We head to the Black Desert Resort (par 71, 7,421 yards, bentgrass greens) in Ivins, Utah, for the Bank of Utah Championship. This event made its debut in 2024 and the first two editions were both played at the Black Desert Resort. Michael Brennan (-22) is the defending champion and Matt McCarty (-23) won the inaugural Bank of Utah Championship the year prior. For this week, there will be 120 players competing and a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
Below, I have featured my two favorite bets for the Bank of Utah Championship on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best Bets for the 2026 Bank of Utah Championship
Ben Kohles for a top-10 finish including ties (+375)
After finishing T-46 in his debut at the Black Desert Resort, Kohles finished T-20 at the par 71 last year. The 36-year-old now heads to the Black Desert Resort playing the best golf of his career and he once again should outdo himself with an even higher finish.
Kohles was the No. 246-ranked player in the world heading into last year’s Bank of Utah Championship, but he now sits at No. 95. Kohles is currently riding a 15-made cut streak between the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA TOUR, and he has produced six top-20 finishes during this stretch.
Kohles won the BMW Charity Pro-Am on the Korn Ferry Tour in June and on the PGA TOUR, he has finished T-3 at the John Deere Classic, T-15 at the ISCO Championship, ninth at the 3M Open and T-15 at the Biltmore Championship Asheville, in that order. That final event was just two weeks ago and at the Cliffs, Kohles gained strokes across the board and he shot an 8-under 63 in the second round, which is one stroke shy of the career-low 62 he posted at the 3M Open in late July.
When we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, Kohles ranks second in total strokes gained, trailing only Jackson Koivun, who is the favorite to win this week with field-best +1200 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Kohles is on a sensational run right now and he should contend in this weak field.
Haotong Li for a top-30 finish including ties (+160)
Li needs to have a strong fall swing if he wants to retain his PGA TOUR spot for next season. Li currently sits 121st in the FedEx Cup Fall standings and only the top-100 will secure their PGA TOUR cards for the 2027 season following the RSM Classic in November.
Li has had a bad season, making only 9-of-23 cuts, but he came alive in his first start of the fall, finishing T-10 at the Biltmore Championship Asheville two weeks ago, marking his third top-12 finish of the year. Li carded a career-low 10-under 61 in his third round at the Cliffs and he gained strokes in every major category for the event.
Li finished the week ninth in SGP and he has gained strokes with his flat stick in all but one of his last six starts, which is a terrific sign for a birdie-fest like the Bank of Utah Championship – the first two winners of this event both finished the week top-eight in SGP.
While this is Li’s first attempt at the Black Desert Resort, this is another crucial week for him and he should rise to the occasion with at least a top-30 finish.
