The PGA Tour returns to Utah for the first time in more than four decades for the inaugural playing of the Black Desert Championship, which begins on Thursday at the Black Desert Resort in Ivins.
It's the third of eight fall events that determine the final playing status for the 2025 season. So while the event may lack a ton of marquee names, it does present a vital opportunity for players to secure their cards and earn spots into signature events.
Featured groups for first official day of play.
— Black Desert Championship (@BDChampionship) October 10, 2024
We can't wait to see you all in the morning, gates open at 7:40am, and hospitality venues (Champions, Greater Zion, Suites, and Liberty Lounge) open at 10:00am. #blackdesertchampionship #pgatour #greaterzion pic.twitter.com/JYfuPxNR0a
Our golf experts preview the event and share their favourite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.
BLACK DESERT CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Ivins, Utah, October 10-13
Course: Black Desert Resort (Par 71, 7 371 Yards)
Purse: $7.5M (Winner: $1.368M)
Defending Champion: Inaugural Event
FedEx Cup Champion: Scottie Scheffler
PROP PICKS
–Seamus Power to Beat Kurt Kitayama (-115 at DraftKings): Kitayama is teeing it up for the first time since missing the cut at the Wyndham and outside of a T6 at the 3M Open, doesn't have a top-25 finish since March – although he has made 80 per cent of his cuts this season.
Power is coming off a T11 last week and posted a T10 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship after qualifying for the first leg of the playoffs.
–Erik van Rooyen Top 30 Finish (+110 at BetRivers): van Rooyen has made 74 per cent of his cuts and tends to fair well against modest fields such as this one. He tied for sixth at the Rocket Mortgage Classic over the summer and is coming off a T12 at the Irish Open.
–Adam Svensson Top Canadian Finisher (+135 at DraftKings): Svensson has a trio of top-10 finishes this season, including at the Wyndham.
While he's coming off a MC at the Sanderson Farms, we like Svensson in this group over Nick Taylor (+190), Roger Sloan (+330) and Mike Weir (+850). In reality, it's more of a head-to-head matchup against Taylor, who has struggled since winning in Phoenix. He has failed to make the weekend in half of his past 14 starts while posting a best finish of T27 during that span.
2024 Prop Picks Record: 46-53-1
BEST BETS
–Keith Mitchell (+1800 at DraftKings) posted a solo 12th and a T3 in his first two fall events.
–Seamus Power (+2500) finished T11 last week and is a two-time winner on tour.
–Chris Kirk (+3000), who won The Sentry to begin the season, is the highest-ranked player in the field at No 41.
–Patrick Fishburn (+3000) is an Ogden, Utah native and who has four top-15 finishes in his past six starts.
–Beau Hossler (+3000) is coming off a solo second last week after carding four rounds of 68 or better.
NOTES
–The PGA Tour returns to Utah for the first time since 1963, and the Black Desert Resort is set in a lava field. The course will also play host to an LPGA Tour event next year.
–This is the third of eight events on the FedEx Cup Fall schedule, which finalizes the top 125 players who will retain exempt status for 2025. Nos. 126-150 after the fall will retain conditional status. Players who finished Nos. 51-70 in the FedEx Cup have secured their tour cards, but are competing for spots in the first two signature events after the season-opening The Sentry.
–St. George, Utah resident Jay Don Blake will make his 500th career PGA Tour start this week and his first since 2018. The 65-year-old is in the field as a sponsor exemption.