After one week off, the FedExCup Fall continues this week with the Bank of Utah Championship, which is formerly known as the Black Desert Championship. This event made its PGA TOUR debut last season and for the second year in a row, this fall tournament will be played at the Black Desert Resort (par 71, 7,241 yards, bentgrass greens) in Ivins, Utah. At this venue last season, Matt McCarty (-23) won by three shots. There will be 132 players competing at the Bank of Utah Championship this week and a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
The Black Desert Resort is a beautiful desert track nestled in Utah’s red rock mountains that features wide fairways, minimal rough, large greens, 44 bunkers and water in play on two holes. While this course is long for a par 71 at 7,241 yards, any length of player can succeed at the Black Desert Resort, as this venue sits about 3,100 feet above sea level and the high elevation naturally increases every player’s distance.
The Black Desert Resort is an easy track that will yield very low numbers for the second straight year and to win at this course, you not only need to be in strong form as a ball striker, but you need to catch fire with your putter. McCarty finished sixth in SGP during his three-shot win at the Black Desert Resort last season and five of the top-10 finishers that week finished the event top-12 in SGP. Scoring low on the par fives this week will be essential in contending at this likely birdie fest and all three of the par fives at the Black Desert Resort fall between 550-600 yards, so seeking players who are efficient on this length of par five is a smart strategy this week.
Below, I have featured three of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the Bank of Utah Championship, which all cost less than $7.5K.
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Top DraftKings PGA TOUR DFS Bargain Plays for the Bank of Utah Championship
Taylor Montgomery ($7,400) – While Montgomery missed the cut at the Black Desert Resort last season, he is in far better form this time around. Montgomery’s missed cut at this par 71 a year ago was the second of three missed cuts in a row for the veteran. Fast forward a year later and Montgomery now returns to the Black Desert Resort as the maker of six of his past seven cuts, including three top-12 finishes.
Most recently, Montgomery finished T-6 at the Sanderson Farms Championship three weeks ago and during the second round, he carded a 9-under 63, which was the lowest score of the event. Furthermore, Montgomery gained strokes on approach and with his putter for the third consecutive start. The 30-year-old ranks first in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds and Montgomery is a must-play at only $7,400.
Carson Young ($7,200) – Young has made eight of his last 11 cuts with four top-30 finishes during this time and he is coming off an impressive performance as a ball striker. During his T-38 finish at the Sanderson Farms Championship three weeks ago, Young produced 6.1 strokes on approach, which ranked third for the tournament and is a career-best for him in the category.
Young will now look to carry this momentum over to the Black Desert Resort, where he finished T-8 in his first attempt at the track last season. During this event, 26.4% of the approach shots at the Black Desert Resort came from 175-200 yards and Young notably ranks 19th in proximity to the hole from this distance this season. The 30-year-old is an excellent match for the Black Desert Resort and Young is way too cheap for his upside.
Thomas Rosenmueller ($7,100) – Rosenmueller is a great course fit for the Black Desert Resort and he should have a successful debut at the par 71 this week. Rosenmueller ranks seventh in proximity to the hole on 175-200-yard approach shots this season, which as noted above, is a key distance for the Black Desert Resort. Additionally, the German professional ranks top-25 in both SG OTT and SG APP.
Rosenmueller has been consistent as of late, missing only one cut in his last eight starts and he has provided four top-30 finishes during this run, including a T-29 at the Sanderson Farms Championship in his most recent start. Rosenmueller ranks 24th in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds and another top-30 finish is a strong possibility for the 28-year-old this week.
Greyson Sigg ($7,000) – Sigg is a standout value play at this low price tag. The Georgia product finished T-11 at the Black Desert Resort last year and Sigg is in great form this fall. After finishing T-19 at the Procore Championship in September, he finished T-21 at the Sanderson Farms Championship earlier this month.
At both these events, Sigg gained strokes on approach and with his putter, and he shot under par in all eight of his rounds. Sigg’s game is trending up right now and he has top-20 upside in this weak field.
