is on Ivins, Utah, where the Bank of Utah Championship is bound to be one of the most captivating venues on Tour.
The course at Black Desert Resort, designed by partners Tom Weiskopf and Phil Smith, literally leans into it’s name and takes players on a visually stunning adventure through black lava fields with red-rock backdrops. Turf is bentgrass on greens, tees, and fairways with Kentucky bluegrass rough, an unusual cool-season profile for southern Utah.
Tournament purse: $6,000,000
Last three editions (before this year)
The tournament debuted last year at this venue as Black Desert Championship.
2024 | Matt McCarty | 261 (–23) | won by 3 over Stephan Jaeger | read about it here.
Kevin Streelman chips Saturday onto the 7th green at Black Desert Golf.com
The Black Desert Championship brought the PGA TOUR back to Utah for the first time in sixty years. This year, we're at the same course with the new name and sponsor, Bank of Utah Championship hosting a slightly longer setup than last year.
The new-for-the-PGA Tour terrain, complete with ancient basalt flows with wide fairways and bold green sites, the Black Desert pushes the idea that desert golf isn’t just sand and cacti. There is elevation and visual intimidation featuring a Weiskopf risk-reward staple, two drivable par-4s. Players will have to be adaptable as the course demands shot-shaping, mental resilience, and respect for the land more than raw length.
Tournament history
Golf.com
Founded: First played in 2024 under the Black Desert Championship as part of the FedExCup Fall series.
Venues: Black Desert Resort has hosted from the start.
Moves / adjustments: In 2025 the event became the Bank of Utah Championship, keeping FedExCup Fall status and moving to 7,421 yards with a new back tee on the finisher.
About the host: Black Desert Resort
Origins: Opened 2023 as the final Weiskopf design completed by partner Phil Smith, navigates emerald fairways through black lava below the red cliffs of Greater Zion, making the course unlike anywhere else the Tour plays.
Current site: Ivins, Utah, at ~3,000 feet of elevation.
Modernization: Weiskopf-Smith hallmarks include two drivable par-4s and generous corridors; agronomy runs bentgrass wall-to-wall on primary surfaces with bluegrass rough, plus some autonomous mowers in daily prep.
Plays like: Scorable if you stay on grass. The wide landing areas build confidence, but lava and water frame mistakes, and large bent surfaces reward proximity and pace more than raw speed.
Only at Black Desert Resort — player moments
Matt McCarty after winning the Black Desert Championship at Black Desert Resort on October 13, 2024 in St George, Utah. golfmonthly.com
Matt McCarty (2024): First PGA TOUR win in just his third start, closing with 67 to reach –23 and lock a Masters invite.
Adam Svensson (2024): Opened the inaugural with a career-low 60, setting the early scoring tone in Utah.
Ben Kohles (2024): Spun back a wedge for the first ace in tournament history at the par-3 on 17.
Numbers to watch this week
71 | 7,421: Par and yardage for the TOUR setup at Black Desert Resort
2: Drivable par-4s (No. 5 and No. 14) that define Weiskopf risk-reward
261 | −23: Tournament record from Matt McCarty
On Deck
No Dirt Thursday returns November 6th for the World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, Mexico.