Black Desert Championship 2024 Preview

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The FedEx Fall schedule continues apace and this week the PGA Tour heads down to Utah for its latest stop, the Black Desert Championship.

Offering another opportunity for those who didn’t finish inside the top 70 of the standings when the season concluded at the Tour Championship, time is running out for those who aren’t currently in the top 120 in the rankings to secure their Tour card for next season.

With the action set to take place at the stunning Black Desert Resort, both viewers and golfers will be met with some truly spectacular views and landscapes making this one of the most picturesque stops on the PGA calendar. 

Ahead of what is another opportunity for some of the PGA Tour’s best players to cement their futures for the upcoming year, here is everything you need to know about the 2024 Black Desert Championship.

The Course

For the second time in just over two months, the PGA Tour returns to Utah. It’s first trip was for the BMW Championship which was won by Keegan Bradley, now for the first time in its history, some of the best players on the PGA Tour will return for the Black Desert Championship.

Set to be played at the Black Desert Resort, the landscape is defined by a rugged mountainous landscape and sandy wastelands. 

Situated some 3,000 metres above sea level, altitude will play a key role in preparations this week and we will see plenty of huge drives. With the altitude, both players and caddies will need to be in constant dialogue with one another to ensure that the right clubs and yardages are dialled in. 

It isn't surprising that due to the altitude, successful driving is set to be one of the key metrics for the week. With three par 5’s and two par 4’s that can be driven from off the tee, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see low scores posted this week.

Who Are The Favourites?

After his heartbreak last week at the Sanderson Farms Championship, Keith Mitchell is back for more this week. 

Having played so well through the majority of last week, Mitchell headed up the 18th knowing that a birdie would be enough to cement his second ever PGA Tour title, racing his birdie effort past the hole, the American knew that he needed to tidy up from four feet to join Beau Hossler and Kevin Yu in a playoff but much to his horror and the watching crowds he would go onto miss the four footer and would have to settle for a third place finish.

Despite the near miss, Mitchell will hopefully be able to take the positives and he will be determined to try and make amends this week. 

Before his third place effort last week, he has been in good consistent form, finishing in the top 15 at both the Procore and Wyndham Championships. One of the form men in the field, he will hope for another positive week.

Seamus Power is continuing to stay in America instead of playing some of the biggest tournaments on the DP World Tour and he will hope his decision will be rewarded with a victory. Once one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour, the Irishman has really struggled this year only being able to record one top ten finish all season. 

Once ranked as high as 28 in the world, he is now well outside the top 100 and it looks like he has plenty of work to do to rescale the heights of the game. 

Unlike the bulk of the field, Power knows where he will be playing next season as he was able to qualify for the season ending FedEx Playoffs. Knowing that he can use these weeks as the perfect preparation ahead of next season, he will hope to build on his eleventh place finish at last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship.

Completing the top three in the betting is Kurt Kitayama and Patrick Fishburn. 

Kitayama is one of the most talented players in the field and he showed just what a good player he is when he won the 2023 Arnold Palmer Championship. Once ranked inside the top twenty in the world rankings, he has now slipped to outside the top 60 and is in need of a spark. Assured of his place on next year’s Tour due to his Arnold Palmer success, he like Power will hope to use the Fall Schedule as the perfect buildup to a much better 2025 season. Having finished inside the top ten just twice this season, he will hope he can produce one of his best efforts of the year this week.

Patrick Fishburn has had an excellent season and has played some brilliant golf over the last few months. Safe in the knowledge that he should be teeing it up next season, he has three top ten finishes in his last five starts and nobody is hitting it better than the American currently is. Although he may not be the best known name, he looks like being one of the best value options of the week.

Who Are The Favourite


Is There Anyone Else to Keep an Eye on?

Beau Hossler came within just one hole of winning his first ever PGA tournament and the American veteran will hope to build on that effort this week. Having just missed out to Kevin Yu in a playoff he should be in fine form and could be worth siding with.

Lucas Glover often finds this time of year to his liking and he seems to be another rounding into form following his third place effort last week at the Sanderson Farms. A former major winner and winner of the prestigious St Jude, he will start as a major threat this week.

Keep an Eye on


Black Desert Championship Betting

Here is how the top ten in the betting for the 2024 Black Desert Championship currently looks.

Keith Mitchell - 18/1

Seamus Power - 22/1

Kurt Kitayama - 25/1

Patrick Fishburn - 25/1

Beau Hossler - 28/1

Chris Kirk - 30/1

Chan Kim - 30/1

Ryan Fox - 30/1

Erik van Rooyen - 30/1

Stephan Jaegar - 30/1