The Cheat Sheet provides DraftKings fantasy golf players with course info, player history, and the most noteworthy trends of the week to help them with their roster selections.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $125K Sand Trap [$25K to 1st]
The Field
This week marks the second event of the 2026 FedExCup Fall and the third running of the Bank of Utah Championship, a 120-player tournament taking place at Black Desert Resort in Ivins, Utah, from Oct. 1-4. The event comes directly after the Presidents Cup and once again offers 500 FedExCup points and a $6 million purse.
The field isn’t overly deep at the top but does feature several high-end young players. Jackson Koivun enters as the (+1100) favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, followed by Maverick McNealy (+1700), defending champion Michael Brennan (+1750), Benjamin James (+2150) and Matt Wallace (+2250). Presidents Cup participants Koivun, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Nick Taylor are also making the quick turnaround for Utah.
Brennan won here as a sponsor exemption in 2025 after Matt McCarty captured the inaugural tournament in 2024, meaning both editions have produced first-time PGA TOUR winners. McCarty is back after a T3 last season following his 2024 win, while Rico Hoey finished runner-up in 2025 and Stephan Jaeger posted a second and a T11 in his two trips to Black Desert.
As usual, the cut comes after Friday with the top 65 and ties moving on to the weekend.
The Course
Black Desert Resort – Ivins, Utah
Par: 36-35–71
Yardage: 7,421
Greens: 007XL Bentgrass
Black Desert remains one of the more distinctive venues on the PGA TOUR. The final design of Tom Weiskopf, created with Phil Smith, runs through the black lava fields and red-rock landscape of southern Utah. The PGA TOUR setup is now officially listed at 7,421 yards, up from the 7,371-yard figure it was listed at last season. The venue sits roughly 3,000 feet above sea level, which allows the ball to travel farther and means the course does not play to its full scorecard yardage. Many players will get carry of well over 300 yards on their drives this week.
The more basic setup analysis from the last two seasons is still in play as fairways are generous and the greens are large so players can attack aggressively with the driver on almost every Par 4 and Par 5. The biggest penalty for a large miss is generally the surrounding lava rather than traditional thick rough. While it can bring double or worse into play for the most part, this setup has turned Black Desert into a high-birdie environment where driving, aggressive iron play, and putting matter far more than simply keeping the ball in play or even general accuracy.
The course also offers three par 5s and several legitimate risk/reward opportunities, most notably the short par-4 14th and reachable closing par 5. The wide corridors encourage players to hit driver, while the altitude makes the course play shorter than its listed yardage.
We now have two tournaments of evidence supporting the importance of power and off-the-tee prowess. Matt McCarty ranked eighth in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee when he won in 2024, while Brennan led the field OTT in 2025. The two winners have averaged a fifth-place finish in SG: Off-the-Tee and fourth in SG: Tee-to-Green. Both also putted extremely well, ranking inside the top eight on the greens.
Brennan took that trend to an extreme last year. He gained more than 7.6 strokes off the tee, the best single-event driving performance by anyone on the PGA TOUR during the 2025 season, while averaging around 351 yards and hitting nearly 90% of his fairways.
That makes driving (with a hard lean to distance over accuracy), birdie creation, and Bentgrass putting the three areas I’d continue emphasizing this week. Pure approach play still matters, but the first two winners both ranked just 24th in SG: Approach, suggesting players don’t necessarily need elite iron weeks if they create a major advantage off the tee.
2026 Weather Outlook: The early forecast looks extremely favorable for scoring again. Conditions are expected to turn hot and dry once the tournament begins, with sunshine throughout most of the event and afternoon temperatures roughly in the upper-80s to mid-90s. Current forecasts have very little precipitation risk, while winds generally look manageable. Thursday is projected near 90°F, with similarly warm conditions Friday and Saturday.
Friday is the one day worth monitoring for DFS wave purposes. Some forecasts currently have winds increasing noticeably during the afternoon, while the other rounds look considerably calmer. If that forecast strengthens as Thursday approaches, the Friday-morning wave could carry a small advantage, but right now there isn’t enough separation to build lineups around weather alone.
The bigger factor may simply be firming conditions. Temperatures approaching 90°F-plus combined with dry desert air should allow the course to get faster as the day progresses, which could again give morning starters slightly more receptive putting surfaces.
What last year’s winner did at the Bank of Utah Championship
Michael Brennan (-22 under; 67-65-64-66)
Michael Brennan arrived at Black Desert as a sponsor exemption but was hardly playing like an unknown. His five starts immediately preceding the tournament were:
- Fortinet Cup Championship – T4
- Times Colonist Victoria Open – T5
- ATB Classic – WIN
- CRMC Championship – WIN
- Manitoba Open – T51
Brennan had therefore recorded two wins and four top-five finishes in his previous five starts before making the jump to the PGA TOUR. He had also won the BioSteel Championship just one start before that five-event run, giving him three victories during an incredible late-summer stretch which saw him win on multiple Tours.
He immediately translated that form to Black Desert, shooting 67-65-64-66 for 22-under and a four-shot victory over Rico Hoey. Brennan entered the final round with control of the tournament and closed with a 66 to secure his first PGA TOUR win.
Brennan’s key performance stats:
- Gained approximately +7.6 strokes Off-the-Tee, ranking first in the field and posting the best single-event OTT performance on the PGA TOUR in 2025.
- Gained roughly +10.8 strokes Tee-to-Green and another +5.4 strokes Putting, ranking eighth on the greens.
- Averaged about 351 yards off the tee, while still hitting almost 90% of his fairways.
- Hit approximately 79% of greens in regulation, showing just how much pressure his combination of power and accuracy put on the course.
The takeaway for 2026 is pretty simple: Black Desert can reward an aggressive bomber in a huge way. He overwhelmed the course with his driver and then converted enough chances with the putter.
Finding Values on DraftKings Sportsbook
Odds to win are one factor to consider when picking players (but not the only one, so be careful not to put too much weight on them). This section is going to detail a few of the players who have the best fantasy value compared to their DraftKings Sportsbook odds of winning this week.
Pierceson Coody +4300 and $7,700
Coody immediately stands out as one of the biggest discrepancies between the DFS and betting markets this week. At just $7,700, he’s tied for only the 24th-highest salary in the field, but his +4300 outright odds rank him around 16th in the betting market.
Comparables:
- Max Greyserman (+4200 and $7,900)
- Harry Hall (+4200 and $8,900)
- Mac Meissner (+4400 and $8,600)
- Stephan Jaeger (+4400 and $7,700)
Steven Fisk +6300 and $7,200
Fisk is another player who looks underpriced when we compare the two markets. His +6300 outright number ranks roughly 32nd in the field, while his $7,200 DraftKings salary has him tied for only 39th.
Comparables:
- Billy Horschel (+6200 and $7,800)
- Taylor Pendrith (+6200 and $7,500)
- Denny McCarthy (+6700 and $7,600)
- Austin Eckroat (+6900 and $7,400)
Other salary/odds discrepancies to watch
There are a few other players who rate well using the same comparison. Stephan Jaeger (+4400, $7,700) is particularly interesting given his previous success at Black Desert, while Max Greyserman (+4200, $7,900) is priced below several golfers with longer outright odds.
Further down, Taylor Moore (+9000, $6,900) and Andrew Putnam (+14500, $6,600) also carry better outright-market positions than their DFS salaries would suggest.
All odds are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change.
Recent Form
1. Benjamin James
Recent finishes: 2nd / 3rd / T38 / MC / T4
James probably has the strongest pure form line in the field. Three top-four results over his last five starts is difficult to ignore, and he has very short odds on him this week as a result. Overall, he’s a young player whose game should fit a birdie-heavy event that rewards aggressive scoring. Don’t be shocked if his great run continues.
2. Matt Wallace
Recent finishes: T10 / T14 / T9 / T15 / T7
Wallace hasn’t won recently, but he may be the most consistently strong player arriving in Utah. Five straight top-15 finishes is great form considering several results came against significantly deeper competition than he’ll face this week. It remains to be seen whether he could win such a low scoring event but certainly, his form is trending in the right direction for such a result.
3. Jackson Koivun
Recent finishes: T5 / T24 / T29 / T31 / WIN
Koivun has already won this season and just added another top five before heading to the Presidents Cup. His recent results plus overall upside are why he’s the clear +1100 favorite (as of writing) in this field. Another win this week wouldn’t be overly shocking.
4. Marco Penge
Recent finishes: T10 / T18 / T6 / T38 / T45
Penge has quietly produced three top-20s in his last three individual starts, including a T6. His combination of power and birdie-making ability also looks particularly well suited to Black Desert, and he does have experience playing at altitude over on the European Tour.
5. Michael Brennan
Recent finishes: T10 / T42 / WIN / T15 / T24
Brennan’s 2026 form hasn’t been as dominant as the streak that preceded last year’s victory, but it remains very good. More importantly, his greatest strength remains his driver, and we already know Black Desert can maximize that advantage. The course fit is difficult to argue with, as even with poor recent form he’d be a threat this week.
DRAFTKINGS DFS STRATEGY
For this course I would lean more heavily toward ceiling and birdie-making than cut equity in tournaments. Both editions have been won at 22-under or better, and Brennan showed last year that a player who can create a huge OTT advantage can separate quickly.
Cash Games:
Jackson Koivun ($10,800) is the obvious starting point for cash builds if his salary allows it. His recent floor has been strong; he’s already won this season, and he brings substantially more pure upside than most of this field.
Matt Wallace ($9,700) is the other player I’d feel comfortable leaning on heavily. His last five individual results are all T15 or better, which is exactly the consistency you’re looking for in cash. Win equity may be smaller than other names in his range, but the wide landing areas also minimize one of the weaker parts of his game (accuracy) and should allow him to play more aggressively with driver.
GPP Targets
David Ford ($7,100) is one of my favorite tournament names. He finished T3 here last season, and while he is still coming back from injury, his birdie-making skill is elite when in form.
Luke Clanton ($6,600) is another player I’d look to use in tournaments. His recent production has been inconsistent enough to suppress ownership, but the ceiling remains significant, and an open course where players can attack with driver is the kind of setting where his scoring upside can show up quickly.
Gordon Sargent ($6,900) fits the same mold. He’s still developing at the PGA TOUR level, but his power gives him a path to generating DraftKings points quickly on Black Desert’s par 5s and shorter risk/reward holes.
GPP Pivot:
Max Homa ($8,800) is an intriguing GPP target this week as a player whose overall results have been inconsistent, but whose ceiling has started to reappear in 2026. Homa finished runner-up at the John Deere Classic this summer and played well here last season (T15). He’s another player who should benefit from the larger fairways and the need to be aggressive off the tee.
MY PICK: Marco Penge ($9,400)
Marco Penge looks like one of the best combinations of recent form and course fit in the field this week. The Englishman has endured a stop-start first season on the PGA TOUR, with health issues limiting his schedule and contributing to an inconsistent summer. However, there have been some much more encouraging signs recently. Penge finished T18 at The Open, then returned from the FedExCup break with a T10 at the Biltmore Championship, where he shot 19-under and closed with rounds of 64 and 67.
More importantly, Penge has indicated that he’s finally starting to feel better physically. Speaking at the British Masters in late August, he said he was “feeling better day-to-day” and “on the mend” after dealing with an ear issue that eventually affected his neck, shoulder and energy levels. Black Desert also looks like an ideal venue for his biggest weapon. Penge ranks fifth on the PGA TOUR in driving distance this season at 324.0 yards, and earlier in the year was also inside the top 20 in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. There is some evidence that Penge is comfortable playing at elevation as well. He’s finished T8 and T18 at Crans-sur-Sierre, along with T19 at Houghton and T20 at Muthaiga, all venues played significantly above sea level.
Overall, Penge’s season-long results aren’t going to jump off the page, but that should help keep his DFS appeal reasonable. We’re getting a massive hitter whose health and recent form appear to be trending in the right direction at one of the more bomber-friendly setups he’ll see all year.
MY SLEEPER: David Ford ($7,100)
Ford is a true sleeper this week, but we already know the upside is there at Black Desert as he finished T3 at 16-under here last season, opening 67-65 and eventually finishing six shots behind Michael Brennan in what was just his 10th start as a PGA TOUR member.
Ford also has the scoring profile I want to target at this venue. He averaged 4.23 birdies per round during the 2026 PGA TOUR season, a strong number for a player priced this cheaply, and made 20 birdies during his T3 at Black Desert last year. The wide fairways mitigate his biggest weakness to an extent (wild drives), and three par 5s give him plenty of chances to stay aggressive and generate the birdie volume we need for both DFS and placement bets.
The obvious concern, and part of the reason we’re getting Ford at this price, is his lack of recent golf. A back injury forced him into a lengthy layoff this summer, making him one of the bigger wild cards in the field. However, that also makes the FedExCup Fall particularly important for the 23-year-old as he looks to regain momentum and improve his position entering 2027.
I’m personally more than willing to embrace that uncertainty at $7,100. Ford has another year of professional experience behind him, has already proven he can contend at this exact venue and possesses more scoring upside than most players in this salary range. That makes him a strong large-field GPP target for me and also an interesting Top 10 bet at a higher price, given that we’re essentially betting on him rediscovering the ceiling he showed here last year rather than needing him to win outright.
