Matt McCarty (+2500), last year's winner at Black Desert Resort, returns to Ivins, Utah, aiming to defend his crown at the newly renamed Bank of Utah Championship.

McCarty, the left-hander making only his third start with his TOUR card, returns to familiar ground where last season he posted 23-under 261 to win by two shots and earn his first trophy on the PGA TOUR. He entered the week with three wins in his previous nine events on the Korn Ferry Tour and continued his lights-out play. McCarty posted four rounds of 68 or better on the par 71, 7,371-yard layout designed by Tom Weiskopf, including 62 in Round 1. Notably, he was one of six players to post a round of 62 or better, all of whom finished inside the top 10.

Putting: Birdie or Better Conversion Percentage

Players listed below are competing this week

Black Desert Resort ranked 38th of 50 courses in Scoring Average (69.06), playing almost two shots below par. The course ranked sixth in birdies and eagles of all courses used in 2024. With generous fairways, approaching 30 yards on average off the tee, and welcoming putting surfaces averaging 7,000 square feet, paying off greens hit in regulation with one-putt birdies is key. The 007 bentgrass rolls true, yet not lightning fast, allowing players to attack with the putter.

Notable changes for the 2025 edition include 50 additional yards (7,421 yards) from new teeing areas on Nos. 1, 10 and 18. The Kentucky bluegrass, providing the barrier between fairways and the black lava fields, is now cut to 3 inches instead of 2.

Stephan Jaeger (+5500) opened 65-63 and led by one after 36 holes. The German closed 68-68 to finish second by three shots. Holing 24 birdie putts, one-third of his holes, he also avoided trouble and produced only four bogeys, tied for first on the week. Jaeger was the only other player to post 20-under-par.

Longshot Kevin Streelman (+30000) finished T3 in 2024 and signed for rounds of 64 and 63 before falling off the pace with 69 on Sunday. He led the field in Par 5 Performance.

Joe Highsmith (+15000), who shared sixth place, joined McCarty with a round of 62 (Round 3), but his round of 71 on Sunday saw him fade from contention. For the week, the left-hander circled 26 birdies (T3) and matched his best result from 2024 (T6).

Rounds in the 60s

Players listed below are competing this week

• The top 10 finishers posted 16-under or better, a minimum of 4-under per round.
• The top 20 players, all posting 15-under or better, signed for EIGHT rounds in the 70s and only one above par combined.
• Thirty-one players circled 20 or more birdies.
• Signing for 10-under in 2024 was good enough for T45.
• Posting rounds in the 60s on this resort course layout is a requirement to contend.

Henrik Norlander (+30000) opened the 2024 event with 62, which included nine birdies. The Swede would finish the week with 27 circles on the card, tied for the most in the event. He is one of three players entered who signed for a 62 last season.

Lee Hodges (+5500) joined Norlander with 27 birdies and a T8 paycheck. Hodges circled seven or more birdies in three of his four rounds. He ranked T8 in fairways hit, T6 in Greens in Regulation, and T5 in Proximity to Hole. Imagine if his putter was hot!

Oddsmaker’s extras

• Maverick McNealy (+1700), who opened the week as the favorite at the FanDuel Sportsbook, makes his tournament debut in Utah. The Las Vegas resident had success on another Tom Weiskopf design, TPC Scottsdale, finishing T9 in February.
• Adam Svensson (+12500) set the tournament scoring record with a round of 60 on Thursday in 2024. The Canadian followed with a second-round 69, but two loops of 71 on the weekend knocked him out of the top 20. His 13-under-par total was good for T25.
• Nick Hardy (+12500) hit the top 10 (T8) and only squared four bogeys for the week. He ranked T5 in Fairways, second in GIR, and fourth in Proximity to Hole.
• Rico Hoey (+2200) used 18 birdies and an eagle to put four rounds in the 60s for T21 in 2024. He was T4 in Par Breakers two weeks ago at the Baycurrent Classic.

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