IVINS, Utah — It feels like the Beehive State, once known for Mormon temples, a bougie ski resort and the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, is having something of a moment lately when it comes to the sports world.
Both BYU and Utah are snugly in the middle of the most recent US LBM Coaches Poll, with the Cougars at No. 15 and the Utes just two spots behind. The Utah Jazz recently locked down All-Star forward and former Most Improved Player winner Lauri Markkanen to a five-year deal worth $238 million and this season Salt Lake City will enjoy its first as a National Hockey League city with the Arizona Coyotes relocating to the mountain paradise.
Throw in the PGA Tour’s first return to this geographically diverse region in 60 years at this week’s inaugural Black Desert Championship and you’ve got the makings of a Utah coup in a sports world that’s typically dominated by metropolitan regions along the coasts.
That might explain why pro golfers are puffing their chests out a little this week as the Tour’s FedEx Fall rolls through picturesque St. George, a southern municipality that’s closer to Las Vegas than it is Salt Lake City.
“It’s exciting. Utah is kind of the state of sport, so another big event coming to Utah is awesome. Utah fans, people get behind the Jazz and we got a new hockey team, you know, and BYU and Utah and all the colleges,” said Zac Blair, who’s seeking his first PGA Tour victory in the same state where he was reared.
The Tom Weiskopf/Phil Smith-designed Black Desert Resort Golf Course opened in May of 2023 in Ivins, Utah. (Courtesy of Black Desert Golf Club/Brian Oar)
“This is just another big event that I think we’ll get a lot of people coming out to. It’s exciting to have something in your home state. Growing up you dream of playing on the PGA Tour and stuff like that, but never really thought we would have a PGA event here in our home state. Going to be a cool opportunity.”
Although many of the game’s top names will not be on hand — including native son Tonu Finau, who had previous engagements — there won’t be a lack of made-for-TV moments as southern Utah’s red rock mountains will get their day in the sun, literally and figuratively. The par-72 Black Desert Golf Course designed by Phil Smith and the late Tom Weiskopf has been welcomed onto the Tour schedule with rave reviews, rocketing up lists of the nation’s top golf course, including Golfweek’s Best. The design marked…
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