PGA Tour Bank of Utah Championship
Thursday, October 1, 2026 – October 4, 2026 · All day
Black Desert Resort, Ivins
A PGA Tour Return Six Decades in the Making
The Bank of Utah Championship is the PGA Tour's only regular stop in Utah, and it ended a long absence: the Tour had not played an official event in the state since 1963, when Tommy Jacobs won the Utah Open Invitational at Salt Lake Country Club. The tournament debuted in 2024 as the Black Desert Championship, and PGA Tour rookie Matt McCarty won it for his first career title in just his third start. Bank of Utah signed on as title sponsor for 2025 under a three-year agreement, and the event took its current name that year. October 2026 marks the third consecutive year the Tour has come to Ivins.
The Course the Pros Play
Tom Weiskopf was still shaping Black Desert Resort's routing through the Santa Clara lava flow when he died in 2022; his longtime design partner, Phil Smith, finished the course afterward. For tournament week the PGA Tour sets the layout up as a par 71 at 7,421 yards, a different card than the resort plays for everyday rounds, and narrows the mown corridors to an average width that has ranked among the tightest on Tour, with the black basalt standing as the primary hazard rather than being cleared away. Two short, drivable par 4s, the 320-yard 5th and the 322-yard 14th, invite pros to challenge the lava directly rather than lay up. For a look at how the course plays outside tournament week, see our Black Desert Resort Golf Club guide.
What's on the Line in the FedEx Cup Fall
The Bank of Utah Championship falls in the FedEx Cup Fall, the stretch of tournaments the Tour plays after its playoffs to settle who keeps a card for the following season. That gives the week a different kind of drama than a marquee summer stop: the field skews toward players fighting to hold their status rather than the game's biggest names, and every stroke can decide whether someone keeps full Tour status for the following season. Play runs four rounds of stroke play across the week.
Parking, Shuttles, and Tournament-Week Traffic
There is no public parking in Ivins or Santa Clara during the championship. Grounds-pass holders park at designated off-site lots, including Tech Ridge in St. George and the Tuachan Amphitheatre lot in Ivins, and ride a shuttle in to the course. Local officials have flagged heavy congestion along Snow Canyon Parkway and Bluff Street, worst in the late afternoon as the day's play wraps up. Ivins itself is a small city at the edge of Snow Canyon State Park; see our Ivins guide for a sense of the community hosting tournament week.
Planning a Trip Around the Championship
Lodging near Black Desert Resort fills up fast during the championship, so book well ahead if you are combining the tournament with a stay; our Where to Stay in Ivins and Santa Clara guide covers the closest options. Early October is also prime golf weather across the region, and plenty of visitors turn tournament week into a longer trip playing the courses around it — our bucket-list golf guide is a good starting point. If you need a break from golf between rounds, Red Hills Desert Garden in St. George makes an easy half-day stop.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the Bank of Utah Championship played in the fall instead of during the Tour's summer season?
It's part of the FedEx Cup Fall, the block of tournaments the PGA Tour schedules after its playoffs specifically to settle full-status Tour cards for the next season, rather than the marquee summer events built around the Tour's biggest stars.
Does a Utah golfer ever get a spot in the field?
The tournament has awarded a sponsor exemption to that year's Utah State Amateur champion. In 2026 that went to Bowen Mauss, a sophomore at Arizona State who won the state amateur title back to back.
Can I buy a ticket at the gate on tournament day?
No. Passes are sold in advance online only; the event does not sell tickets at the gate, so plan to buy before you arrive.
Are children allowed at the tournament?
Yes. Kids under 2 are admitted free, and everyone 2 and older needs a pass; anyone under 16 must be with a supervising adult on the grounds.
Can I use my phone to take pictures or video on the course?
Yes, under the PGA Tour's regular-season mobile device policy, which allows spectators to shoot photos and video and to text throughout tournament week as long as phones stay on silent and nothing is livestreamed. That's looser than the rules at major championships, where in-round video is generally barred.
Is there a way to reach the course without driving and finding parking?
Yes. Paved paths along Snow Canyon Parkway and Pioneer Parkway lead to both tournament entrances, and secure, complimentary bike parking is set up at each one.
What should I plan for spending a full day watching in the desert in October?
Most of the course has little shade, and you'll be on your feet moving between holes for hours, so sun protection and water matter more here than at a shaded Tour stop back east.
Address
1500 E Black Desert DrIvins, UT 84738