Bank of Utah Championship 2025 preview, picks & analysis

It was the stuff of dreams. In only his second start on the PGA Tour, 12 months ago, left-hander Matt McCarty landed his first title, winning the Black Desert Championship by three shots, pocketing $1.4m and picking up 500 FedEx Cup points in the process.

He finished the week on 23 under par for the tournament in Utah, holding off Stephan Jaeger for a memorable success.

With the win, McCarty has secured his playing privileges on the PGA Tour until the end of the 2026 season. He also assured himself invitations into The Sentry, the Masters and the PGA Championship and will be back to defnd his title this week in what is now called the Bank of Utah Championship.

McCarty had earned promotion onto the PGA Tour from the Korn Ferry Tour after winning three times in the same season. He finished ranked No. 1 on the latter tour.

Starting the final day with a two-stroke lead, McCarty saw his advantage cut in half a few times throughout his final 18 holes but he remained on top of the leaderboard all day. Initially, Harris English made his presence known with an opening birdie before his playing partner Kevin Streelman began to pose as McCarty's biggest threat.

McCarty appeared to be in cruise control until a three-putt bogey at the 12th gave the chasing pack some hope. Ahead of him, Jaeger threatened his lead thanks to back-to-back birdies at the 13th and 14th to get within one. It wouldn't last long as McCarty shut the door shut on the drivable par-four 14th. Hitting his tee shot from just inside 300 yards to just inside four feet, McCarty holed out for an eagle to put distance between himself and the chasing pack.

The 2025 season has turned out to be something of a disappointment for McCarty as he failed to kick on, missing nine cuts and enjoying just two top-10 finishes, a tied fourth at the Canadian Open and a tied eighth at the Wyndham Championship.

With time running out before the end of the season there are many high-profile golfers still playing for their futures. 

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

You can be sure that the likes of Max Homa, Billy Horschel and Alex Noren would rather not be playing this week. Homa has suffered an alarming slump in form but has shown recent signs of life. Horschel has spent much of 2025 sidelined by injury. He is now fit again and knows that he will get a medical exemption in 2026 but he would much rather win another tournament.

Noren played superbly to win the BMW PGA Championship and has shown some wonderful form in recent weeks and is my pick to win this week. He is one of the hardest workers in the game and played a key backroom role as Europe won the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

With a decent finish this week, England’s Matt Wallace can secure his playing privileges and he is absolutely desperate to do so after a year that saw him narrowly miss out on Ryder Cup selection.

Luke Clanton and Gordon Sargent arguably represent the future for American golf.

Clanton won the Florida High School State Championship on three occasions, in 2019, 2021 and 2022. In late 2022, Clanton enrolled at Florida State University and in his sophomore year, he rose to number one in the world amateur rankings after winning the Seminole Intercollegiate, the Valspar Collegiate, and the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial and performing well in several professional tournaments.

In June 2024 he competed in the US Open at Pinehurst, finishing in a tie for 41st. The following month, he became the first amateur since 1958 to finish in the top-10 in back-to-back PGA Tour events, finishing in a tie for 10th at the Rocket Mortgage and joint runner-up in the John Deere Classic. He had two more top-10 finishes later in the year, with a fifth place at the Wyndham and another runner-up finish at the RSM Classic. 

In February 2025, Clanton made the cut at the Cognizant Classic to secure the final points he needed to earn PGA Tour membership via the PGA Tour University Accelerated program. The 21-year-old turned professional earlier this year and is now looking for his first victory.

Tournament Winners:

Matt McCarty won the inaugural title last year.

The Course:

Played against the stunning backdrop of southern Utah’s red rock mountains, the par-72 Black Desert Golf Course was designed by Phil Smith and the late Tom Weiskopf, the final design from the World Golf Hall of Fame 2024 inductee. Carved through the desert, it measures 7,200 yards and features a lot of bunkers and relatively narrow fairways.

Form Guide:

Alex Noren has shown some superb form in recent months and is one of the hardest workers in the game.

Prize Money:

The total prize fund is $6m with 500 FedEx points going to the winner.

How to Watch:

Thursday, October 23, Sky Sports Golf, 10pm; Friday, October 24, Sky Sports Golf, 2.45pm; Saturday, October 25, Sky Sports Golf, 10pm; Sunday, October 26, Sky Sports Golf, 8.30pm.

To Win:

Alex Noren. Form horse

Each Way:

Billy Horschel. Fit again

Each Way:

Max Homa. On the way back

Five to Follow:

Alex Noren. Gutsy competitor

Billy Horschel. Crowd favourite

Max Homa. Showing signs of his best again

Sahith Theegala. Looking for a big finish to a disappointing campaign

Matt McCarty. Will have good memories

Five Outsiders to Watch:

Kihei Akina. Gifted teenager

Connor Howe. Korn Ferry Tour prospect

Preston Summerhayes. Has been tipped for big things

Victor Perez. On borrowed time

Matteo Manassero. Struggling