The PGA TOUR and Black Desert Resort have revealed plans for a new golf tournament, the Black Desert Championship, set to take place in 2024 during the FedExCup Fall. This event will mark the first PGA TOUR competition in Utah in over six decades.
The Black Desert Championship is not the only professional golf event scheduled at Black Desert Resort. The resort will also host an LPGA Tour event in 2025. Both tournaments will take place against the backdrop of southern Utah's breathtaking red rock mountains. The Black Desert Golf Course, a par-72 course designed by Phil Smith and the late Tom Weiskopf, will serve as the venue for these prestigious events. Weiskopf, a World Golf Hall of Fame inductee for 2024, played a significant role in the course's final design.
Black Desert Managing Partner Patrick Manning (who will be joining us on July 14 for the Silicon Slopes Conversation Series) said, "We are honored to host the world’s most prestigious professional golf Tours at Black Desert Resort. Bringing the best from the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour to Black Desert and them having the best experience imaginable, along with their fans, is priority number one.”
The Black Desert Championship will be a Full-Field event as part of the PGA TOUR's 2024 FedExCup Fall. Specific dates for the tournament will be announced at a later time. The 2024 PGA TOUR Season will commence in January with the FedExCup Regular Season, followed by three FedExCup Playoffs events in August, and finally, the FedExCup Fall starting in September.
The PGA TOUR has a historical connection with Utah, dating back to 1930 when Harry "Lighthorse" Cooper won the Salt Lake Open. The tour returned to Salt Lake City in 1937 and again in 1947 when Johnny Palmer emerged victorious in the tournament, which was then known as the Western Open. In 1948, the state hosted the Utah Open Invitational, with Lloyd Mangrum emerging as the champion. The last PGA TOUR event held in Utah took place in 1963, won by Tommy Jacobs.
Although the PGA TOUR has been absent from Utah since 1963, the state has been home to the Korn Ferry Tour's Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank since 1990. This tournament has been held at Oakridge Country Club since 2017 and has seen notable champions such as John Daly, Zach Johnson, Brendon Todd, and Cameron Champ.
