Bank of Utah Championship picks 2026: We're betting on another first-time winner in Utah
The FedEx Cup Fall rolls on this week with the Bank of Utah Championship. Jackson Koivun, fresh off a star-making performance at the Presidents Cup, is the favorite. Fellow young stud, Ben James, isn't far behind.
Both Koivun and James are guys our experts like this week, but it's another young bomber who we like to get his first win.
The Golf Digest betting panel is comprised of Pat Mayo of Underdog/Mayo Media Network, Andy Lack of the Inside Sports Network, Ryan Noonan of Betsperts, David Gordon of ESPN, your two authors and Keith Stewart, the CEO of Read The Line.
Scroll down for our complete betting analysis of the 2026 Bank of Utah Championship:
| Experts | Pick to Win | Dark Horse | Miscellaneous Prop of the Week | Pick to Finish Top-10 | Matchups |
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Bank of Utah Championship picks 2026: Our Experts’ Outright Predictions
Pat Mayo, Underdog/Fantasy National, Mayo Media Network analyst: Harry Hall (41-1, DraftKings) — The Vegas resident is well-adjusted to contend at elevation. He had an excellent track record in the old TPC Summerlin event and even posted a T-3 a few weeks back in the Swiss Alps at the Omega Masters. The form is sporadic, but he’s notched two top fives in his past four starts, and many are avoiding the shorter hitters here this week because Michael Brennan won a year ago. Yes, Brennan bombs it, but he did hit 90 percent of his fairways for the week. As long as you’re not in the black lava, this course is a wedge and putting competition.
Keith Stewart, PGA, Read The Line: Benjamin James (19-1, DraftKings) — Ben James is on a mission. Third place at the Wyndham Championship and runner-up at the Biltmore, James’ tee-to-green play is gaining an average of 11 strokes on the field over those last two starts. What I love the most about this young star is the putter. No doubt he sends it off the tee and backs it up with elite iron play, but the putter has gained strokes in his last seven PGA Tour starts. He tasted it on Sunday in North Carolina, and then watched another young star play the Presidents Cup. James is not waiting any longer to win.
Read The Line's Keith Stewart discusses the U.S. comeback on Sunday the Presidents Cup:
Ryan Noonan, Content Manager 4for4/Betsperts: Jackson Koivun (+1225, DraftKings) — I went back and forth between a single-bullet Koivun card and one featuring a handful of mid-tier plays, and I landed on the kid. I’m a sucker for a good club twirl; what can I say? The case against him is clear. The comedown from an emotional high makes it tough to bounce back the following week, but his ball-striking, total driving, and bentgrass putting splits are impossible to ignore. I like the other young guns at the top of the board too, but there’s just not a big enough gap in pricing for me to choose them over Koivun.
Stephen Hennessey, Golf Digest managing editor: Johnny Keefer (42-1, DraftKings) — This should be a great setup for the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour player of the year—he ranks third in this field on easy setups and eighth in driving distance, which we’ve seen can help you separate at Black Desert. He’s also playing better golf recently, ranking 10th in weighted strokes gained/total over the past 30 rounds.
Christopher Powers, Golf Digest senior writer: Chris Kirk (50-1, DraftKings) — You’ll hear a lot about distance this week in the handicapping of this tournament, but last year’s leader board is littered with elite approach players who can run hot with the putter. Enter Chris Kirk, who has been a plus-approach player in nine of his past 11 starts, which finally resulted in some strong results over the past three (T-8 at Rocket, T-10 at Biltmore).
Andy Lack, Inside Sports Network: Jackson Suber (32-1, DraftKings) — Jackson Suber was my pick to win at the Biltmore Championship, and I see no reason to hop off after a solid top-15 finish where he gained in both ball-striking categories. Suber also finished 15th at this event last year.
David Gordon, ESPN Research: Johnny Keefer (42-1, DraftKings) — I'm seeking a first-time PGA Tour winner again this week after investing in Jackson Suber at the Biltmore. Keefer once again hit the ball great two weeks ago en route to a T-7 finish in Asheville. Doesn't hurt that he played well in Utah's event last September on the KFT (also T-7).
Past results: With Andy Lack’s correct prediction of Scottie Scheffler to win the Tour Championship at +345, the panel now has eight outright winners in 2026. That was Andy’s first win of the year, and it came on the heels of Keith Stewart and Pat Mayo’s first win of the year, Wyndham Clark at the BMW Championship. Ryan Noonan has four winners and Steve Hennessey has three. Onto the fall we go, and with a new member of the panel! Welcome David Gordon of ESPN, who you may also know as the “double hammer” king.
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Bank of Utah Championship picks 2026: Sleepers/Dark Horses Who Could Win
Mayo: Nick Taylor (60-1, Fanatics) — More of a hunch than anything I can back up with numbers. Taylor has had success in this area of the country before and comes in with a massive confidence boost off the Presidents Cup. It’s a course that rewards plus putter from the bonus range (15-plus feet) and great wedge play. This is the Nick Taylor method. Plus, for his spot on the odds board, he may have more wins than the other 25 guys in his area combined. Except Billy Ho.
Stewart: Johnny Keefer (42-1, DraftKings) — The first two years of the Bank of Utah Championship, an elite young superstar took home the title. Jackson Koivun may do that again, but I’m looking farther down the odds board for some value. Johnny Keefer has finally figured out how to score on the PGA Tour. The putting stats are starting to match the full-swing flushing. That combination is perfect for Keefer at a venue where he can spray it a little off the tee and still make birdies. A top 10 at the CJ Cup and Texas Children’s Houston Open are great comps for a title run in the Black Desert.
Noonan: Kristoffer Ventura (55-1, FanDuel) — The putter has been a problem of late, but Kris Ventura is typically a slightly above-average putter, and he’s fared well on bent over the past two seasons (+0.39/strokes per round). Aside from the putting woes, his ball-striking numbers have been excellent. He’s finished T-5 in two of his past six starts (ISCO and Rocket), and if I’m oversimplifying the handicap this week, I’m chasing ball-striking ceiling like this.
Hennessey, Golf Digest: Max Greyserman (50-1, BetRivers) — Greyserman tends to excel when he can miss a little bit with his driver, so Black Desert’s giant fairways should fit the New Jersey native’s eye. He can get super hot with the putter, which we’ve seen in his close calls on the PGA Tour. Maybe he’ll be a bit inspired by Chris Gotterup’s performance at the Presidents Cup and show out for the great state of NJ.
Powers, Golf Digest: Billy Horschel (66-1, DraftKings) — Billy Ho has been very strong with his irons for over four months, and now the putter is starting to heat up, too. In this field, I like guys with win equity at really solid numbers, hence the Kirk and Horschel picks.
Lack: Max Greyserman (50-1, BetRivers) — While this is Max Greyserman’s first appearance at the Black Desert, he ranks top 15 in this field in driving and putting skill, and he is coming off a 10th at the Biltmore where he gained strokes in both ball-striking categories.
Gordon: Lee Hodges (82-1, DraftKings) — Not sure there's another soul on Hodges this week and for good reason. But he's popped at birdie-fests before (the last of which came at the John Deere in July, T-3), and that's been the requirement for winning this event.
Bank of Utah Championship picks 2026: Miscellaneous prop
Mayo: Seamus Power Top-20 finish (+380, FanDuel) — Three top-11 finishes in his last six starts, with the other three having him trunk-slamming before the weekend. He remains one of the better players in the field from 150 yards and in and seems to get better on the greens when lag putting gets involved.
Stewart: Jackson Koivun Top-five finish (+335, BetRivers) — Jackson Koivun is the most talented player in this field. Koivun proved it on Sunday when he took down the International Team’s best player under the pressure of the Presidents Cup. It’s tough to win a bunch of PGA Tour titles, but the gap between Jackson and the field is significant enough that he should top five as long as the United States team party didn’t go too deep into Monday.
Noonan: Billy Horschel Top-20 finish including ties (+225, DraftKings) — You just can’t spray it off the tee here, and Billy Ho’s done an excellent job of keeping the ball in play over the past few months. He’s also had his approach game dialed in. Horschel has gained strokes on approach in nine of his past 10 starts, tied with Jackson Koivun for the third-best rate in the field at +0.68 strokes gained per round over his past 36 rounds played.
Hennessey, Golf Digest: Johnny Keefer, First-Round Leader (49-1, DraftKings) — I’ll back up my outright bet with the first-round leader bet, too. Keefer ranks third in SG/Round 1 scoring over the past 30 rounds, per RickRunGood.com.
Powers, Golf Digest: Max Greyserman End of Round 1 Top 10 including ties (+380, DraftKings) — It’s taken me far too long to realize that this is probably the optimal way to bet Greyserman. He does some of his best work on Thursdays (64, 65 and 68 his last three) before he rips your heart out on the weekend.
Lack: Winning Score UNDER 263.5 (-162, DraftKings) — The golf course has gotten a ton of rain over the last few weeks, and there is very little wind in the forecast as well. I’m expecting a ton of birdies and a player having no problems getting into the mid-twenties under par.
Gordon: Davis Thompson Top-20 finish (+200, FanDuel) — Thompson hasn't seemed to meet the expectations of the betting community this year, but it's a lot better than some people might think. Three top 20s in his last four starts, and he's gained strokes on approach in all six starts since the beginning of July. Could absolutely see him winning, too.
Misc. Prop Results from the Biltmore Championship: Powers: 1 for 1 (Haotong Li top-20 finish including ties +270); Lack: 0 for 1; Mayo: 0 for 1; Stewart: 0 for 1; Noonan: 0 for 1; Hennessey: 0 for 1
Misc. Prop Results from the 2026 season: Lack: 2 for 5 (up 5.8 units); Mayo: 1 for 5 (up 4 units); Powers: 2 for 5 (up 2.68 units); Stewart: 2 for 5 (up 2.6 units); Noonan: 1 for 5 (up 1 units); Gordon: 0 for 1 (down 1 unit); Hennessey: 0 for 5 (down 5 units)
Bank of Utah Championship picks 2026: Matchups
Mayo: Harry Hall (+110) over Marco Penge (Coolbet) — Again, people think distance is a smash the week. It’s not.
Stewart: Matt McCarty (-112) over Emiliano Grillo (FanDuel) — In two starts at the Bank of Utah Championship, Matt McCarty has won and finished in third place. Emiliano Grillo, on the other hand, has missed two cuts (six weeks apart) over the last two months. McCarty loves this place, while Grillo needs to get his iron game in order. At even odds, take the player with two top three finishes in the Black Desert.
Noonan: Jordan Smith (-139) over Eric Cole (Bet365) — If you could combine these two players into one, they might be the best player in the world. Jordan Smith’s ball-striking is so consistently good, but he struggles to even threaten the hole at times. Eric Cole’s putter does a lot of the heavy lifting during his good weeks, and that can cover up a lot of underlying issues, but I don’t think that’ll be enough this week.
Hennessey, Golf Digest: Jordan Smith (-139) over Eric Cole (Bet365) — I landed on this one before seeing Noonan’s pick, which makes me like it even more. It’s moved from –120 at open, so the sharps are on this. Cole’s off-the-tee game, especially in softer conditions with the rain that Utah has gotten, will put him at a disadvantage this week.
Powers, Golf Digest: Ben James (+114) over Jackson Koivun (DraftKings) — James has been COOKING, already earning top of the odds board status in the infancy of his career. Koivun has earned that, too, but I have to imagine there will be a bit of a Presidents Cup hangover for the young buck here.
Lack: Max Homa (+100) over Rasmus Hojgaard (BetCris) — This will be Max Homa’s first appearance of the Fall swing, but he ended the season on a solid note with a top 25 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Rasmus Hojgaard, on the other hand, withdrew from the Biltmore Championship in his last appearance and continues to battle ball-striking issues.
Gordon: Rico Hoey (-108) over Mac Meissner (DraftKings) — This is mostly a fade of Meissner who has struggled mightily the last two months including missed cuts in three of his last four starts. Hoey's made six straight cuts dating back to early July and entered the weekend inside the top 10 in each of his last two starts.
Matchup Results from the Biltmore Championship: Noonan: 1 for 1 (Poston (-104) over D. Thompson); Lack: 1 for 1 (D. Thompson (-120) over R. Hojgaard); Mayo: 1 for 1 (Poston (-110) over Nakajima); Hennessey: 1 for 1 (Kohles (-114) over Taylor); Stewart: 0 for 1; Powers: 0 for 1; Gordon: 0 for 1
Matchup Results from the 2026 season (Wins-Losses-Pushes): Stewart: 18-11-3 (up 5.01 units); Noonan: 18-12-4 (up 4.32 units); Lack: 20-12-2 (up 4 units); Powers: 19-15-0 (up 2.34 units); Mayo: 17-15-2 (up 2.03 units); Gordon: 0 for 1 (down 1 unit); Hennessey: 13-18-3 (down 6.09 units)
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Bank of Utah Championship picks 2026: Top 10s
Mayo: Zach Bauchou (+600, FanDuel) — Pikachou continues excellent accuracy/wedges form with spike putting thrown in. The next step managing to put that all together for four rounds.
Stewart: Marco Penge (+335, BetRivers) — In his last three starts, Marco Penge has rolled off a T-6, T-18, and T-10 at the Biltmore Championship. An insane off-the-tee player, I cannot think of a better venue than Black Desert Resort for Penge. With three wins in 2025 on the DP World Tour, Marco has plenty of talent to win this fall event, let alone take advantage of 10 places.
Noonan: Ben James (+225, DraftKings) — I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Jackson Koivun has stolen the spotlight, but Ben James is here and ready to contend against any field. He’s mixed quite often as late, with three T-4 or better finishes in his past five starts. His putter has been unbelievable, but the ball-striking numbers are proof that this run is very real.
Hennessey, Golf Digest: Marco Penge (+335, BetRivers) — I’m with Stewart backing Penge this week; it’s the perfect venue for him to continue his hot play in a weak field.
Powers, Golf Digest: Jackson Suber (+350, BetRivers) — After back-to-back top 25s and an elite approach performance at Biltmore, now is not the time to hop off the Suber train.
Lack: Kristoffer Ventura (+500, FanDuel) — I was high on Kris Ventura last week, and despite a disappointing missed cut, the Black Desert is another great opportunity to let his driving ability go to work. Ventura’s strength off the tee is a huge asset and should only be accentuated further in Utah.
Gordon: Ben James (+225, BetRivers) — Cashed for us at +285 at the Biltmore two weeks ago, and has four rounds of 65 or better over his last two starts dating back to the Wyndham. Breaking news... all signs point to another good finish from James.
Top-10 results from the Biltmore Championship: Noonan: 1 for 1 (Ben James +285); Gordon: 1 for 1 (Ben James +285); Mayo: 0 for 1; Lack: 0 for 1; Stewart: 0 for 1; Powers: 0 for 1; Hennessey: 0 for 1
Top-10 results from the 2026 season: Mayo: 10 for 34 (up 35.55 units); Lack: 9 for 34 (up 9.2 units); Noonan: 10 for 35 (up 5.35 units); Gordon: 1 for 1 (up 2.85 units); Stewart: 8 for 34 (up 1.55 units); Powers: 7 for 34 (down 2.43 units); Hennessey: 6 for 34 (down 9.6 units)
About our experts
Pat Mayo is an award-winning video host and producer of long and short-form content, and the host of The Pat Mayo Experience daily talk show. Mayo helped create the golf stats and research website Fantasy National along with the Race for the Mayo Cup One and Done contest. Mayo won the 2022 Fantasy Sports Writing Association Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year and is a finalist for three FSWA Awards in 2023 (Best Podcast, Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year, Golf Writer of the Year). His 27 FSWA nominations lead all writers this decade and are second-most all-time. Follow him on Twitter: @ThePME.
Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor and content partner with Golf Digest. Stewart is a co-founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the PGA Tour, LPGA and TGL. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter for the industry's best betting narratives. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_.
Ryan Noonan is the Betting Content Manager for 4for4 and Betsperts Golf, writing articles and hosting multiple shows under the Betsperts Group umbrella, including Move The Line and our Betsperts Golf Betting Show. Find him on Twitter: @RyNoonan.
Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. Andy is the founder and CEO of Inside Sports Network, a website devoted to the predictive quality of advanced analytics and golf course architecture. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for Run Pure Sports, RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports.
David Gordon is a research producer at ESPN with a specialty in golf and betting research. The two-time Emmy winner has served as ESPN’s broadcast researcher for the Masters dating back to 2020 and the PGA Championship since 2021. Find him on Twitter: @dgord_tweets.