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TourPicks ranks his top-10 Players to watch for at the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship at Black Desert Resort. His insights on the top-10 golfers for the week and reasons why they are primed to win.
The FedEx Fall Series continues this week as the PGA TOUR makes a stop in Utah for the second consecutive year. The tournament will once again be held at Black Desert Resort, but operating under a new name as the Bank of Utah Championship. Matt McCarty is back to defend his title at this beautiful resort, known for its bright green fairways that starkly contrast the blackened lava-scapes along the perimeter. I'm excited to dig into the favorites to win the Bank of Utah Championship.
In this article, I’ll break down my Top 10 Power Rankings, using recent form and gathering any and all data from last season to identify those players who are best set up for success. Let’s get right into my Top 10 Power Rankings for the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship:
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No. 10 - Matt McCarty
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Defending Champion who won this event as a Rookie on the PGA TOUR last season with a winning score of -23 under par.
- McCarthy won by three, dominating OTT and showcasing exceptional short game where he ranked inside the Top-6 in SG: ARG and SG: Putting.
- Recent flashes of solid form would indicate he is well positioned to defend. McCarthy ranks 5th in the field in Strokes Gained: Total over the last four months.
"I wanted to do it in a way where I felt like I wasn't losing accuracy, and didn't want to change my swing.” - Matt McCarty, In his post Black Desert Championship win press conference, when asked about how he’s increased his distance.
Big congratulations to Matt - we love to… pic.twitter.com/cWk7gY9EfV
— TheStack (@TheStackSystem) October 14, 2024
No. 9 - William Mouw
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Mouw has been in top form, ranking 1st in the entire field in Strokes Gained: Total over the last four months of play.
- His breakthrough first victory came in July at the ISCO Championship, and he recently played well in Japan at the Baycurrent Classic a few weeks ago (T18).
- Mouw is an excellent putter with above-average distance off the tee, and the extra-wide fairways at Black Desert should give him freedom to take advantage.
No. 8 - Max Homa
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I'm trying to will this into existence, but there is reason to be optimistic about Homa as he has finally been able to stack solid results together.
- His approach play has seen a big improvement since changing swing coaches. Homa has gained strokes with his irons in six consecutive measured events.
- He can go low and lap the field when he's clicking, ranking 6th best in the field in rounds where he gains at least 3+ strokes on his competitors.
6️⃣7️⃣ Max Homa is trending in Japan 🇯🇵
(Let the 6-7 memes begin! 😅) pic.twitter.com/Dfi1fHnvUO— COBRA Golf (@cobragolf) October 10, 2025
No. 7 - Jason Day
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Easily the most accomplished player in the field, Day looks to be healthy and on the hunt for one more run at the top.
- Day makes a ton of birdies, which is a prerequisite for success at Black Desert. You have to stay aggressive, and Day ranks 3rd best in the field in BOB% in easy scoring conditions.
- He remains one of the top putters in professional golf, both short and long term. Day is reliable from inside 15 ft and has always been a great putter, especially on fast greens.
No. 6 - Davis Thompson
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He's a pure ball striker and always has been. The Georgia-native is a flusher who is coming into form with three consecutive starts with T21 finishes or better.
- Thompson has a solid blend of Distance and Accuracy off the tee, and often avoids the giant miss that you cannot bring into play on this golf course, or else you are hitting from the lava rocks.
- Often does some of his best scoring in easy conditions, and he's very sharp with his iron play from 150-200 yards, where around 45% of approach shots will come from this week.
No. 5 - Rico Hoey
- I've been tooting this horn all Fall-swing, but the best ball striker on the PGA TOUR, not-named Scottie Scheffler right now, is Mr. Rico Hoey.
- Hoey is a phenomenal mid-iron player who attacks the flag stick. He ranks #1 in the field in proximity gained from 150-200 yards.
- Hoey posted another very solid performance in Japan two weeks ago at the Baycurrent Classic, where he finished T4.
No. 4 - Maverick McNealy
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Undoubtedly one of the favorites for good reason. McNealy has been in solid trending form with T25-or-better results in six of his last eight tournaments on the PGA TOUR.
- Consistent putter with high-end upside that you want to back in a birdie fest tournament like the Bank of Utah Championship.
- Accurate Driver of the ball who should have no problem hitting an abundance of fairways at Black Desert. If he can wedge it close, he will be a force to reckon with.
No. 3 - Alex Noren
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Another high-upside putter who can get red hot on the greens. Noren has been a big gainer on the greens in five of his last six events played.
- Undeniable form. Noren has two wins on the DP World Tour in his last four starts, winning the Betfred British Masters and the BMW PGA Championship within the last two months.
- Noren has some of the best dispersion patterns OTT in the entire field. Black Desert gives you room to miss, but you simply cannot miss big, or you will be taking a penalty drop.
No. 2 - Kurt Kitayama
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Kitayama ranks inside the Top 5 players in the field in SG: Total and SG: Ballstriking over the past four months. This is a tournament where he can lean on his strengths to victory.
- He's plenty long off the tee for it to be a huge advantage. The greens are relatively firm, so Kitayama will be able to hit shorter clubs into the greens with a higher likelihood of attacking tricky pin locations.
- Black Desert is right within the mold at TPC Twin Cities, in my opinion. It's a long course where players must make a ton of birdies and avoid the big miss OTT. Kitayama won the 3M Open in late July.
No. 1 - Michael Thorbjornsen
- This young player is supremely talented, and his first victory on the PGA TOUR might be coming this week in Utah. He continues to improve, and with a veteran caddie now carrying the bag, the sky is the limit for Thor!
- He ranks 2nd in the field in Strokes Gained: Total over the past four months, consistently stacking good results on top of one another. He's doing it in all four phases.
- He was forced to WD from this event last year due to injury, but coming into this event in 2025, he is in much better form and exudes supreme confidence. He was knocking on the door once again in Japan (3rd place), and it's time for Thorbjornsen to break the door down.
Enjoy the Bank of Utah Championship, and thanks for reading! See you next season! Good luck, RotoBaller family!
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